India hits out at Pakistan for raking up Kashmir issue at UNHRC

In a strong retort to debt-trapped Pakistan after it raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), India has said it cannot pay any attention to a country which is soaked in red due to the bloodshed from terrorism that it sponsors around the world.

In a strong retort to debt-trapped Pakistan after it raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), India has said it cannot pay any attention to a country which is soaked in red due to the bloodshed from terrorism that it sponsors around the world.

First Secretary in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva Anupama Singh exercised India’s Right of Reply at the ongoing high-level segment of the 55th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on February 28.

India exercised the Right of Reply to respond to Turkiye and Pakistan after the two countries made references to Kashmir in their statements at the high-level segment.

“Firstly, we regret the comment made by Turkiye on a matter that is an internal affair of India and hope that it would refrain from making unsolicited comments on our internal matters in the future,” Ms. Singh said.

Coming down heavily on Pakistan, India said that “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.”

A country that hosts and even celebrates UN Security Council-sanctioned terrorists, “commenting on India whose pluralistic ethos and democratic credentials are exemplars for the world, is a contrast for everyone to see,” she said, in an apparent reference to terror outfit leaders such as Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed and Jaish-e Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar enjoying the backing of the government in Pakistan.

Hitting out at Pakistan for the “extensive references” to India, Ms. Singh said it is deeply unfortunate for the Council's platform to have once again been misused to make patently false allegations against India. “We are constrained to respond,” Ms. Singh said.