India Raises Balochistan Issue In Geneva, Accuses Pak Of Rights Violation

India has strongly raised human rights violations in Balochistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir at the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva. Pakistan had approached the UN body over the unrest in Kashmir.

In a hard-hitting response, India said on Wednesday: "Pakistan is characterised by authoritarianism, absence of democratic norms and widespread human rights violations across the country including Balochistan."

India's ambassador to the UN, Ajit Kumar, also called Pakistan a hub for the global export of terror, saying it continues to be in illegal occupation of a large part of territory in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Instead of ritually raking up alleged human rights violations elsewhere, Pakistan should focus its energies on improving human rights situation within Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir," said the ambassador.

Rejecting what he called Pakistan's continued misuse of the forum to make tendentious references about internal matters of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Kumar said: "This stems from Pakistan's territorial ambitions over Kashmir that has found concrete expression in repeated armed aggressions."

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On Tuesday, India had emphatically rejected the UN human rights chief's call to allow an international mission to visit Kashmir. New Delhi said that the crisis in Kashmir was triggered by the death of "a self-acknowledged commander of the terrorist organization Hizbul Mujahideen" and was aggravated by sustained cross-border terror from Pakistan.

Over 80 people have died and more than 10,000 injured in clashes between protesters and security forces following the killing of Hizbul terrorist Burhan Wani by security forces on July 8.

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