New York: During a recent debate at the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan vehemently opposed India’s annexation of Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the action would never gain acceptance from the Kashmiri people.
According to Kashmir Media Service, The statement was delivered by Rabia Ijaz, the Second Secretary in the Pakistan Mission, during discussions on the “Responsibility to Protect (R2P)” doctrine. Ijaz affirmed that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute is recognized internationally under several Security Council resolutions, and India’s attempts to legally integrate the region are indefensible. She called upon the global community to support the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination, a right upheld by the UN Charter and various UNSC resolutions.
In her address, Ijaz responded to the Indian delegation’s provocative comments by condemning India’s treatment of minorities and accusing it of hypocrisy in its human rights discourse. She criticized the BJP-led government’s anti-Muslim rhetoric and highlighted instances of violence against minorities, including public lynching incidents by Hindutva groups. Furthermore, Ijaz condemned recent threatening remarks made by a BJP leader towards Muslims and criticized the Indian government for using anti-Muslim sentiments for political purposes.
The Pakistani delegate also accused India of sponsoring terrorism as a state policy and misusing UN Security Council sanctions regimes to block the listing of Indian nationals involved in terrorist activities. She urged the Indian delegation to heed the concerns of UN experts on these issues and to rectify the escalating Islamophobic trends within their country.