Rajnath Singh said Pakistan had no moral standing to speak of human rights violations in Kashmir
Rajnath Singh has tweeted on the condition of minorities in Pakistan, claiming that while "in India all people feel safe and respected" in Pakistan Sindhi, Sikh and other minorities were concerned about their safety. In strongly-worded tweets posted this morning the Defence Minister also attacked Pakistan on its human rights record and warned Islamabad against backing terror outfits, only two days after the two faced off at a UN Security Council meeting in Switzerland.
"Pakistan, where entire minority communities are worried about their safety, should not speak of human rights. It is not nice. Those who went there after Partition are still insulted and called 'Mujahir'," Mr Singh tweeted in Hindi, adding, "What is happening with Sindhi, Sikh and other minority communities in Pakistan is not hidden from the world."
Mr Singh's tweet comes after Baldev Kumar, a former Pakistan MLA from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, sought political asylum in New Delhi this week. He alleged that minorities were being persecuted and said killings of Hindu and Sikh leaders were being carried out.
"Pakistan, which is raising human rights violations in UN conferences, should first look at what is happening in their country," Rajnath Singh wrote.
India and Pakistan traded verbal blows at the United Nations this week, with Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Pakistan's Foreign Minister, alleging human rights violations and "genocide" in Kashmir. India said the allegations amounted to "hysterical statements with false narratives" and described Pakistan as a "hub of terrorism".
Last month the centre, in a controversial move, had withdrawn Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and initiated a security lockdown to which the UN Human Rights Council responded by saying it was "deeply concerned about... actions by the Government of India on the human rights of Kashmiris".
India has assured the UN that despite "challenging circumstances" the administration is working to ensure supply of basic services and supplies, as well as mobility and connectivity.
In a series of tweets posted today, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai said she was "deeply concerned" about the situation in Kashmir, highlighting the plight of school-going children and those "arbitrarily arrested and jailed".
Earlier this month the United Kingdom said alleged human rights violations in Kashmir, particularly post the withdrawal of Article 370, needed to be "thoroughly, promptly and transparently" investigated.
In May, speaking to newly-elected members of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said minorities in India had been "deceived" and "made to live in fear".
AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi replied to the Prime Minister's remark, pointing to violence perpetrated by right-wing fringe groups during his first term in power.
"If PM agrees that minorities live in fear, he should know people who killed Akhlaq were sitting in front bench of electoral public meeting," Mr Owaisi said, referring to Mohammad Akhlaq, 72, who was killed on suspicion of cow slaughter.
Rajnath Singh also warned Pakistan against continuing its support of terror outfits, repeating India's assertion from the UN meetings that the country had no moral standing to raise the issue of human rights violations.
"Our neighbour should abandon its policy of terrorism, otherwise one day it will be forced to and no country in the world can save it from breaking apart into several pieces," he wrote.
With input from ANI