Army soldiers during a cordon and search operation in the Kawoosa Khalisa area of Srinagar’s Budgam district. (AFP)
The Indian envoy to the HRC, Indra Mani Pandey, regretted the oral update from HRC Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, in which she criticized the situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
- News18.com New Delhi
- Last update: September 15, 2020 11:56 PM IST
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A day after the UN human rights chief issued a statement on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, India responded to criticism by saying that grassroots-level democracy has been revived in the region and that the government is pushing for economic development despite the challenges posed by the government. coronavirus pandemic and Pakistan’s continued efforts to derail the process.
India’s envoy to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) Indra Mani Pandey regretted the oral update by HRC Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, in which she made a reference to Kashmir, adding that people the Union Territory has enjoyed the same. fundamental rights as individuals in other parts of the country since August 2019 (when the Center removed the special status of the former state).
“We regret that the High Commissioner in her oral update referred to the situation in the territory of the Union of Jammu and Kashmir. In this context, I would like to underline that since the changes made in August 2019, people in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir enjoy the same fundamental rights as people in other parts of India.
“We have been able to revive grassroots democracy and provide a new impetus to social and economic development, despite the challenge posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and persistent attempts by a country to infiltrate terrorists to derail this process,” said Pandey, without naming Pakistan.
“By expanding the coverage of positive and affirmative federal legislation and repealing discriminatory or outdated local laws, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to providing socio-economic justice to disadvantaged people in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, including women, children , minorities and refugees ”, He was further quoted as saying.
In her global update on human rights, Bachelet said Monday that “incidents of military and police violence against civilians continued in Kashmir.” He said this included the use of pellet guns as well as incidents related to militancy.
“Major legal changes, including the Constitution and the rules of domicile, were generating deep anxiety. The space for political debate and public participation continued to be severely restricted, ”he said.
Regarding Pakistani-occupied Kashmir, Bachelet said that people also had limited access to the Internet there, creating difficulties in accessing education and other vital services, and that she “remained concerned about current restrictions on rights to freedom of expression and association “.
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