'Matter of shameful record': India at UN slams Pakistan over 1971 atrocities

New Delhi:

In a debate at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Indian diplomat Eldos Mathew Punnoose condemned Pakistan for its historical and ongoing abuses against women and minority communities, calling out the impunity with which the Pakistan Army carried out gross sexual violence in 1971 and continues systemic persecution to this day.

India exposes 1971 atrocities at the global stage 

Speaking during the UNSC Open Debate on Conflict-related Sexual Violence, Punnoose, who was delivering India's national statement, invoked one of the darkest chapters in South Asian history,  the “mass rapes and sexual violence committed by the Pakistan Army in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh)” during the 1971 war. He said, "The utter impunity with which the Pakistan Army perpetrated heinous crimes of gross sexual violence against hundreds of thousands of women in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971 is a matter of shameful record." 

He added that this "deplorable pattern continues unabated" through present-day acts of abduction, trafficking, forced marriages, and sexual violence targeting religious and ethnic minorities in Pakistan.

Historical wounds still fresh 

The Indian statement served as a reminder of Pakistan's long-documented human rights abuses. The conflict in East Pakistan erupted after growing Bengali nationalist movements were violently suppressed by the Pakistan Army in 1971. A brutal military crackdown ensued, with tens of thousands of women reportedly subjected to rape and violence. Estimates of the death toll vary from 300,000 to as high as 3 million.

India, which had been receiving waves of refugees from East Pakistan, intervened militarily in December 1971, leading to the surrender of the Pakistan Army on December 16. The war resulted in the birth of Bangladesh as an independent nation. Punnoose pointed out that even in 2025, Pakistan continues to use “sexual violence and forced conversions” as weapons of oppression. 

These practices are primarily directed at minority communities including Hindus, Christians, and Ahmadiyyas, and are repeatedly documented in global human rights reports, including those by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). He called on the international community to recognize and address Pakistan’s continued abuse under the cover of state power, describing the “state-sponsored nature” of these crimes as "deeply disturbing."

This sharp criticism at the UN comes at a time of rising tensions between India and Pakistan, following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 people were killed. In retaliation, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist camps and infrastructure inside Pakistan. The operation led to four days of cross-border hostilities, which eventually ceased after both sides agreed to halt further escalation.

Pak’s posture raises eyebrows 

In the backdrop of these developments, Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir’s recent visit to the United States has stirred further unease. During his meetings in Washington, Munir reportedly made explicit nuclear threats against India, stating his intent to trigger a war that could "take down half the world." Despite the provocative rhetoric, the US State Department has attempted to strike a neutral tone, stating that its relationships with both India and Pakistan "remain unchanged." 

Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said America’s role in defusing past tensions, calling the US intervention in the post-Operation Sindoor truce "a proud moment" of diplomacy.

Bruce acknowledged a recent trilateral effort involving President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in preventing further escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbors. However, she also noted the continued importance of maintaining separate and robust relationships with both India and Pakistan.

 

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