Grateful to media for pointing Pakistan's goof up at UN, says Photographer who clicked Palestine girl's picture

Photographer Heidi Levine, who had clicked picture of a Palestine girl with pellet injuries on her face that was shown by Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi at the UN and claimed it to be from Kashmir, said she was grateful to the media for pointing out Islamabad's goof up.

"I am very surprised to see my photograph being shown at the UN and hope that this is somehow an honest mistake done by an assistant . I am grateful that the media caught this and have pointed this mistake out . As it is also unfair for the dignity of Rawya who is still struggling to overcome her injuries," Levine told ANI.

"Yes, my photograph was taken during the war between Israel and the Hamas -controlled Gaza Strip

Here is the caption of my photo: Rawya abu Jom"a, 17, at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City July 22,2014. Rawya was wounded when two Israeli air strikes attacked her family's apartment on Sunday night . Three of her cousins and her sister were killed in the attack . She is suffering from shrapnel in her face, her legs have perforated holes in them and her bones were crushed in her right hand," she added in response to a question about a Pakistani envoy raising a photo at the United Nations and claiming it to be from Kashmir.

The Pakistani envoy Lodhi had resorted to waving dramatic pictures of a girl with pellet injuries on her face at the UN and added, "this was the face of Indian democracy", while suggesting that Kashmiris had been injured by pellet guns.

However, upon closer inspection of the picture, Maleeha Lodhi's claim seemed to have boomeranged on her.

The picture used by Lodhi was reported by a number of media outlets as that of Rawia Abu Joma'a, a 17-year-old girl injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza city in 2014.

Rawia's picture was taken by award winning photographer Heidi Levine.

India responded to Lodhi's goof at the UN, saying that the estranged neighbour used a fake picture to establish a false narrative.

Permanent Mission of India to U.N. Paulomi Tripathi in India's right to reply asserted that, "Pakistan in her statement yet again sought to divert attention from its role as hub of global terrorism. She (Lodhi) did so by callously holding up picture if an injured girl, its was photo of Rawya abu Jom from Palestine."

"A fake picture to push completely false narrative in view of this cynical and misleading attempt by Pakistan we are constrained to show that this assembly photograph that reflects the real picture of pain inflicted by the the by nefarious designs of Pakistan on India," she added.

-ANI