This Thursday Indian ambassador TS Trimurthy took the United Nations General Assembly as the stage for slamming Pakistan officials towards religious tolerance. The Indian ambassador lashed out on Pakistan which is also a co-sponsor of the United Nations Resolution on promoting a culture of Peace, even as its law enforcement directorates kept silent when a historic Hindu temple was being vandalized by the mob in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The UN Resolution was introduced to safeguard the religious sites and to promote a culture of peace and tolerance at all strata. It shall also ensure the respect for diversity of religions and for human rights. TS Trimurthy slamming the neighbor said that the resolution cannot be used as a smokescreen for Pakistan to hide behind, especially after such incidents.
The Hindu Temple was situated in the Karak town of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Earlier December it was razed and vandalized by the angry mob lead by a Maulana Sharif, a Muslim cleric who is backed by a militant group. The mob was allegedly instigated by the cleric and went on to set the temple ablaze and all the belongings it had.
The Indian Ambassador expressing frustration over the incident quoted that a country where the minority communities are belittled always, the recent attack on the Hindu Temple being the example, it’s an irony that such a nation is a co-sponsor of the UN Resolution for safeguarding peace for cultures. Along with Pakistan, Trimurthy also cornered Afghanistan for its grievous history of cultural intolerance by citing the incidents of the Bamyan Buddha idol being shattered on the orders of the Taliban in 2001 and the attack on the Sikh Gurudwara in Kabul which was carried out by Abu Khalid the suicide bomber who destroyed the holy place and claimed the lives of the 25 Sikhs inside the pious building. Quoting these grievous acts, India said that the world has faced a sudden rise in terrorist attacks, cultural intolerance, and violent extremism, Cultural heritage sites and religious places are the most vulnerable of such acts of destruction.
Timothy also congratulated Saudi Arabia and Morocco for their efforts in conducting the sensitive negotiations for achieving consensus of the draft resolution. The Indian Ambassador told the General Assembly that India has a strict policy and law enforcement directorates for ensuring cultural heritage sites and attaches paramount respect for such religious matters. Adding to this, he said that India has a strong legal framework against violent extremism and to preserve cultural heritages regardless of majoritarianism. Concluding, he urged the United Nations to abstain from taking sides, for as long as partiality exists the world can never foster a culture of peace.
