“Inaccurate, Deplorable”: India Rejects UN Special Reps Over J&K Remarks

New Delhi:

India on Thursday hit out at two UN Particular Rapporteurs for criticising its insurance policies in the direction of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the area is an “integral and inalienable” a part of the nation.

India’s response got here after Particular Rapporteur on minority points, Fernand de Varennes, and Particular Rapporteur on freedom of faith or perception, Ahmed Shaheed, made antagonistic feedback on withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir’s particular powers in 2019.

Their feedback have been a part of a press launch printed on the web site of the Workplace of the United Nations Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights.

In response to media queries, Exterior Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava mentioned the press launch has been intentionally timed to coincide with the go to of a gaggle of international ambassadors to Jammu and Kashmir.

“The press launch disregards the truth that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral and inalienable a part of India and the choice of August 5, 2019, relating to the change within the standing of the state of Jammu and Kashmir right into a Union Territory of India was taken by the Parliament of India,” he mentioned.

Mr Srivastava mentioned the press launch did not keep in mind the steps aimed toward ending a long time of discrimination, enshrining democracy on the grassroots stage by means of profitable conduct of native elections for the District Growth Councils (DDC), and guaranteeing good governance.

“The press launch has ignored the optimistic affect of extending legal guidelines relevant to the remainder of India to Jammu and Kashmir, enabling the individuals of Jammu and Kashmir to get pleasure from the identical rights as obtainable to individuals in different elements of India,” he mentioned.

Within the press launch it was mentioned the UN human rights specialists are involved over India’s determination to finish Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy and enact new legal guidelines that might curtail the earlier stage of political participation of Muslim and different minorities within the nation.

“The lack of autonomy and the imposition of direct rule by the federal government in New Delhi suggests the individuals of Jammu and Kashmir not have their very own authorities and have misplaced energy to legislate or amend legal guidelines within the area to make sure the safety of their rights as minorities,” Mr Varennes and Mr Shaheed have been quoted as saying within the launch.

Mr Srivastava mentioned the press launch calls into query the bigger ideas of objectivity and neutrality that the Particular Rapporteurs are mandated by the Human Rights Council to stick to.

“We count on the Particular Rapporteurs (SRs) to develop a greater understanding of the problems beneath their consideration earlier than leaping to hasty conclusions and issuing press statements,” he mentioned.

He additional mentioned, “It’s deplorable that the Particular Rapporteurs, after sharing their questionnaire on February 10, didn’t even look forward to our response. As a substitute, they selected to launch their inaccurate assumptions to the media.”
 

(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)