India has slammed Pakistan for the participation of UN-designated terrorist Gulbadin Hekmatyar in an event on Kashmir. Pakistan not only harbours, but also encourages them, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Akash Srivastava said during a press briefing.
"We saw reports of UN designated terrorist's participation in event organised by Pakistan. This is nothing new. Pakistan not only harbours terror outfits but also encouraged them. We hope such participation would not go unnoticed", the MEA spokesperson said.
Pakistan's mission in Afghanistan held a virtual meeting in which Gulbadin Hekmatyar, also known for his role in the Afghan civil war of the 1990s, was present. The foreign missions of Pakistan have organised similar events in other countries too, like in New York, the permanent mission of Pakistan to the United Nations invited ISI agent Ghulam Nabi Fai to a virtual event.
During the virtual meet, Hekmatyar said India should learn a lesson from the Afghan Jihad and understand that by the use of force, no population can be suppressed and the only solution to the Kashmir dispute is to give Kashmiris their right to self-determination. The Kashmir issue is a grave wound in the body of the Muslim Ummah, he said.
Islamabad may have to face consequences for its move to invite a UN-designated terrorist, as it is already on a "Grey List" by the Paris-based anti-terror funding watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) following accusations from New Delhi and some other FATF member states of not taking action against UN-designated terrorists. These other member nations have also said that Pakistan's anti-terror laws are still out of sync with globally-accepted standards.