New Delhi: India on Wednesday slammed Pakistan and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) over their statement at the 48th session of the Human Rights Council and for making references to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
Exercising the Right of Reply, first Secretary in the Indian Mission in Geneva, Pawan Badhe said, “It has become a habit for Pakistan to misuse the platform provided by the council to propagate its false and malicious propaganda against my country. The Council is aware of Pakistan's attempts to divert the Council's attention from serious human rights violations being perpetrated by its Government, including the territories occupied by it."
India has time and again lambasted Pakistan for raking up the Kashmir issue in different global forums and asked Islamabad to stay out of India's internal affairs.
The Indian envoy to the UN further said at the session that Pakistan has failed to protect the rights of its minorities, including Sikhs, Hindus, Christians and Ahmadiyas and thousands of women and girls from minority communities have been subjected to abductions, forced marriages and conversions in Pakistan and its occupied territories.
"Pakistan has been engaged in systematic persecution, forced conversions, targeted killings, sectarian violence and faith-based discrimination against its ethnic and religious minorities," he added.
Also read: India rejects OIC's remark on J&K as 'unacceptable'
"Dissenting voices from civil societies, human rights defenders, journalists are muzzled daily in Pakistan, with the support of the Government. Enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, murders and abductions have been used as a tool for subjugation and to muzzle any form of dissent or criticism. The impunity with which such abuses have been carried out exposes the hollowness of Pakistan's commitment to human rights," he said at the session. India, in its right of reply, also underlined Pakistan's state support for terrorism.
Badhe said, "Pakistan is a country which has been globally recognized as a country openly supporting, training, financing and arming terrorists including UN proscribed terrorists, as a matter of State policy. The relevant multilateralism institutions have been raising serious concern on its failure to stop terror financing and lack of effective actions against terror entities."
Later, taking a dig at OIC, India said it has no locus standi to comment on the internal affairs of India.
"We once again regret and reject reference made by the OIC to the Union territory of Jammu & Kashmir, which is an integral part of India. The OIC has no locus standi to comment on internal affairs of India," the Indian envoy to the UN said while adding that the OIC has helplessly allowed itself to be held hostage by Pakistan, which holds the Chairmanship of their Geneva Chapter, to subserve its agenda.
"It is for the members of the OIC to decide if it is in their interest to allow Pakistan to do so," Badhe reiterated.
Calling it a robustly functional and vibrant democracy, India said "it does not need lessons from a failed state like Pakistan which is the epicentre of terrorism and worst abuser of Human Rights."
Notably, the OIC had in August this year asked India to revoke steps to scrap the abrogation of the special status of Jammu & Kashmir, and called it unilateral and aimed at altering the internationally recognized disputed status of the territory as stipulated in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
The OIC General Secretary at that time called on the International community to intensify efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue in line with the UN Security Council resolutions.
In a scornful response to OIC, India at that time had asked them to refrain from allowing vested interests to exploit its platform. It categorically rejected yet another unacceptable reference to the Union Territory of J&K issued by the General Secretariat of OIC.
