India smashes Pakistan propaganda on Kashmir at UNHRC, asks to put its own house in order

Exercising its right of reply, India held a mirror to Pakistan in the 46th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). As old habits die hard, Pakistan once again used the UN body to rake up the issue of Kashmir in an attempt to get global attention. Not surprised by the move, India slammed Pakistan for misusing the UN platform for "baseless and malicious propaganda" and countered it with facts.

Pakistani human rights minister Shireen Mazari in her address to the UN body in Geneva repeated Pakistan's propaganda surround Kashmir. In response, Seema Pujani, India's second secretary in the permanent mission to the UN asked Pakistan to take "credible and irreversible steps" to end state-sponsored terrorism and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.

Not only did India reiterate the fact that the entire union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an integral and inalienable part of India, but the Indian representative also highlighted the atrocities that are suffered by minorities in Pakistan and the hostile neighbour's use of state-sponsored terrorism against India.

"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," Indian representative said at UNHRC.

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India pointed out the persecution of the minorities in Pakistan while highlighting the frequent attacks on places of worship of minority communities. The Indian representative cited a recent report of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and stated that nearly 1,000 women, mostly belonging to the age group of 16-25 years, from the minority communities are subject to abduction followed by forced conversion and forced marriage in Pakistan every year.

Pakistan administration and Army's atrocities in Balochistan were also highlighted in the UN forum while making a mention of the enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture of the Baloch activists. "Several Baloch human rights defenders have even met tragic death under mysterious circumstances, while in exile," India stated.

Pakistan has been a safe haven for the largest internationally proscribed terrorist entities and individuals in the world. As many as 126 individuals and 24 entities sanctioned by the UN are associated with Pakistan, India highlighted at the UNHRC while adding that state-sponsored terrorism of Pakistan is not only a threat to India but also to other countries in the region and across the world.

An al-Qaeda terrorist and murderer of American journalist Daniel Pearl was acquitted by the Pakistan Supreme Court. India at UNHRC called the acquittal "a clear example of Pakistani establishment's nexus with terror entities."

Pakistan's all-weather ally, Turkey too raked up the issue of Kashmir. Giving it back, India advised Turkey to practise what it preached and asked it to implement UN resolutions on its own soil. "It is ironical for a country which trampled upon its own civil society to pass unjustified comments on other's internal matters," India remarked on Turkey's meddling into India's affairs.

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Read India's response at UNHRC: