An irked India on Monday lodged a strong protest with the UN rights office over its report on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, slamming it as a continuation of the earlier “false and motivated” narrative and violative of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In a strong reaction, the External Affairs Ministry said thereport ignores the core issue of cross-border terrorism and seems to accord alegitimacy to terrorism that is in complete variance with positions of UN SecurityCouncil, which had strongly condemned the dastardly Pulwama attack andsubsequently proscribed Masood Azhar.
India’s retort came after the Geneva-based Office of the UNHigh Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which last year released itsfirst-ever report on Kashmir, issued an ‘update’ of the 2018 report on Monday,claiming that “neither India nor Pakistan have taken any concrete steps toaddress the numerous concerns raised”.
Replying to a query about the report, MEA SpokespersonRaveesh Kumar in New Delhi said the update of the earlier OHCHR report is”merely a continuation of the earlier false and motivated narrative”on the situation in J-K.
Kumar also asserted that the report’s assertions are inviolation of India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and ignore the coreissue of cross-border terrorism.
“A situation created by years of cross-border terroristattacks emanating from Pakistan has been ‘analysed’ without any reference toits causality,” Kumar said.
“The update seems to be a contrived effort to create anartificial parity between the world’s largest and the most vibrant democracyand a country that openly practices state-sponsored terrorism,” he said.
“We have registered our strong protest regarding theupdate with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The releaseof such an update has not only called into question the seriousness of OHCHRbut also its alignment with the larger approach of the United Nations,”Kumar said.
Expressing “deep concern” that the report seems to accord a legitimacy to terrorismthat is in complete variance with UNSC positions, Kumar said, “the UNSChad, in February 2019, strongly condemned the dastardly Pulwama terror attackand subsequently proscribed Masood Azhar, the self-styled leader ofJaish-e-Mohammed. However, in the update, militant leaders and organisationssanctioned by the UN are deliberately underplayed as ‘armed groups’.”
“The legitimisation of terrorism has been furthercompounded by an unacceptable advocacy of the dismemberment of a UN memberstate”, the MEA spokesperson said.
India follows the policy of zero tolerance towards terrorismand will take all measures to protect its territorial integrity and sovereigntyagainst cross-border terrorism, Kumar said.
“Motivated attempts to weaken our national resolve willnever succeed.”
Asserting that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is anintegral part of India, Kumar said “Pakistan is in illegal and forcibleoccupation of a part of the Indian state, including the so called “AzadJammu and Kashmir” and “Gilgit-Baltistan”.
India has repeatedly called on Pakistan to vacate theseoccupied territories,” he said.
The report, by distorting India’s policies, practices andvalues, has undermined its own credibility, he said.
The report’s failure to recognise an independent judiciary,human rights institutions and other mechanisms in Jammu and Kashmir thatsafeguard, protect and promote constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rightsto all citizens of India is “unpardonable”, Kumar said.
“Even more so, as it belittles constitutionalprovisions, statutory procedures and established practices in an establishedfunctioning democracy,” Kumar said.The “prejudiced mindset” of the updatehas also chosen to wilfully ignore the determined and comprehensivesocioeconomic developmental efforts undertaken by the Indian government in theface of challenges posed by terrorists, he added.