Indian Mission To UN Slams Pakistan For Misusing Int'l Platforms For 'Baseless' Propaganda

The second secretary in the Indian permanent mission to the UN office in Geneva, Seema Pujani, on Wednesday, using the right of reply, responded to Pakistan's criticism of the human rights record in India's Jammu and Kashmir union territory, slamming the neighboring country for misusing international platforms to spread ''baseless'' propaganda

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2021) The second secretary in the Indian permanent mission to the UN office in Geneva, Seema Pujani, on Wednesday, using the right of reply, responded to Pakistan's criticism of the human rights record in India's Jammu and Kashmir union territory, slamming the neighboring country for misusing international platforms to spread ''baseless'' propaganda.

During her speech at the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday, Pakistani Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari lambasted the human rights situation in the Jammu and Kashmir union territory, calling it "a full-blown crisis," as well as urging the international community to give up double standards on the matter.

"We are not surprised that Pakistan's representative has chosen to misuse this august forum yet again. Pakistan's continued misuse of various platforms to engage in baseless and malicious propaganda against India is not new," Pujani said in her address at the session, shared by the Indian's mission on Twitter.

The diplomat recalled that steps taken by the authorities to ensure good governance and development in the territory in question were India's internal affair, as it is an integral and inalienable part of India.

Pujani also noted that Pakistan, which she said is a country with one of the world's worst human rights records, should "put its own house in order" before venturing to point a finger at India.

"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," Pujani added.

India and Pakistan have long been at odds over and fought three wars regarding Kashmir. Occasional clashes on the contact line have been a regular occurrence, but tensions escalated in August 2019, when the Indian government annulled the special autonomous status of its Jammu and Kashmir state and divided the region into two union territories under the government's direct control. India controls only the southern part of the Kashmir region, while Pakistan and China occupy the northwestern and northeastern parts, respectively.