UN report false; no comparison between largest democracy, ‘terror sponsor State’

NEW DELHI: India Thursday dubbed an update of a UN rights office report on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as "false and motivated" and as one that seeks to create an artificial parity between the world's largest democracy and the country that "openly practises state-sponsored terrorism".

Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, said the update of the report is a "false and motivated narrative" on the situation of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

"Our main problem is that the update seems to accord a legitimacy to terrorism which is in complete variance with the UN Security Council positions," he said.

He said the report is also an "unacceptable advocacy of the dismemberment of a UN-member state".

On Monday, India had lodged a strong protest over the report.

Last year, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released its first-ever report on Kashmir, and in an update of that report issued on Monday, it claimed that "neither India nor Pakistan have taken any concrete steps to address the numerous concerns raised".

"A UN human rights report on the situation in Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir from May 2018 to April 2019 says the number of civilian casualties reported over the 12-month period may be the highest in over a decade," the new report released in Geneva by the OHCHR said.

"The update is false and motivated narrative on the situation in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. It ignores the core issue of cross-border terrorism. We also feel that the report and update seems to be an effort to create an artificial parity between world's largest democracy and most vibrant democracy and the country which openly practises state sponsored terrorism," Kumar said.

Asserting that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India, he said Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the Indian state, including the so called "Azad Jammu and Kashmir" and "Gilgit-Baltistan".

India has repeatedly called on Pakistan to vacate these occupied territories, Kumar said.

"It (the report) belittles constitutional provisions, statutory procedures and established practices in an established functioning democracy," the MEA spokesperson said.

The "prejudiced mindset" of the update has also chosen to wilfully ignore the determined and comprehensive socioeconomic developmental efforts undertaken by the Indian government in the face of terrorist challenges, he said.

By coming out with this update, they have undermined their own credibility, he said.