Ambassador  Pankaj Sharma, Permanent Representative of India to the Conference on Disarmament, Geneva  during the Plenary meeting of the Conference on Disarmament held on January 25, 2022

Thank you, Mr. President,

2.      I am taking the floor to exercise India’s Right of Reply to respond to the continued abuse of this august forum by Pakistan. I seek the kind indulgence of our colleagues, especially our very kind interpreters for staying beyond 1 P.M.

3.      Pakistan’s desperate attempts to peddle falsehoods and the habit of abusing the sanctity of multilateral forums deserves our collective contempt. Pakistan has made a number of futile and unsubstantiated allegations against India, including in relation to the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. These do not merit a response, as they pertain to matters internal to India. Let me reiterate here that the entire territory of Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. This includes the areas that are under the illegal occupation of Pakistan. We call upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.

4.      Given its established State practice of hosting, aiding, and actively supporting terrorists, how could one expect any constructive contribution from Pakistan to the Conference on Disarmament, or for that matter any other  Body,  that deals with important matters of international peace and security.

5.      Pakistan’s baseless accusations are indeed rich, coming from a nation that is encouraging sectarian violence against Muslims and suppresses the rights of minorities.

6.      We expect nothing new from this delegation, that harbours a deep sense of insecurity and orchestrated hatred for India and our secular credentials and the values that my country stands for. However, despite its hopeless efforts, the world is able to see through its deceit and double-speak. It is time to hold Pakistan to account and not let them abuse UN platforms for spreading disinformation, hate and incite violence.

Mr. President,

7.      As a responsible State, India strictly abides by its obligations under international treaties and needs no advice from a country, which has a proven track record of illicit export of nuclear material and technology.?

8.      India’s security concerns are not confined to a region and, therefore, India has always approached these issues in a global context.

Mr. President,

9.      As the epicenter of global terrorism, Pakistan is the biggest destabilizing force in the world and has repeatedly indulged in cross-border terrorism. They have no regard for UN principles. While Pakistan’s Permanent Representative speaks about peace and security here, his Prime Minister glorifies global terrorists like Osama Bin Ladin, after killing more than 3000 people on 9/11 alone,  as ‘martyrs’. What more could be a better proof of the utter duplicity that this country is infamous for.

Mr. President,

10.    In contrast to India’s constructive approach on disarmament matters, Pakistan has only been disruptive. It is 26 years now, that the world is paying the price of Pakistan’s obstructionist tactics in the CD, which has not allowed the Conference to adopt and implement a Programme of Work.  It has the dubious distinction of having single handedly blocked the negotiations on FMCT, including in 2009, when the CD adopted a consensus Programme of Work. Having joined the consensus on the Programme of Work, Pakistan revealed its true character by soon taking a complete U-turn and blocking any work by the CD.

Mr. President,

11.    The Conference on Disarmament has a vast agenda dealing with global issues relating to disarmament and international security. This is not the forum to address bilateral or regional issues. We wish to reiterate that bilateral and  regional security issues have no place in the CD’s considerations.

12.    This Conference should not only categorically reject Pakistan's nefarious and vicious designs but collectively condemn Pakistan for its repeated efforts to politicize its work and hijack its mandate.

13.    Going by its past practice and compulsive obsession with India, Pakistan may exercise its Right of Reply and continue its malicious false propaganda against my country. But I shall refrain from responding to it, out of respect for the work of the Conference under your able leadership and guidance.

I thank you, Mr. President.