In A Major Setback, Pakistan Fails To Meet Deadline For Filing Resolution On Kashmir At UN Human Rights Council

In another setback in its attempts to raise the Kashmir issue at the global level, Pakistan could not file any resolution on the issue at the ongoing UN Human Rights Council meeting here.

Thursday (19 September) afternoon (1 pm local time) was the deadline for filing resolutions at the UNHRC's 42nd meeting, which began on 9 September and goes on till 27 September and no Pakistani resolution was filed so far.

India and Pakistan had faced off earlier this month at the meeting.

On the second day of the meeting, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who was leading his country's delegation, raked up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir.

Citing the restrictions imposed and detention of political leaders among other things, he said that Kashmir had been converted into the "largest prison" with people being denied access to basic amenities.

India's counteroffensive to Pakistan at the top human rights body on 10 September was led by its Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs Vijay Thakur Singh, who firmly put forth India's stance on Kashmir and rebutted Pakistan's shrill allegations of human rights violations.

Flanked by former Indian High Commissioner in Pakistan Ajay Bisaria, who was expelled by Islamabad after India revoked special status for Kashmir, Singh told the UNHRC that there was a need to call out those who are misusing it for "malicious political agenda under the garb of human rights".

He also later met UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet and briefed her on the steps taken by New Delhi to bring about normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh also conveyed to Bachelet about India's concerns on the threats posed by cross-border terror emanating from Pakistan.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)