India at the United Nations on Thursday accused Pakistan of peddling misinformation and said the neighbouring country “epitomised the dark arts”, News18 reported. India’s envoy and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin made the remarks after Pakistan’s Munir Akram claimed that India had indulged in “false and duplicitous claims on normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir”.

“One delegation that epitomises the dark arts has, yet again, displayed its wares by peddling falsehoods earlier today,” Akbaruddin said. “These we dismiss with disdain. My simple response to Pakistan is even though it is late, neighbour, heal thyself of your malaise. There are no takers here for your malware.”

Akbaruddin said that it was clear that the United Nations Security Council faced a crisis of identity, legitimacy, performance and relevance. The globalisation of terror groups, weaponisation of technology, and the inability to oppose those using “subversive statecraft” were emerging in the council.

The Indian diplomat added that the council was a “political toolkit” to raise ongoing and future threats to worldwide peace and security. Akbaruddin said the crises of the council could be resolved by working working through Charter provisions that provide for reform and change”, ANI reported.

Before Akbaruddin’s statement, Pakistan’s Akram had claimed that unilateral measures in Jammu and Kashmir were the “first step” in New Delhi’s efforts to suppress members of the Muslim community. He said that India had issued new political maps that laid claim to not just Jammu and Kashmir but also Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Akram alleged India had violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control 3,000 times in 2019, Hindustan Times reported.

Akram urged the Security Council and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to act decisively to avoid a catastrophic war between India and Pakistan.

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