Eldos Mathew Punnoos, India’s Charge d’Affaires at the United Nations and a native of Chengannur in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, on Tuesday accused Pakistan of perpetrating sexual violence since 1971. Speaking at the UN Security Council (UNSC) Open Debate on ‘Conflict-Related Sexual Violence,’ he said atrocities against women from minority communities in Pakistan continue even today.

“The utter impunity with which the Pakistan army perpetrated heinous crimes of gross sexual violence against hundreds of thousands of women in erstwhile East Pakistan in 1971 is a matter of shameful record. This deplorable pattern continues unabated and with impunity to this day,” Punnoos said.

Sexual crimes against minorities continue

India reminded Pakistan, currently a non-permanent UNSC member, of the army’s violations in 1971. Punnoos noted that abduction, trafficking, forced marriages, domestic servitude, sexual violence and forced religious conversions of women and girls are still reported, citing recent Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) findings.

He said Pakistan’s judiciary often validates these crimes. “It is ironic that those who perpetrate these crimes are now masquerading as champions of justice. The duplicity and hypocrisy are self-evident,” he added.

Justice and survivor support

Punnoos said perpetrators must be held accountable, stressing that sexual violence in conflict destroys lives and scars entire communities. He emphasised a survivor-centric approach and cited UNSC Resolution 2467 of 2019, which calls for healthcare, legal aid, shelter, rehabilitation and reintegration for victims.

India’s global role

He highlighted India’s early contribution to the UN Secretary-General’s Trust Fund for victims and recalled the 2017 voluntary compact with the UN to eliminate sexual exploitation in peacekeeping and humanitarian work.

Punnoos also referred to India’s pioneering deployment of all-women police units in UN missions since 2007 and the training of female contingents to address gender-based violence in conflict zones.

Domestic initiatives for women’s safety

On India’s internal measures, he pointed to the Nirbhaya Fund of USD 1.2 billion, the Emergency Number 112, and Sakhi One Stop Centres providing police, medical and legal assistance. He said fast-track courts and specialised training programmes had strengthened justice delivery for women.

 

More about Punnoos
Before his current posting, Punnoos served as First Secretary at the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka. A 2010-batch IFS officer, he began his diplomatic career at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.