Rejecting OHCHR’s Update on Kashmir Report, India questions seriousness of its office
By IAR DeskIndia has registered a strong protest regarding the Update with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
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New Delhi: India has reacted sharply to the update of the Report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
In a strongly worded statement the official spokesperson Raveesh Kumar of the Ministry of External Affairs said “The update of the Report of the OHCHR is merely a continuation of the earlier false and motivated narrative on the situation in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Its assertions are in violation of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and ignore the core issue of cross-border terrorism.”
Last year, the OHCHR had released its first ever report on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir. On Monday it issued an Update on the report, in which it alleged that neither India nor Pakistan had done anything to improve the situation in the state.
Emphasising on terrorism, the spokesperson said “A situation created by years of cross-border terrorist attacks emanating from Pakistan has been ‘analysed’ without any reference to its causality. The Update seems to be a contrived effort to create an artificial parity between the world’s largest and the most vibrant democracy and a country that openly practices state-sponsored terrorism.
It is a matter of deep concern that this Update seems to accord a legitimacy to terrorism that is in complete variance with UN Security Council positions.”
An attack on a para-military convoy by a young suicide bomber which the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed in the state in February had left more than 40 paramilitary personnel dead. The UNSC had, in February 2019, strongly condemned the terror attack and subsequently proscribed Masood Azhar, the s leader of the organisation, with even China, which had consistently hindered the proscription, acquiescing and refraining from citing any technical reasons.
Kumar pointed out in his statement that in the Update the ‘terrorist leaders and organisations sanctioned by the UN are deliberately underplayed as “armed groups”.’
India’s ministry of External Affairs further said that ‘The legitimisation of terrorism has been further compounded by an unacceptable advocacy of the dismemberment of a UN member State. The entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the Indian state, including the so called “Azad Jammu and Kashmir” and “Gilgit-Baltistan”, through aggression. We have repeatedly called on Pakistan to vacate these occupied territories.’
Describing the Update as ‘distorting India’s policies, practices and values’ the statement said that the Update has undermined its own credibility. ‘Its failure to recognize an independent judiciary, human rights institutions and other mechanisms in the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir that safeguard, protect and promote constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights to all citizens of India is unpardonable. Even more so, as it belittles constitutional provisions, statutory procedures and established practices in an established functioning democracy.
The prejudiced mindset of the Update has also chosen to wilfully ignore the determined and comprehensive socio-economic developmental efforts undertaken by the Government in the face of terrorist challenges.’
India has registered a strong protest regarding the Update with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, saying ‘The release of such an Update has not only called into question the seriousness of OHCHR but also its alignment with the larger approach of the United Nations.’
The ministry underscored that the Government of India follows the policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and will take all measures to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty against cross-border terrorism, and that ‘motivated attempts to weaken’ its national resolve will never succeed.
The government has been calling for an international conference on terrorism, a threat it views as paramount to the well being and development to the country.
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