'Bombing their own people': Indian Diplomat Kshitij Tyagi takes a swipe at Pakistan

Indian Diplomat Kshitij Tyagi on Tuesday (Sep 23) took a swipe at Pakistan for "bombing their own people" at the United Nations in Geneva.His comment came a day after a Pakistani Air Force airstrike in the Matre Dara village of Tirah Valley, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killed at least 30 civilians, including women and children according to local officials and eyewitness accounts. Videos circulating on social media show graphic scenes of devastation, including rubble-strewn streets, burned vehicles, and bodies being recovered from collapsed buildings.

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In response to Pakistani diplomats commenting on India, in its right of reply, the 2012 batch IFS officer said, "adelegation...continues to abuse this forum with baseless and provocative statements against India". He advised Islamabad that, "instead of coveting our territory, they would do well to vacate the Indian territory under their illegal occupation and focus on rescuing an economy on life support, a polity muzzled by military dominance, and a human rights record stained by persecution, perhaps once they find time away from exporting terrorism, harbouring UN-proscribed terrorists, and bombing their own people".

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The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed its "shock" to learn that a "number of civilians, including children, have been killed, allegedly as a result of aerial bombing in Tirah, Khyber district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa." Residents, opposition lawmakers and Pashtun tribal leaders from the Afridi tribe accused the military of deliberate airstrikes, claiming no militants were present and that the attack targeted a civilian area.

For India, the big worry has always been Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism. Recently, new information emerged about how Jaish terrorists held public rallies in Pakistan. In the rallies, they made several anti-India remarks. Indian intel dossiers have shown that new terror hubs are emerging in the country.

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