India shows the mirror to Turkey and Pakistan at UNHRC

During the high-level Segment of the 46th Session of the Human Rights Council, Pakistan and Turkey had raised the Kashmir issue. India had a befitting response ready

India Seema Pujani slams Turkey and Pakistan at UNHRC-VPN

Anish Kumar

New Delhi, First Published Feb 25, 2021, 4:18 PM IST | Last Updated Feb 25, 2021, 4:18 PM IST

Lambasting Pakistan over misusing the forum of the 46th session of the Human Rights Council, India has asked Islamabad to set their own house in order before venturing to point a finger at New Delhi.

During its right of reply to the comments of Pakistan on Kashmir and other issues, India raked up the release of Al Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh issue and termed it is a clear example of the connection between the Pakistani State and terrorists.

During the high-level Segment of the 46th Session of the Human Rights Council, Pakistan and Turkey had raised the Kashmir issue.

In its reply, India said that the government of India is "fully cognizant" of its human rights obligations.

Indian diplomat Seema Pujani, the second secretary at the Permanent Mission in the United Nations said, "Pakistan has been the home and patron to the largest number of internationally proscribed terrorist entities and individuals in the world. The recent acquittal of Omar Saeed Sheikh, Al Qaeda terrorist and murderer of American journalist Daniel Pearl, by the Pakistani Supreme Court is a clear example of the Pakistani establishment's nexus with such entities and, as the US Secretary of State said it is an affront to terrorism victims everywhere."

"We request the Council to call upon Pakistan to take credible and irreversible steps to end state-sponsored terrorism and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure in the territories under its control," the Indian diplomat said.

The Indian diplomats also raised conditions of women belonging to minority communities, religious, sectarian and regional discrimination in Pakistan and said, "The condition of women belonging to Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians remains deplorable."

"Shias, Hazaras and Ahmadiya communities have continued to face persecution, state-condoned violence and discrimination," she said.

Pashtuns and Sindhis have continued to struggle against systemic oppression and discrimination. Instances of repressions of journalists and civil society activists are rife, Pujani added.

Turkey

Rejecting comments made by Turkey on Kashmir issues, India said it is completely unacceptable.

"It is ironical for a country which has trampled upon its own civil society to pass unjustified comments on other's internal matters," she replied after Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had raised the situation in Kashmir and called upon India to resolve the dispute as per the UNSC Resolutions.

In response, India hinted at the Turkey-Cyprus dispute and said, "As far as the subject of UN Resolution is concerned, we would advise Turkey to practise what it preaches by first implementing those UN Resolutions that apply to it."

The organisation of Islamic Cooperation

"We reject the factually incorrect and unwarranted references to India. We regret that the OIC countries continue to allow Pakistan to misuse OIC platforms to indulge anti-India propaganda," Pujani said.

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