New Delhi: India strongly objected to Pakistan’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir and minority rights at the United Nations Human Rights Council, accusing Islamabad of continuing to occupy parts of the region and calling for the territory to be vacated.
Exercising India’s right of reply at the council, diplomat Kshitij Tyagi said Jammu and Kashmir remains an integral part of India and argued that the only portion of the region under foreign occupation is the territory controlled by Pakistan.
Tyagi also criticised Pakistan’s comments on minorities in India, pointing to the country’s large Muslim population and representation of Muslims in elected bodies, the judiciary and other public institutions.
He, in turn, raised concerns over the treatment of minority communities in Pakistan, referring to Hindus, Sikhs and Christians as well as Shia, Ahmadiyya, Ismaili and Hazara Muslims. He alleged that these communities have faced discrimination, violence and attacks on places of worship.
The Indian diplomat also brought up the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits during the violence of the 1990s. He alleged that Pakistan supported terrorist groups that were involved in attacks that forced members of the community to leave their homes.
Tyagi further argued that violence had affected Kashmiris across religious communities and questioned Pakistan’s criticism of India on human rights issues while facing allegations concerning minority rights within its own territory.
Separately, India rejected Pakistan’s claims concerning a recent development related to the Indus Waters Treaty. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal disputed Pakistan’s description of the legal proceedings and said India does not recognise the process as having been constituted in accordance with the treaty framework.
India has maintained that the proceedings were initiated through a mechanism it does not accept and that its position on the Indus Waters Treaty remains unchanged.
The exchanges at the UN come amid continuing diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan over Jammu and Kashmir, terrorism, minority rights and the implementation of the Indus Waters Treaty.
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