Pakistan’s adamant attitude will only push it into further mess

King C Bharati

As expected, Pakistan has done it again and, in the process, got exposed for its gross human rights violations on its own soil and parts of the Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. But then what can one expect from a failed state and a failed Prime Minister who instead of putting his own house in order is lecturing India by raking up the ‘eternal’ Kashmir issue once again.

The adamant attitude of Pakistan in raking up the so-called Kashmir issue at each and every forum is not only exposing it of its own follies at home but also pushing it into further mess of supporting separatism and terrorism in its neighbourhood even though the world knows that Pakistan is the biggest breeding ground of international terrorism.

This adamant attitude is not for the love of Kashmiris or for that, matter Indian Muslims, but due to the pressure of the strong lobby within the establishment and Pakistan army who have a huge financial interest in keeping the terror breeding grounds active even if that endangers the country for being declared an international terror state.

While strong lobbying is also going on at UNO to declare Pakistan a terrorist state the powers that be at the helm of affairs in this country are turning a blind eye as it suits their scheme of things notwithstanding the fact it would bring huge miseries for the common masses of Pakistan.

While India is progressing steadily on its domestic and international fronts wining over the traditional Pakistan supporters, Imran Khan is doing little to invest his energies on developing his country as his energies are utilised by the bullying army to keep his prime ministerial chair intact by diverting the attention of the people by such anti-India rants at international forums.

While Pakistan has lost the support, it used to receive from Arab Countries it now depends heavily on China, Turkey and some members of Organisation of Islamic Counties (OIC) where it finds support to internationalise the issues to hide its own mess at home.

It was in this context that Pakistan once again raised the so-called Kashmir issue at UNHRC with support from OIC and Turkey but got exposed itself when India exercised its right to reply and laid bare the human rights violations going on its own soil, and mess in Turkey and double standards of OIC.

According to All India Radio, India has slammed Pakistan at UNHRC for misusing international platforms to engage in baseless propaganda.

A news report by AIR said, “India has reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral and inalienable part of the country and steps by the government to ensure good governance and development in these UTs are internal matter. Second Secretary, Permanent Mission of India to UN, Seema Pujani said this while exercising Right of Reply under the High-Level segment of 46th Session of the Human Rights Council in response to Pakistan’s statement. She said it is not surprising that Pakistan’s representative has chosen to misuse the forum. She has added that Pakistan’s continued misuse of various platforms to engage in baseless and malicious propaganda against India is not new.

The Second Secretary said as a country with one of the world’s worst human rights records, Pakistan should put its own house in order before pointing finger at India. She said violence, institutionalized discrimination and persecution faced by Pakistan’s minorities, including Christians, Sikhs and Hindus, continued unabated. She said, there have been frequent attacks on the places of worship of minority communities. Ms Pujani pointed out that the condition of women belonging to minority communities – Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, remains deplorable. An estimated one thousand women from minority communities are subjected to abduction followed by forced conversion and forced marriage in Pakistan every year, according to a recent report published by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Ms Pujani also said, the recent acquittal of Omar Saeed Sheikh, the al-Qaeda terrorist and murderer of the American journalist Daniel Pearl by the Pakistani Supreme Court is a clear example of the Pakistani establishment’s nexus with terrorist entities.”

“Pakistan has been the home and patron to the largest number of internationally proscribed terrorist entities and individuals in the world. …The recent acquittal of Omar Saeed Sheikh, al-Qaeda terrorist and murderer of American journalist Daniel Pearl by the Pakistani Supreme Court, is a clear example of the Pakistani establishment’s nexus with such entities and, as the U.S. Secretary of State said, ‘It is an affront to terrorism victims everywhere’,” said diplomat Seema Pujani after the Pakistani delegation raised the Kashmir issue and described the situation in the Valley as ‘grave’.

The Indian delegation raised religious, sectarian and regional discrimination in Pakistan and said, “The condition of women belonging to minority communities notably Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians remains deplorable.

“Shias, Hazaras and Ahmadiya communities have continued to face persecution, state-condoned violence and discrimination,” said the official who also highlighted political repression in Balochistan.

Taking on Turkey strongly India raised the Turkey-Cyprus issue saying, Turkey had “trampled upon” its own civil society. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had raised the situation in Kashmir and called upon India to resolve the dispute as per the UNSC Resolutions. In response India hinted at the Turkey-Cyprus dispute and said, “As far as the subject of UN Resolution is concerned, we would advise Turkey to practise what it preaches by first implementing those UN Resolutions that apply to it.”

On the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir, India slammed Turkey’s remarks on its “internal affairs”, terming them as “completely unacceptable”.

New Delhi also rejected the statement by Yousef A Al-Othaimeen, secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at the UN Human Rights Council, terming them as “factually incorrect and unwarranted references to India”, according to news reports.

“As far as the subject of UN Resolutions is concerned, we would advise Turkey to practise what it preaches by first implementing those UN resolutions that apply to it,” second secretary of India’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, Seema Pujani, said.

As per the reports of Press trust of India, “Pakistan’s continued misuse of various platforms to engage in baseless and malicious propaganda against India is not new,” Pujani, said.

She asserted that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are an “integral and inalienable part of India”.

“The steps taken by the government to ensure good governance and development in these Union Territories are our internal matters,” Pujani said.

As a country with one of the world’s worst human rights records, Pakistan would do well to put its own house in order, before venturing to point a finger at India, the diplomat said.

India also raised the issue of political repression in Balochistan, and other regions and enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture in Pakistan.

“Several Baloch human rights defenders have even met tragic death under mysterious circumstances, while in exile. Pashtuns and Sindhis have continued to struggle against the systemic oppression and discrimination,” the diplomat said.

Noting that Pakistan has been the home and patron to the largest number of internationally proscribed terrorist entities and individuals in the world, Pujani said the state-sponsored terrorism by Pakistan is a threat, not only to India but to other countries in the region and beyond.

“We request the Council to call upon Pakistan to take credible and irreversible steps to end state-sponsored terrorism and dismantle terrorist infrastructure in the territories under its control,” she said.

Political observers monitoring international relations observe that Pakistan will do itself a favour if it looks inside rather than interfering in the internal matters of India as India’s growth domestically and international has been phenomenal for the past six years and world powers are coming closer to it by the day adding the day will not be far when India manages to get Pakistan declared as international terrorist state which will be the beginning of its disintegration.

They feel that Pakistan intelligentsia must rise to the occasion and force the army and civil establishments to focus on development of the country rather than poking its nose everywhere which will only have disastrous consequences for its citizens. (With inputs from agencies)