India slams Pak for support to terror groups, asserts J&K an integral part of India

Exercising its right of reply to Pakistan's statement at the ongoing 43rd session of the Human Rights Council here, India's representative informed the Council that the situation in Jammu and was fast returning to normalcy.

India’s time tested democratic institutions are robust and adequate enough to address any challenge including those instigated from outside, in order to safeguard interests of all our citizens including minorities, India's representative said.

India argued that the international community cannot be misled by Pakistani hysterical reactions at all international fora to malign India. ``The world knows about the dismal human rights records of Pakistan and a tight control cannot hide it all. Let us advise Pakistan for its own good and for the peace and prosperity of the South Asian region,' India's First Secretary at the Permanent Mission Vimarsh Aryan said in the reply.

Listing ten points for Pakistan to act upon, Indian representative said that first and foremost the neighbouring country should end illegal and forcible occupation and reverse the demographic changes in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).

India asked Pakistan to stop terror funding and dismantle terrorist camps operating in Pakistan and territories under its control and put an end to public advocacy and support for terrorists by Pakistani leadership at the highest level. India's representative said that Pakistan should take structural reforms to develop a semblance of democracy there and end harassment and execution of minorities through misuse of blasphemy law.

``Pakistan should end forced conversions and marriages of women and girls from Hindu, Sikh and Christian religions, stop killing and targeting political dissidents and legitimate criticism in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, prevent enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of journalists and human rights activists by its security agencies, stop religious persecution against Shias, Ahmadiyas, Ismailia and Hazaras and stop recruitment of children for terror activities including suicide bombing in other countries,' India told the Council.

The representative said that blasphemy law against Aasia Bibi, persecution of Abdul Shakoor, an Ahmadiya, Jagjit Kaur, a minor Sikh girl subjected to abduction and forced marriage are the norms of the day for minorities in Pakistan.

Referring to recent comments made by the OIC, India stressed that it has no locus standi to comment on the internal affairs of India. ``Jammu and Kashmir was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of India,' India's representative asserted.

Referring to Belgium’s comment on NRC, India said Belgium, as a close partner of India, could have checked the factual position before coming to any conclusion on the issue. ``Our Prime Minister has clearly said that no discussions have taken place on NRC anywhere except following Supreme court directives in Assam,' India's representative said.

On Wednesday in the Council's session, India had tore tore into Pakistan's allegations on Kashmir, saying it was ironic that the world's leading exporter of terror and violence sought to lecture others about human rights.

Strongly defending the government's decision to reorganize Jammu and Kashmir state and the temporary restrictions placed in Kashmir last year, India's representative and Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry, Vikas Swarup in Geneva, said, "Despite Pakistan's best efforts -- over decades -- to destabilize the state through externally-instigated terror and a campaign of canards and untruth, the situation on the ground is quite normal."

Most temporary restrictions were imposed solely to ensure the safety of the people from Pakistani trained terrorist attacks and have already been removed, he said.

Mr Swarup reiterated India's position that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of India."

(Image credit : UNI)