Pakistan military pleaded for ceasefire on May 10: India tells UNSC

The Pakistani military directly pleaded with India for a cessation of fighting during Operation Sindoor India told the UN Security Council firmly rejecting claims of any external intervention reported news agency IANSAddressing the Council on Monday Indiarsquos Permanent Representative P Harish said New Delhi would take all necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of its citizensLet me reiterate again that terrorism can never be normalised as Pakistan wishes to do he said reported IANSOperation Sindoor consistent with UNSC stand against terrorismEmphasising that Operation Sindoor was consistent with the Security Councilrsquos stand against terrorism Harish outlined the sequence of events that led to the conclusion of the operation which inflicted significant damage on Pakistanrsquos air force reported IANSUntil May 9 Pakistan was threatening further attacks on India However on May 10 the Pakistani military contacted our military directly and pleaded for a cessation of hostilities he said reported IANSHe added that the impact of Indiarsquos operation was evident noting that images showing damage to multiple Pakistani air bases including destroyed runways and burnt hangars were publicly availableIndiarsquos response to Pahalgam attack termed measured and responsibleHarish said Indiarsquos response to the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam in which tourists were targeted was measured and responsibleThe Resistance Front an affiliate of LashkareTaibamdashdesignated a terrorist organisation by India and the United Statesmdashhad claimed responsibility for the religionbased attack that killed 26 peopleIndia rejects claims of external mediation and escalationExplaining the rationale behind Operation Sindoor Harish said India acted in line with the Security Councilrsquos call to hold the perpetrators organisers financiers and sponsors of this reprehensible act of terrorism accountable and brought to justice reported IANSIndiarsquos actions were measured nonescalatory responsible and focused on dismantling terrorist infrastructure and disabling terrorism he said reported IANSHarish did not directly name US President Donald Trump who has claimed credit for ending the conflict through diplomacy and threats of tariffs and has also sought recognition in the form of a Nobel Peace PrizeIndia rebuts Pakistanrsquos assertions on Kashmir and Indus Waters TreatyDuring the Security Councilrsquos open debate on Reaffirming international rule of law Pakistanrsquos Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad raised Operation Sindoor describing it as an unprovoked military aggression reported IANSAhmad also referred to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and presented Pakistanrsquos version of developments in KashmirRejecting Pakistanrsquos assertions Harish said The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India reported IANSOn the Indus Waters Treaty which Prime Minister Narendra Modi suspended following the Pahalgam attack Harish said India was compelled to place the agreement in abeyance until Pakistan ldquocredibly and irrevocably ends its support for crossborder and all other forms of terrorismrdquoCriticising Islamabadrsquos practice of raising Kashmir and other bilateral issues at UN forums irrespective of the agenda Harish said This hallowed chamber cannot become a forum for Pakistan to legitimise terrorism reported IANSResponding to Ahmadrsquos remarks on the rule of law Harish urged Pakistan to engage in introspection saying it could begin by examining how its armed forces engineered a constitutional coup through the 27th Amendment granting lifetime immunity to the chief of defence forcesThe 27th Amendment to Pakistanrsquos Constitution adopted in November has been widely seen as entrenching the supremacy of the militaryWith inputs from IANS