Permanent Mission of India to UN
Geneva

Right of Reply exercised by India in response to the Statement by Pakistan in

the Twelfth Session of the Forum on Minority Issues (28-29 November 2019),

delivered by Mr. Vimarsh Aryan, First Secretary on 28 November 2019 in

Palais des Nations, Geneva

Madam President,

1. India would like to exercise its right of reply in response to the statement delivered by Pakistan in this forum today.

2. India is a robust democracy where independent and effective constitutional mechanisms are in place to safeguard interests of all our citizen including religious and linguistic minorities and we strongly reject Pakistan’s reference to our Judicial decisions.

3. It is widely known that in Pakistan, the religious, racial, ethnic, sectarian and linguistic minorities have suffered immense infringement of their fundamental human rights due to the so-called ‘blasphemy laws’. The Muslim minorities of Pakistan as well as Pakistan Occupied Jammu Kashmir & Ladakh such as Shias, Ahmadiyas, Ismailias and Hazaras are victims of Pakistan’s authoritarian and discriminatory policies.

4. This forum is meant to deliberate upon crucial Human Rights issues of minorities. But instead of adhering to that objective, Pakistan is merely spewing lies for a self-serving mendacious propaganda that was evident in its statement which was nothing but a farrago of distortions and misrepresentations.

5. We ask Pakistan that instead of squandering the opportunity to deliberate upon rights of minorities by disinforming and mis-educating this forum work constructively and positively for education and upliftment of minorities in Pakistan. The world does not need lessons on human rights of minorities from a country whose own citizens as well as minorities have never enjoyed true democracy.

I thank you, Madam President.