External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj delivered her much-awaited speech at the United Nation General Assembly on Monday.
As expected, she brought up the recent Uri attack suspected to be carried out by Pakistan as well as the violations of human rights in Balochistan. Sushma made a strong statement that the nations who are havens for terrorists should be isolated in the world and thrown out of the UN.
Here are the highlights of her speech:
- Terrorism is the biggest violation of human rights because it kills innocent people. Terrorism has gone way beyond affecting individuals or nations – it is a crime against humanity itself.”
- “But it is important to ask – who is behind this and who benefits from it? Terrorists do not own banks or weapons factories, so let us ask the real question: who finances these terrorists, who arms them and provides sanctuaries?”
- “We need to focus on countries and elements that provide a safe haven to terrorists. We should come together to fight terrorism. If any country refuses to participate in this fight, we must isolate this country.”
- “On September 21, the PM of Pakistan used this podium to make baseless allegations against my country. I can only say that those accusing others of violation must introspect on what is happening in their own country like the brutalities against Baloch people”
- “Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others”
- “PM Nawaz Sharif said India has set pre-conditions for talks. I ask what pre-conditions? Did we impose any pre-condition before extending an invitation for the oath-taking ceremony of our government?”
- “We have in fact attempted a paradigm of friendship in the last two years which is without precedent. We conveyed Eid greetings to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, wished success to his cricket team, extended good wishes for his health and well being…And what did we get in return? Pathankot, Bahadur Ali, and Uri. Bahadur Ali is a terrorist in our custody, whose confession is a living proof of Pakistan’s complicity in cross-border terror. “
- “My firm advice to Pakistan: Jammu and Kashmir is and will remain an integral part of India”
- “Countries that nurture, paddle and export terror should have no place in the comity of nations”
- “UN should not remain frozen in time…The vast majority of nations share the belief that the UN should not remain frozen in 1945, just to serve the interests of a few…We should adopt Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism to develop norms to prosecute terrorists”
You can listen to the entire speech here: