During the UN Security Council debate on women and security, Permanent Representative of India Parvathaneni Harish slammed Pakistan for its dismal record on women’s rights and called out the genocidal mass rape of 400,000 women during Operation Searchlight in 1971. India pointed this out as Pakistan made an attempt to highlight the “plight” of Kashmiri women at the forum.
Country that bombs own people
Harish said, “India’s pioneering record on the women, peace and security agenda is unblemished and unscathed. A country that bombs its own people, conducts systematic genocide can only attempt to distract the world with misdirection and hyperbole.”
She further said that Pakistan is a country that bombs its own people.
What is Operation Searchlight?
In 1971, Operation Searchlight took place.
During Operation Searchlight, the Pakistani army carried out a brutal crackdown against Bengalis residing in East Pakistan. During this time, thousands of women were detained and brutalised. This operation was carried out under Pakistan’s notorious military commander, General Tikka Khan, also called the ‘Butcher of Bengal.’
This brutality led to the 1971 Liberation War and the formation of the new country Bangladesh.
While highlighting the violations, Harish asserted that the international community understood Pakistan’s propaganda.
Why India responded strongly?
This response came after Pakistan’s representative Saima Saleem said women in Kashmir have “endured sexual violence deployed as a weapon of war” for decades. She made this statement without any evidence to back it.