India on August 19, sharply criticised Pakistan at the UN Security Council, highlighting its “shameful record” of sexual violence against women, which began during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War and continues with impunity today.
Speaking at the Council, India’s Permanent Mission Charge d’Affaires Eldos Mathew Punnoose said, “The utter impunity with which the Pakistan army perpetrated heinous crimes of gross sexual violence against women in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971 is a matter of shameful record. This deplorable pattern continues unabated and with impunity to this day.”
Punnoose’s remarks were in response to allegations made by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikar Ahmad, who attacked India during a debate on “Identifying Innovative Strategies to Ensure Access to Life-Saving Services and Protection for Survivors of Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones.” Pakistan repeatedly raised Kashmir, diverting the discussion.
VIDEO | New York: Indian Diplomat Eldos Mathew Punnoose, while delivering India’s national statement at the UNSC Open Debate on Conflict-related Sexual Violence, says, “…The utter impunity with which the Pakistan Army perpetrated heinous crimes of gross sexual violence against… pic.twitter.com/ZVFpDMAfva
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 20, 2025
During the 1971 conflict, Pakistan’s army and its allies reportedly raped up to 400,000 women in East Pakistan. Punnoose pointed out that UN agencies have documented persistent crimes, including abduction, trafficking, forced child marriages, domestic servitude, sexual violence, and coerced religious conversions targeting religious and ethnic minority women.
He added that recent OHCHR reports highlight ongoing gendered harms in Pakistan, including violence against women detained on blasphemy charges, and attacks on vulnerable communities facing killings, harassment, and hostility.
Punnoose called out Pakistan’s hypocrisy, saying, “It is ironic that those who perpetrate these crimes are now masquerading as champions of justice. The duplicity and hypocrisy are self-evident.”
UN experts, including Pramila Patten, Secretary-General’s Special Representative on sexual violence in conflict, warned that victims face a crisis due to dwindling resources, even as global military expenditure rises. Reports also highlighted violence in Balochistan, where participants in the Aurat (Women’s) March faced enforced disappearances, torture, and arbitrary arrests.
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