Geneva, Feb 28: India on Friday asked Pakistan’s top leadership to stop terror funding and dismantle terrorist camps operating from its soil and territories under its control while decrying Islamabad’s efforts to derail the positive developments in Jammu and Kashmir.
India’s statement came a week after the global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in Paris decided to retain Pakistan in its ‘Grey List’ and warned the country of stern action if it fails to prosecute and penalise those involved in terror funding emanating from its jurisdiction.
Exercising the right of reply after Pakistan raised concerns over human rights in Jammu and Kashmir at the 43rd Session of the Human Rights Council here, India’s representative said that the international community cannot be misled by Pakistani hysterical reactions at all global forums to malign India.
“The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is fast returning to normalcy despite serious attempts by Pakistan to derail the positive developments through its active support to terrorist groups and related entities,” he said.
Giving Pakistan a 10-point advise list, the Indian diplomat asked it to stop terror funding and dismantle terrorist camps operating in the country and territories under its control.
“Stop public advocacy and support for terrorists by Pakistani leadership at the highest level, end illegal and forcible occupation and reverse the demographic changes in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and take structural reforms to develop a semblance of democracy in Pakistan,” he said.
Highlighting the plight of minorities in Muslim-majority Pakistan, the Indian diplomat asked the Pakistani leadership to end harassment and execution of minorities through misuse of blasphemy law, end forced conversions and marriages of women and girls from Hindu, Sikh and Christian religions and stop religious persecution against Shias, Ahmadiyas, Ismailia and Hazaras.
“Blasphemy law against Aasia Bibi, persecution of Abdul Shakoor, an Ahmadiya, Jagjit Kaur, a minor Sikh girl subjected to abduction and forced marriage are the norms of the day for minorities in Pakistan,” he said.
He also accused Pakistan of recruiting children for terror activities including suicide bombing in other countries.
“Stop killing and targeting political dissidents and legitimate criticism in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and prevent enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of journalists and human rights activists by its security agencies,” the Indian diplomat said.
Speaking about the state of democracy in India and Pakistan, he said that the world knows about the dismal human rights records of Pakistan and a tight control cannot hide it all while India’s time tested democratic institutions are robust and adequate enough to address any challenge including those instigated from outside, in order to safeguard interests of all our citizens including minorities.
Reacting to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s statement on the Kashmir issue, he said that the grouping has no locus standi to comment on the internal affairs of India.
“Jammu and Kashmir was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of India,” he asserted.
Referring to Belgium’s comment on the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the Indian official said: “as a close partner of India, we wish, Belgium could have checked the factual position with us before coming to any conclusion on the issue”.
“Our Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) has clearly said that no discussions have taken place on NRC anywhere except following the Supreme Court directives in Assam,” he added.
