In a forceful response to Pakistan’s remarks at the 55th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), India’s First Secretary Anupama Singh exercised the ‘Right of Reply’, denouncing Pakistan’s comments as an abuse of the Council’s platform. Singh asserted that a nation with a “truly abysmal” human rights record and institutionalized persecution of minorities has no right to comment on India.
Meanwhile, India also slammed Turkey for making unsolicited comments on the internal matters of India with a hope that it would refrain to do so in future.
Additionally, Singh expressed regret over Pakistan’s extensive references to India, terming them as “flagrantly false accusations” and the misuse of the Council’s forum. She emphasized that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable parts of India, and the constitutional measures taken by the Indian government are internal matters, to which Pakistan has no locus standi.
Three red flags against Pakistan
The First Secretary pointed out the irony of Pakistan’s criticism, highlighting its own dismal human rights record, citing the brutal treatment of the Christian community in Jaranwala city in August 2023. Subsequently, she underscored the contrast between India’s progress in economic and social justice and Pakistan’s support for UNSC-sanctioned terrorists.
Singh dismissed Pakistan’s comments, stating, “We cannot pay any further attention to a country that speaks while being soaked in 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.”
The 55th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council, occurring from February 26 to April 5, has become a platform for India to assert its position and reject what it considers baseless accusations from Pakistan. This latest exchange is part of the ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two nations, with India reiterating the necessity of a terror-free and non-hostile environment for normal ties with Pakistan.
