Pakistan testing patience with unceasing false narrative on J&K: India

Geneva, Sep 20: On a day that New Delhi vowed to launch a diplomatic blitz against Islamabad in wake of a cross-border terror attack on an army base in Jammu and Kashmir that left 18 soldiers dead, India on Monday began at the UN Human Rights Council meeting here, where it charged Pakistan with continuing to "test the patience as well as wisdom of this Council".

"Pakistan continues to test the patience as well as wisdom of this Council with its unceasing false-narrative backed by fabricated facts and figures about the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir," India's Counsellor Political Alok Ranjan Jha said in response to a statement by Pakistan under the Agenda Item 4 during the 33rd Session of the UNHRC.

"Pakistan has had territorial ambitions over Kashmir since 1947 that has found concrete expression in the aggression it embarked on in 1947, 1965 and 1999," Jha said delivering the Indian statement.

"As on date, Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of approximately 78,000 sq km of Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir."

Reiterating that the fundamental reason for disturbances in Kashmir was cross-border terrorism promoted by Pakistan, Jha also said: "The human rights violations in entire Pakistan cry for the world's attention: the people of Balochistan, amongst other provinces, have been waging for decades a bitter and brave struggle against their daily abuse and torture."

"Religious and sectarian minorities such as Hindus, Christians, Shias, Ahmaddiyas, Ismailis and others continue to face discrimination, persecution and targeted attacks in Pakistan.

"Places of worship belonging to minorities have been destroyed and vandalized. Blasphemy laws remain in force and are disproportionately used against religious minorities."

India also pointed out that "various international organisations have documented how enforced disappearances continue with impunity, particularly in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh where members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement are routinely abducted and unlawfully killed".

"Selective but extremely opaque and high-handed use of force by Pakistani authorities has affected civilian populations on a large scale," it said, adding that more than one million people remain displaced as a result of the current and past armed conflicts in northwest Pakistan.

It also stated that given this state of affairs, Pakistan would be "well-advised to focus its energies on setting its own house in order and acting against the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on its neighbours instead of ritually raking up alleged human rights violations elsewhere".

"We, once again, ask Pakistan to stop inciting and supporting violence and terrorism in any part of India and refrain from meddling in our internal affairs in any manner," Jha said.

"We call upon the Council to urge Pakistan to fulfill its obligation to vacate illegal occupation of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir."

Earlier on Monday, in its statement under the Agenda Item 4 during the the UN Human Rights Council here, India said that a policy of zero tolerance to terrorism was an international obligation.

"We call upon this Council to urge Pakistan to put an end to cross-border infiltration; dismantle the terrorism infrastructure; and stop acting as an epicentre of terrorism," it said in its statement.

"It is time that moral and material support provided by Pakistan to the perpetrators of this continuing heinous violence on Indian soil should attract this Council's attention."

The statement said that these acts of terrorism were the most egregious violations of human rights as they rob their victims of the most fundamental of human rights, which was the right to life and "this should be clear to any impartial observer of the issue".

IANS