India Corners Pakistan At UNHRC, Raises Issue Of Rights Violations In Balochistan And Sindh

Responding to a statement by Pakistan law minister Zahid Hamid at UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva describing India as an “occupying power” which is “brutalising” Kashmir, India’s representative at the UN body raised the issue of human rights violations in Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and “advised” Islamabad “to focus its energies on setting its own house in order”.

India’s permanent ambassador to UN, Ajit Kumar, cornered Pakistan by accusing it of having territorial ambitions in Kashmir and said that the country remains in “illegal and forcible occupation of approximately 78,000 sq kms of Indian Territory in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan has had territorial ambitions over Kashmir since 1947 that have found concrete expression in the aggression it embarked on in 1947, 1965 and 1999,” he said.

The Indian mission said Pakistan should move away from ritually raking up the issue of alleged human rights violations in Kashmir and should act against the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on its neighbours.

Alok R. Jha, counsellor at the Indian mission, pointed out that Pakistan has failed to fulfill its obligations towards the UN in respect to Jammu & Kashmir. “We also call upon the Council to urge Pakistan to fulfill its obligation under UN Security Council resolutions to vacate illegal occupation of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir,” he said.

India also reacted strongly to the statement issued by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Kashmir. “Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and the OIC has no locus standi in matters concerning India's internal affairs,” Jha said.