Right of Reply by India under Agenda Item 2 at the 44th Session of the Human Rights Council (30 June – 21 July 2020) delivered by Ms. Mini Devi Kumam, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India (Geneva, 02 July 2020)
Madam President,
India exercises its right of reply to the statements made by Pakistan and the OIC under the oral update of the High Commissioner.
Madam President,
2. The world has seen how preposterous Pakistan can be when its Prime Minister granted “martyrdom” to the world’s most wanted terrorist “Osama Bin Laden”. This absurd legacy continues here when the Pakistani delegate paid tributes to 30 terrorists as the so-called martyrs.
3. It’s not surprising that Pakistan has consistently maintained its position of being the world's leading exporter of terror and violence. Can Pakistan deny that more than 6000 Pakistani nationals are currently fighting alongside terrorists in the neighboring countries as reported by the UN Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team?
Madam President,
4. Our people in Jammu and Kashmir have joined the march to peace and prosperity along with the rest of India despite Pakistan’s longstanding programme to fund, train and direct terror attacks. In contrast, Pakistan has effected demographic change by reducing the real Kashmiris to only 55 per cent of the population in the Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Madam President,
5. While the whole world is busy in combatting Covid-19 pandemic, Pakistan runs a foreign policy of out-and-out lies, egregious disinformation propaganda on the Covid-19 crisis against India. It would do well for Pakistan to see themselves as others see them. For others, it is the epicenter of global terrorism. For others, it’s a failed State where the concept of accountability and justice for its religious minorities, political dissidents, human rights defenders, civil society organizations, journalists are obliterated from its limited lexicon on rule of law, democracy and human rights.
Madam President,
6. We also reject the reference to Jammu and Kashmir made by the OIC. The OIC has no locus standi to comment on the internal affairs of India. The OIC would be well advised to not allow itself to be misused by an errant member whose greatest and the only contribution to the region and the world has been the malice of terrorism.
Thank you, Madam President.
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