India strongly criticized a UN counter-terror report for 'factual inaccuracies' and bias, specifically for describing Dawood Ibrahim's D-Company as 'India-based'. India clarified that Dawood is a wanted criminal who resides in Pakistan.
India on Wednesday (local time) strongly hit out at the UN rapporteurs for bias in a counter-terror report and called for high standards of impartiality. UN rapporteur Ben Saul in his report had described Dawood Ibrahim as the leader of the "India-based" D-Company criminal gang with terrorist ties.
Taking umbrage at this, Indian diplomat Raghoo Puri told the UN Assembly, "We express serious concern at the unacceptable situation of the SR releasing reports with factual inaccuracies, while not being held accountable for them. This presents Member States with a fait accompli, which is unfortunate for this organization that is facing challenges of legitimacy."
India Corrects Record on Dawood Ibrahim
Puri underlined that Dawood was a wanted criminal and was based in Pakistan, a country in which Osama bin Laden had been found and neutralized. "The report mentions that in 2003, the Security Council listed the leader of one criminal group, D-Company, for association with Al-Qaeda. Read in isolation, this line paints a very different picture from the actual reality. This organization and its listed leader, Dawood Ibrahim, has been wanted in India for terror attacks since 1993. This is clearly written in the narrative summary of reasons of listing under the 1267 sanctions regime. Not mentioning this fact is regrettable, and such incompetent— incompetence on part of special mandate holders does this organization tremendous harm. Let me correct it for the record. This individual fled India much before the 2003 listing, and it was during this period, from outside our country, that he was listed for being associated with Al-Qaeda and with Osama bin Laden. To date, he remains a wanted criminal in my country, and as per the UN's listing entry, resides in the same country where Osama bin Laden was found and neutralized," the Indian diplomat said.
Human Rights Framework 'Cannot Be Refuge for Terrorists'
India also hit out at the bias in the report saying that human right framework can't judge perpetrators of terror. "It seems to have become fashionable for sponsors of terror to use human rights and the framework of counterterrorism to justify their misdeeds. Human rights framework cannot be the refuge of the perpetrators of terror and those who propagate radicalization and extremism. Terrorism can never be justified," he said.
India Rebuffs Pakistan's 'Propaganda' on Jammu and Kashmir
Puri also hit out at a remark made by the Pakistani delegation, reaffirming that Jammu and Kashmir were integral parts of India. "Regarding the statement just made by the delegate of Pakistan, everyone in this room knows that what has been mentioned against my country, including about the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, is pure propaganda made for very narrow political gains. And these have been on account of the actual rulers of Pakistan, which is its military. I would like to reiterate for the record that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an inalienable part of India, and have been so, and will always remain. I would not like to dignify the statement of— by the Pakistani delegate with any further comment," he said.
On Tuesday, India had asserted that human rights should not be used as an instrument of political pressure or selective country targeting, while calling for accountability, transparency and cooperation to address enforced disappearances at the United Nations General Assembly's Third Committee. Delivering India's statement on the agenda item concerning the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, Ministry of External Affairs Deputy Secretary Barkha Tamrakar highlighted the constitutional and institutional safeguards available in India to address allegations of human rights violations. (ANI)
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