India rejects 'false narrative' on J&K

India on Monday said that a UN report on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is a mere continuation of the earlier "false and motivated narrative". It slammed the update on the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and said that it provides legitimacy to terrorism. The report was first issued last year.

The latest update slammed both India and Pakistan for failing to improve the situation in the state and called for an international probe into violations. Noting that four major armed groups in J&K are believed to be based on the Pakistan side of the Line of Control, the OHCHR report said, "No steps have been taken to resolve the main issues, including a number of highly problematic legal restrictions."

Highlighting how the OHCHR had turned a blind eye to cross-border terror emanating from Pakistan, Ministry of External Affairs (MES) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Monday said that the update "seems to be a contrived effort to create an artificial parity between the world's largest and the most vibrant democracy and a country that openly practices state-sponsored terrorism."

"The update uses the term 'armed groups' for terrorist leaders and organisations, which is in complete variance with UN Security Council standards. Remember after the February 14 Pulwama terror attack, United Nation Security Council had proscribed Masood Azhar, the chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) as an international terrorist," Kumar said.

The update, by distorting India's policies, practices, and values, has undermined its own credibility, he added. The UN rights office shared the report with both countries last month.

Zee Media Newsroom