Pakistan a Threat to World Peace and Stability – Indian Envoy

The Indian envoy to the UN, Venkatesh Verma, pointedly brought up the nuclear-weapon agenda of Pakistan on Monday after Islamabad again raised the issue of the ongoing Kashmir border conflict during a UN First Committee meeting.

The United Nations debate on Disarmament and International Security Agenda took place amid escalating tensions between the two bordering nations. During the debate, the Permanent Representative of Pakistan, Tehmina Janjua, accused India of "hegemonic policies" and "military domination" ambitions.

Under the UN Right of Reply rule, Verma noted that the real threat to global peace and stability was brought by Pakistan, in aiding terror activities in the south Asian region, alongside Islamabad's unchecked nuclear weapons development and proliferation.

According to Verma, the dangerously close relationship between Pakistan and violent jihadi groups in the region is the gravest threat to peace in the sub-continent.

"Nuclear proliferation linkages which are active today have clear Pakistan fingerprints," the envoy claimed.

The international community has long expressed concern over Islamabad's poor record of nuclear weapons development, and the likelihood of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal ending up in the hands of terrorists.

At the UN, the Pakistani diplomat offered a set of what he termed "proposals," including simultaneous application of International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards on all nuclear facilities and a bilateral arrangement for reciprocal inspections, as well as simultaneous accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Verma referred to the proposal as "self-serving," observing the irony of peaceful proposals made by a country "whose non-proliferation track record is marked by obstructionism."