India at UN / India Slams Pakistan at United Nations, Alleges Human Rights Abuse in PoK

New York, Oct 10: India on Friday strongly criticised Pakistan at the United Nations, accusing it of grave human rights violations in the Pakistan-occupied parts of Jammu and Kashmir and calling on Islamabad to end what it described as military repression and exploitation of local populations.

Speaking at the General Assembly's Fourth Committee on decolonisation, BJP MP Mahima Kumari Mewar said Pakistan must stop the ongoing human rights abuses in the territories under its illegal occupation, where, she asserted, people have risen in protest against military rule and suppression.

“In the last few months, the Pakistani armed forces and their proxies have killed dozens of innocent civilians who were agitating for their basic rights and freedoms and basic necessities,” Mewar said.

“We call upon Pakistan to stop the grave and ongoing human rights violations in the areas illegally occupied by it, where the population is in open revolt against Pakistan, its military occupation, repression, brutality, and illegal exploitation of resources,” she added.

The remarks came in response to an attempt by Pakistan's Acting Permanent Representative Usman Jadoon to raise the Kashmir issue during the committee's deliberations.

Criticising Pakistan's record on democracy and governance, Mewar said, “A country like Pakistan, with an established record of military dictatorship, sham elections, incarceration of popular elected leaders, religious extremism, and sponsoring terrorism as an instrument of state policy, should, in future, refrain from preaching homilies of this sort at this platform.”

Reiterating India's long-standing position on Jammu and Kashmir, she asserted that “Jammu and Kashmir is and always remains an integral and inalienable part of India”.

According to reports cited by India, more than 90 people have been killed in recent protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The unrest reportedly began over concerns regarding electoral processes and later widened to include issues such as resource exploitation, rising prices and deteriorating living conditions.

The broader protests have been led by the civil society group Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).
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Mewar, who represents Rajasthan's Rajsamand constituency in the Lok Sabha and is part of India's delegation to the UN General Assembly, also reiterated India's commitment to global decolonisation efforts.

Addressing the committee earlier, she said the fight against colonialism had been arduous and noted that while more than 80 countries had gained independence, the decolonisation process remained incomplete.

She pointed out that 17 non-self-governing territories continue to remain on the agenda of the Fourth Committee and expressed hope that a pragmatic approach would help fulfil the aspirations of their people.
(IANS)