Killing civilians not counter-terrorism: India slams Pakistani strikes on Afghanistan at UNSC

📌 Summary:

• At a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, India accused Pakistan of waging "trade and transit terrorism" against Afghanistan and condemned its airstrikes on Afghan territory
• India's Permanent Representative Harish Parvathaneni said Pakistan's strikes caused major civilian casualties; "dressing up a massacre as a military operation" does not absolve those responsible
• India called the strikes blatant violations of international law, the UN Charter, and the principle of state sovereignty, and a threat to regional peace
• Citing UNAMA figures: 372 civilians killed and 397 injured in the first three months of the year

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 — India and its neighbourhood; Afghanistan-Pakistan dynamics; regional security and India's stake in a stable Afghanistan

📝 Prelims Facts:

• UNAMA = United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
• Harish Parvathaneni is India's Permanent Representative to the UN

🔑 Key Term: State sovereignty — the UN Charter principle of a state's territorial integrity and political independence, barring use of force against another state