United Nations (TDI): Tensions between Pakistan and India resurfaced at the UN Security Council this week during a debate on children affected by armed conflict, with both countries trading accusations over rights violations and regional aggression.
Speaking at the 15-member council, Pakistan’s UN envoy, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, warned of the growing number of child victims in conflict zones, particularly in territories under foreign occupation. He referred to the UN Secretary-General’s latest report, which recorded over 41,000 serious violations against children in 2024, a sharp 25% rise from the previous year.
“These are not just numbers,” he said. “Behind each case is a child whose life has been shattered, maimed, displaced, or starved. The suffering of children in places like Gaza and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir must not be ignored.”
He accused Indian forces of routine abuses in IIOJK and highlighted a recent escalation in cross-border violence. Citing incidents from early May, he said Indian shelling targeted civilian areas inside Pakistan, martyring at least 15 children.
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“This was a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter,” he said, calling for the tragedy to be included in the next Children and Armed Conflict report.
India’s UN Ambassador, Parvathaneni Harish, pushed back strongly. He accused Pakistan of backing terrorism and referred to a recent attack in Pahalgam, which he said had ties to militants operating from across the border. He repeated New Delhi’s long-standing position on Kashmir, calling it an inseparable part of India.
Pakistan’s Rabia Ijaz, serving as second secretary at the UN mission, responded with a sharp rebuttal, accusing India of twisting facts and deflecting blame.
“While India throws baseless accusations, it ignores its own record, well documented in UN reports, of widespread child rights violations in occupied Kashmir,” she said. “The reality of children growing up under fear and occupation cannot be buried under false narratives.”
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Rabia Ijaz added that India has not only targeted Pakistan through state policies but has also sponsored terror operations abroad. She brought up the 2014 Peshawar school massacre, in which over 130 children were killed, saying it bore signs of foreign planning.
She concluded by urging the international community to hold all perpetrators accountable, regardless of who they are, and to ensure that children are protected from war, occupation, and state-backed violence.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
