At the ongoing session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), India launched a scathing attack against Pakistan, Turkey and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for their remarks on Jammu and Kashmir, and reiterated that both Union Territories, Ladakh and J&K, are an integral part of India.
Terming Turkey’s remarks regarding the situation in Kashmir and the implementation of UN resolutions as “completely unacceptable,” India said it is “ironical for a country which has trampled upon its own civil society to pass unjustified comments on other’s internal matters”.
India also rejected the factually incorrect and unwarranted references to India in the OIC statement.
Exercising the Right of Reply, Seema Pujani, Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of India said Turkey should practise what it preaches by first implementing UN resolutions that apply to it.
“As regards the remarks made by Turkey, we find them completely unacceptable. It is ironical for a country which has trampled upon its own civil society to pass unjustified comments on other’s internal matters,” she said.
“As far as the subject of UN Resolutions is concerned, we would advise Turkey to practise what it preaches by first implementing those UN Resolutions that apply to it,” she added.
India said OIC countries continue to allow Pakistan to misuse OIC platforms to indulge in anti-India propaganda.
“As regards the OIC’s statement, we reject the factually incorrect and unwarranted references to India. We regret that the OIC countries continue to allow Pakistan to misuse OIC platforms to indulge in anti-India propaganda,” Pujani said.
She said the Government of India is fully cognizant of its human rights obligations and committed to the promotion and protection of the human rights of our people.
“The statement of our External Affairs Minister has outlined India’s perspective on human rights, both in relation to India and in the global context,” she said.
India also urged Human Rights Council to call upon Pakistan to take credible and irreversible steps to end state-sponsored terrorism and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in the territories under its control.
Pakistan on Tuesday made references to Jammu and Kashmir in the high-level segment. It asked the United Nations Human Rights Council and the international community “to give up politically driven double standard on human rights”.
India said it is not surprised that Pakistan’s representative has chosen to misuse the august forum yet again. “Pakistan’s continued misuse of various platforms to engage in baseless and malicious propaganda against India is not new,” Seema Pujani said.
India also said that before pointing a finger at others, Pakistan should put its house in order.
“As a country with one of the world’s worst human rights records, Pakistan would do well to put its own house in order, before venturing to point a finger at India,” Pujani said.
“The violence, institutionalized discrimination and persecution faced by Pakistan’s minorities, including Christians, Sikhs and Hindus, has continued unabated. There have been frequent attacks on the places of worship of minority communities, a grave violation of their right to freedom of religion and belief,” she said.
India also said that the acquittal of Omar Sheikh, the terrorist convicted of abducting and murdering US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002, exposes the nexus between Pakistan and terrorists.
“The recent acquittal of Omar Saeed Sheikh, the al-Qaeda terrorist and murderer of the American journalist Daniel Pearl by the Pakistani Supreme Court is a clear example of the Pakistani establishment’s nexus with such entities and, as the US Secretary of State said, it is ‘an affront to terrorism victims everywhere’,” Pujani said.
She said Pakistan has been the home and patron to the largest number of internationally proscribed terrorist entities and individuals in the world.
“As many as 126 individuals and 24 entities, sanctioned under the UN Security Council 1267 and 1988 Committees’ Lists, are associated with Pakistan. State-sponsored terrorism by Pakistan is a threat, not only to India but to other countries in the region and beyond,” she said.
“We reiterate that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India. The steps taken by the Government to ensure good governance and development in these Union Territories are our internal matters,” she added.