In a fiery exchange during the 55th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Bharat employed its ‘Right of Reply’ to vehemently reject Pakistan’s allegations while shedding light on its own human rights concerns regarding Islamabad’s track record. First Secretary Anupama Singh addressed what she termed as “flagrantly false accusations about India” made by Pakistan, expressing disappointment at the misuse of the Council’s platform.
Singh reiterated Bharat’s firm stance on the status of Jammu and Kashmir, declaring it an integral part of the country and emphasizing that any measures taken in the region are internal affairs. “The entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India,” she asserted, dismissing Pakistan’s legitimacy to comment on India’s internal matters.
In a sharp rebuke, Singh highlighted Pakistan’s human rights record, pointing to instances of persecution against minorities, particularly the brutal attacks on the Christian community in Jaranwala city in 2023. She drew attention to the large-scale brutality where 19 churches were destroyed, and 89 Christian houses were burnt down. Singh also underscored Pakistan’s support for UNSC-sanctioned terrorists, contrasting it with India’s commitment to pluralism and democratic principles.
“A country that has institutionalized the systemic persecution of its own minorities and has a truly abysmal human rights record, commenting on India, which is demonstrably making great strides in achieving economic progress and social justice, is not merely ironical but perverse,” Singh remarked.
Singh concluded her response by questioning Pakistan’s credibility, citing its involvement in terrorism, economic struggles, and failure to serve its people’s interests. She metaphorically referred to Pakistan as a country “soaked in red,” symbolizing the bloodshed from the terrorism it sponsors globally, its debt-riddled national balance sheets, and the shame felt by its own people due to the government’s failure to address their actual interests.
“We cannot pay any further attention to a country that speaks while being soaked in red – the red of the bloodshed from the terrorism it sponsors around the world; the red of its debt-riddled national balance sheets; and the red of the shame its own people feel for their government having failed to serve their actual interests,” Singh asserted.
The 55th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council, taking place from February 26 to April 5, has become a platform for Bharat to defend its position on Jammu and Kashmir while strongly rebuking Pakistan’s allegations. Bharat had previously emphasized the importance of an environment free of terror and hostilities for normalizing ties with Pakistan in August of the preceding year.
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