India rejects Islamic nation group’s ‘unwarranted references’ to J&K

New Delhi: India rejected “factually incorrect and unwarranted references” to Jammu and Kashmir by a collection of Islamic nations at the UN Human Rights Council.

India also said Islamabad is “well-advised to put its own house in order” before “peddling malicious propaganda.”

In the Human Rights Council yesterday, the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which includes Pakistan, claimed that India was attempting to alter Kashmir’s demographics through “illegal unilateral action to change the status of Kashmir.” Pakistan also claimed human rights abuses and a “physical and digital iron curtain” in Jammu and Kashmir in a separate statement.

“Pakistan has one of the poorest records when it comes to protecting minorities’ right to freedom of religion or belief… Pakistan has utilised extrajudicial kidnappings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and torture as instruments of state policy to persecute dissent and target human rights advocates, political activists, students, and journalists. People have experienced political and other forms of repression in places like Balochistan for decades,” India added.

Since Jammu and Kashmir’s special status was revoked and it was divided into two Union Territories, Pakistan has tried numerous times to raise the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at the council. Much of it was carried out in conjunction with OIC.

On the third anniversary of the biJammu and Kashmir last month, the OIC accused India of taking “illegal unilateral action” and urged other nations to take action to settle the “conflict” through pertinent UN resolutions.

According to a tweet from the OIC, “August 5, 2022 marks the third anniversary of the illegal and unilateral actions taken in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which were followed by additional unlawful measures, including illegal demographic changes.”

India said the statement “reeks of bigotry”.