India has said Pakistan is taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic to enhance support to cross-border infiltration and has resorted to “unbridled hate speech to try and create divisions among India’s religious communities”.
Addressing an interactive dialogue with Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, First Secretary in India’s Permanent Mission to the UN Ashish Sharma on Monday said the “hate speech by Pakistan is not merely directed towards one community in India but also against organisations, individuals and even against high ranking political leaders”.
“While the world has come to a standstill due to the pandemic, Pakistan has only enhanced support to cross-border terrorism taking advantage of the pandemic”, he was quoted as saying by Press Trust of India.
Mr. Sharma said Pakistan has resorted to “unbridled hate speech trying to foment violence and intolerance in our country”.
He further alleged that Pakistan is trying to create divisions among our religious communities as well.
“Fortunately, their provocation is falling on deaf ears since India has had a tradition of pluralism and co-existence where all communities live in harmony under a democratic framework”.
India called on Pakistan to “practice co-existence in their own country and eschew all sectarian violence, discrimination and intolerance against their own people”.
Mr. Sharma said the world today is confronted not only by the challenge of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the challenge of infodemic , which in many cases has been responsible for rise in hate speech and seeding hatred within communities.