Pakistan 'pernicious cradle of terrorism': India at UNHRC

Geneva, Feb 27: Describing Pakistan as the 'pernicious cradle of terrorism', India on Thursday slammed the neighbouring country for raising concerns over human rights in Jammu and Kashmir and said that before preaching others, it must remember that terrorism is the worst form of rights abuse.

Exercising the right of reply after Pakistan raised concerns over human rights in Jammu and Kashmir at the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council, First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission Vimarsh Aryan said that over the past seven months India has undertaken a series of democratic and progressive legislative reforms in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the reforms are aimed to further protect the overall human rights of Indian citizens and to curb Pakistan's 'nefarious designs' aimed at damaging the syncretic fabric of Indian society.

'The international community has abundantly witnessed the subsequent hysterical reactions of Pakistan at various fora, that only attempted to create storm in the tea cup, but unwittingly implied that democratic traditions and religious tolerance are not Pakistan's cup of tea,' Aryan said.

'As the biggest victim of the cross-border terrorism emanating from this pernicious cradle of terrorism we would like to inform this Council that Pakistan is a country whose former president and prime ministers including the incumbent have openly acknowledged the support and inter-operational linkages between their state machinery and the UN proscribed terrorist organizations,' he said.

Pakistan is a country that has considerably shrunk the size of its minority communities since independence, and has subjected Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadis, Hindus, Shias, Pashtuns, Sindhis and Baloch, to draconian blasphemy laws, systemic persecution, blatant abuse and forced conversions, he said.

'Jammu & Kashmir has been, is and will continue to be an integral part of India and Pakistan should cease to covet it,' Aryan said.

'We ask Pakistan that instead of spewing lies for a self-serving mendacious propaganda, work constructively and devote equal attention to protection and promotion of human rights of minorities in Pakistan,' he said.

Before preaching others on human rights, Pakistan must remember that terrorism is the worst form of human rights abuse, he said.

'Human Rights Council is responsible for promotion and protection of all human rights universally, however, quite ironically, what we heard from the Pakistani delegation was an attempt to polarise and politicise this august forum in order to propagate an illegal, immoral and inhuman territorial ambition,' he said.