Right of Reply by India under Agenda Item 3 under ID of the Working Group on Enforced or Voluntary Disappearances and Arbitrary Detention at the

42^nd Session of the Human Rights Council (09-27 September 2019)

delivered by Ms. Mini Devi Kumam, First Secretary,

Permanent Mission of India [Geneva, 13 September 2019]

Mr. President,

India exercises its right of reply in response to all statements made by Pakistan today.

2. It’s not surprising that Pakistan continues its blatant misrepresentation of facts and false narratives. We will advise Pakistan to look into its own cases of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings which are in millions, particularly in Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Sindh.

3. We will also advise Pakistan to accept the reality that Article 370 is entirely an internal matter of India. All Pakistan’s hysterical statements with false, fabricated narratives are not going to change this fact. These reactions are expected from Pakistan as our recent decision is creating obstacles in Pakistan’s continuing sponsorship of cross border terrorism against India.

4. The principles of self-determination espoused by Pakistan pose severe dangers to several countries in the world where multi-ethnic and multi-religious societies coexist. In contravention of the UN Charter, the concept cannot become an instrument to promote subversion and erode political cohesion, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Member States.

5. We will also advise Pakistan to look at its own history of human rights records, deep states, sham democracy, military coups, political assassinations before going back to 70 years of India’s history. History has witnessed that the people of Jammu and Kashmir as citizens of India, have repeatedly reposed their faith in Indian democracy by actively participating in free and fair elections held at all levels.

I thank you, Mr. President.

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