GENEVA, May 22 (APP): Pakistan’s Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has called for holding India accountable for threatening to halt the flow of Indus River waters, warning such a course would jeopardize the health of over 240 million Pakistani people.
“Weaponizing water and targeting civilian health infrastructure by India are flagrant breaches of international law,” he told the World Health Assembly-78, which is meeting in Geneva.
During the recent tensions, Kamal said Indian strikes also damaged a government dispensary, disrupting front-line care for vulnerable communities.
Kamal also strongly condemned continued Israeli aggression against Palestinians in occupied territories, during which thousands of people, mostly women and children, were killed and left Gaza in tatters.
The Health Minister also underlined:
— Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to the WHO’s global health agenda;
— Polio eradication was Government’s foremost priority;
— National progress on reduced preventable maternal and child mortality;
— increased immunization coverage and responses to infectious diseases, such as HIV, malaria, dengue, and hepatitis, and,
— Appreciation for adoption of the landmark Pandemic Agreement;
India reacted to the Health Minister’s statement, repeating its usual string of allegations against Pakistan.
Danyal Hasnain, a Second Secretary at the Pakistani Mission to the UN in Geneva, hit back at India, warning, “As a lower riparian, unrestricted access to water is a matter of survival for us and history has proven that whenever provoked, Pakistan has always defended itself and will do it again, with all means at its disposal.”
He said, “The entire world recently witnessed how the hubris-inspired adventurism and reckless military action by the Indian government, led by BJP, imperiled regional peace and security.
“Fueled by its misplaced notions of superiority, the Indian government once again proved that it is one of the most persistent violators of international law.
“However, the recent illegal military actions undertaken by India violated every precept of international law, especially the UN Charter, which guarantees sovereignty and integrity of member states.”
APP/ift