Objectivity and impartiality must be the hallmarks of Human Rights assessment: India at UNHRC

WordForPeace.com Special

In Geneva, India has conveyed a strong message to the United Nations Human Rights Council about the unnecessary and unwarranted comments on the current state of affairs in the country, especially in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.

In the ongoing 46th session of the Human Rights Council, speaking on Jammu & Kashmir, Human Rights Commissioner Michele Bachelet has said that despite the restoration of 4G access for the first time since August 2019 in Kashmir, the “communications blockade has seriously hampered civic participation, as well as business, livelihoods, education, and access to health-care and medical information”.

In refutation of the UNHRC chief comments, Indian Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey averred that objectivity and impartiality should be the hallmark of any human rights assessment and regretted that these two were lacking in the oral statement of the High Commissioner. In a sharp rebuttal to her statement on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Ambassador strongly said:

“The constitutional changes in the status of Jammu and Kashmir made by Parliament in August 2019 were a historic decision. It has been welcomed by the people of India, including people of Jammu and Kashmir. It has given impetus to socio-economic development, end decades of discrimination and combat cross border terrorism, which has been the key hindrance in full enjoyment of human rights by the people. We have restored grassroots democracy, through District Development Council (DDC) elections, and provided good governance through the ‘Back to Village’ initiative. There has been a significant decline in terrorist attacks and progressive national laws have been extended to Jammu & Kashmir to enable the people there to enjoy the same rights as the people in rest of India”.

In early February, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had raised the situation in Jammu & Kashmir on the restrictions placed on the internet at that time. Again, at the 46th Session, the Human Rights Council has toed the similar line.

In response to this Oral Update, India’s representative Ms. Indra to the Human Rights Council lamented the indifference to cross-border terrorism in J&K, and elaborated the steps being taken to restore normalcy:

“The constitutional changes in the status of Jammu and Kashmir made by Parliament in August 2019 were a historic decision. It has been welcomed by the people of India, including people of Jammu and Kashmir. It has given impetus to socio-economic development, end decades of discrimination and combat cross border terrorism, which has been the key hindrance in full enjoyment of human rights by the people. We have restored grassroots democracy, through District Development Council (DDC) elections, and provided good governance through the ‘Back to Village’ initiative. There has been a significant decline in terrorist attacks and progressive national laws have been extended to Jammu & Kashmir to enable the people there to enjoy the same rights as the people in rest of India”.

She also expressed strong words of disappointment on the un-objective remarks by Ms. Bachelete in her oral update and stated:

“Given these developments, we were perplexed to note some of the comments by the High Commissioner. She appeared as oblivious of the enormous efforts made by my Government to address the challenges, as indeed of many of the factors driving these challenges……Objectivity and impartiality have to be the hallmarks of any Human Rights assessment. We are sorry to see that the High Commissioner’s oral update is lacking in both.”