India denounces Pakistan’s bid to raise Kashmir at UN

new york — India has rejected Pakistan’s attempts to raise the Kashmir issue at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, by denouncing Islamabad as the global “epicentre” of terrorism and accused it of trying to destabilise the state.

“Pakistan has created terrorist outfits against India. This monster is now devouring its own creator,” Ajit Kumar, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, told the Council meeting in the Swiss city on Wednesday.

Earlier Pakistan’s Law Minister Zahid Hamid had called for the Council’s intervention in Kashmir, asserting that the “human rights and fundamental freedoms of innocent Kashmiris are being trampled

The fundamental reason for disturbances in parts of Jammu and Kashmir is cross-border terrorism aided and abetted by Pakistan

Ajit Kumar, India’s permanent representative to UN

upon.” Hamid denied that there was a terrorism problem in Kashmir and claimed that Islamabad’s involvement was only in providing “political, moral and diplomatic support”.

Rejecting these assertions, Kumar said: “The fundamental reason for disturbances in parts of Jammu and Kashmir is cross-border terrorism aided and abetted by Pakistan.”

Pakistan has been carrying out “an intense campaign to destabilise” the state through “infiltration and cross-border terrorism, inciting, promoting and glorifying violence”, he said.

Calling terrorism “the grossest violation of human rights”, Kumar added that “Members will recognise the irony of a nation that has established a well-earned reputation of being a global epicentre of terrorism holding forth on human rights. For the last two decades, the most wanted terrorists of the world have found succour and sustenance in Pakistan.” —