Pakistan host to 'Ivy League of terrorism': India

United Nations, Sep 22: Taking a swipe at Pakistan, India today said the land of Taxila "is now host to the Ivy League of terrorism" and attracts aspirants and apprentices from around the globe.

Exercising India's Right of Reply to Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's "long tirade" about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the UN Eenam Gambhir made a strong rebuttal.

"What my country and our other neighbours are facing today is Pakistan's long-standing policy of sponsoring terrorism, the consequences of which have spread well beyond our region," she said.

Gambhir said India sees in Pakistan "a terrorist state" which channelises billions of dollars, much of it diverted from international aid, to training, financing and supporting terrorist groups as militant proxies against it neighbours.

She noted that the land of Taxila, one of the greatest learning centres of ancient times, "is now host to the Ivy League of terrorism" and attracts aspirants and apprentices from all over the world.

Many terrorists have been found hiding in Pakistan, including those from the Taliban and the dreaded Haqqani Network. Taliban chief Mullah Omar and al-Qaeda supremo Osama bin Laden were both hiding in Pakistan.

Osama was killed in a daring US Navy SEALs raid at his Abbottabad compound in 2011. The term Ivy League has connotations of academic excellence and selectivity in admissions.

The eight top US institutions part of the Ivy League are Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University and Yale University.

PTI