India highlights ‘culture of violence’ in Pakistan at UN Forum

New Delhi: India has highlighted the "culture of violence" in Pakistan which it continues to "foment.. at home and across its borders" at the United Nations.

In its statement at the United Nations General Assembly's High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace, India said,"Pakistan's deplorable human rights records and discriminatory treatment of religious and ethnic minorities is a cause of persistent concern for the international community."

"Talk of culture of peace from the delegation of Pakistan is nothing but a decoy to divert attention from their own shameful records," the statement added. 

India further pointed out how "blasphemy laws are used against religious minorities such as Hindus, Christians and Sikhs, to violate their human rights and dignity."

A number of cases of conversion of Hindus and Sikhs have emerged in the country in recent past, including of the conversion of Sikh Girl Jagjit Kaur alias Ayesha Bibi, which was forceful according to her family.

India in its statement said, "women and girls remain particularly vulnerable as they are abducted, raped, forcefully converted and married to their violators" and "pandemic has aggravated the situation."

Pakistan has been rocked by a gangrape of a woman on Lahore Sialkot motorway.

India suggested the Pakistani delegation at the UN that "before making absurd allegations against India, where equal rights of people of all faiths are guaranteed by the constitution" the country "must do itself a favour of looking at their own system and records of protecting minorities."