India Hits Back at Pakistan at UN, Cites 400,000 Women Victims of 1971 Operation Searchlight

India Flips Script at UN, Cites Mass Rape During Operation Searchlight

During a debate on women and security at the United Nations, India delivered a firm response to Pakistan, challenging Islamabad over its human rights record while highlighting historical atrocities.

India’s permanent representative to the UN, Parvathaneni Harish, slammed Pakistan for its ongoing “delusional tirades” on Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that attempts to divert attention from its own failures would not succeed.

“Our pioneering record on 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,” Harish said.

The remark referred to recent Pakistani airstrikes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which killed over 30 civilians, including children.

Operation Searchlight: Historical Atrocities Highlighted

Significantly, India cited Operation Searchlight in 1971, during which the Pakistani military carried out a brutal crackdown in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The campaign saw hundreds of thousands of Bengali women detained and subjected to systematic sexual violence.

The operation was overseen by General Tikka Khan, infamously nicknamed the “Butcher of Bengal.” The atrocities ultimately led to Pakistan’s defeat and the creation of Bangladesh.

“This is a country that conducted Operation Searchlight in 1971 and sanctioned a systematic campaign of genocidal mass rape of 400,000 women citizens by its own army. The world sees through Pakistan's propaganda,” Harish stated.

Pakistan’s Kashmir Claims Challenged

During the same UN session, Pakistan’s representative Saima Saleem alleged that women in Kashmir had “endured sexual violence deployed as a weapon of war.” However, India pointed out that Pakistan’s claims were not backed by evidence, and used the forum to underscore its own record on women, peace, and security.

India’s intervention at the UN demonstrates its continued commitment to exposing historical and ongoing human rights violations while countering misinformation on sensitive geopolitical issues like Kashmir.