‘Prioritise welfare over military directives’: India raps Pak on minority rights

New Delhi reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remains an integral and inalienable part of India.

NEW DELHI: India tore into Pakistan at the United Nations for exploiting the international forum to spread propaganda while failing to protect its own citizens. New Delhi reiterated that Jammu and Kashmir remains an integral and inalienable part of India and demanded that Pakistan vacate all territories under its illegal occupation.Speaking at an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues at the UN General Assembly's Third Committee, India's First Secretary at the Permanent Mission to the UN, Raghoo Puri, called out Pakistan's conduct and said its representatives should focus on the welfare of their own people instead of taking directions from the military."Pakistan predictably misused the forum for propaganda. Jammu & Kashmir is an integral and inalienable part of India.

Pakistan must vacate the territory under its illegal occupation," Puri said.He further said Pakistani representatives would do well to look inwards and address the concerns of their own citizens rather than act on military directives.

India slams Pakistan over minority rights

Puri underlined that protecting minority rights was primarily the sovereign responsibility of individual states, guided by the principle of sovereign equality.He said India's civilisational tradition of diversity was reflected in its constitutional safeguards for religious and linguistic minorities.

He also highlighted the substantial contributions made by minorities to India's national development, including at the highest levels of government and key institutions.

The latest confrontation followed India's strong rebuke to Pakistan at the UN on October 23 over its treatment of religious minorities. New Delhi accused Islamabad of failing to protect vulnerable communities while attempting to lecture India on religious freedom, burial rights and minority protections.During an interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, India's First Secretary at the UN mission, Bhavika Mangalanandan, challenged the report's approach to religious discrimination during the Covid-19 pandemic and its advocacy concerning funeral rights for terrorists.Mangalanandan argued that the report appeared to place disproportionate emphasis on discriminatory practices and shortcomings in countries in the Global South while overlooking similar tragedies in developed nations.

India asserts climate justice and judicial independence

Separately, India also defended its approach to climate change at the UN General Assembly, stressing the importance of equity, climate justice and sustainable development.Deputy secretary Barkha Tamrakar delivered India's statement before the Third Committee on the report of the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, titled “An urgent and existential threat: the role of justice systems in addressing the climate crisis.”Tamrakar described climate change as a serious global challenge with consequences for development, livelihoods and human rights. She said India's response was guided by equity, climate justice, sustainable development and the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC).

She highlighted the Constitution, environmental legislation, the National Green Tribunal and an independent judiciary as key safeguards supporting environmental protection in India.Tamrakar also noted that the Supreme Court had recognised the fundamental rights to life and equality as essential protections against the adverse effects of climate change.On judicial independence, she pointed to transparent, institutionally supervised training programmes, including those conducted by the National Judicial Academy, as measures to strengthen impartiality and safeguard the independence of the judiciary.