‘Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is administered by a ‘deep state’ and has become a hub for the global export of terror,’ India added
Slamming Pakistan’s intentions of making fallacious references about situation of minorities in India, New Delhi on Wednesday said not only has Islamabad become a terrorism factory but has also alienated its own people through continued mistreatment of religious minorities. Putting its foot down heavily, India said minorities in the country have been Prime Ministers, Presidents, Vice-Presidents, senior Cabinet Ministers, senior civil servants, cricket team captains, Bollywood superstars, questioning if the minorities of Pakistan claim even a shadow of this.
‘Apart from becoming world’s terrorism factory, Pakistan has also alienated its own people through continued mistreatment of Hindus, Christians, Shias, Ahmadiyas and other minorities,’ India responded to Pakistan at the 34th session of United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Reiterating that terrorism is the grossest violation of human rights and should be acknowledged, India said part of the territories of Jammu and Kashmir remain under the forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan. ‘It is unfortunate that in recent times the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir have become victims of sectarian conflict, terrorism and extreme economic hardship because of Pakistan's occupation and discriminatory policies,’ it said.
‘Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is administered by a ‘deep state’ and has become a hub for the global export of terror,’ it added.
India came down heavily upon its neighbour for nurturing and exporting terror, saying that Pakistan’s continuous support for terror groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir is the main challenge to protecting the human rights of citizens in the state. ‘Pakistan's selective approach in tackling terror groups operating outside Pakistan and within, despite the numerous solemn promises made underscores the continuing unwillingness to acknowledge the truth,’ the statement further read.
Urging Pakistan to stop inciting and supporting violence and terrorism in any part of India, New Delhi said Islamabad must rein in its compulsive hostility towards the country.‘We also demand that Pakistan must fulfil its obligation to vacate illegal occupation of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir,’ it said.
Pakistan planning to declare Gilgit-Baltistan region as the fifth province
Pakistan is planning to declare the strategic Gilgit-Baltistan region as the fifth province, a move that may raise concerns in India as it borders the disputed Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan's minister for inter-provincial coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada told Geo TV that a committee headed by Advisor of Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had proposed giving the status of a province to Gilgit-Baltistan.
"The committee recommended that Gilgit-Baltistan should be made a province of Pakistan," Pirzada said yesterday. He also said that a constitutional amendment would be made to change the status of the region, through which the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes. Gilgit-Baltistan is treated as a separate geographical entity by Pakistan. It has a regional assembly and an elected Chief Minister.
Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh are four provinces of Pakistan. The move may raise concerns in India as the disputed region borders Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). It is believed that China's concerns about the unsettled status of Gilgit-Baltistan prompted Pakistan to change its status. According to an earlier report in Dawn newspaper, Pakistan was mulling to elevate the constitutional status of the region in a bid to provide legal cover to the CPEC.
The move could signal a historic shift in the country's position on the future of the wider Kashmir region, the paper had quoted experts as saying.
With inputs from PTI and ANI
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