NEW DELHI (CU)_India on Thursday (Feb 18), slammed a statement issued by two UN Special Rapporteurs on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was shameful that they did not even wait for India’s response.
The statement was issued by the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, in which they expressed their concern over India’s decision to end Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy, as well as the enactment of new laws that may curtail the previous level of political participation of minorities in the country, and possibly discriminate against them in employment, land ownership and other important matters.
“The loss of autonomy and the imposition of direct rule by the Government in New Delhi suggests the people of Jammu and Kashmir no longer have their own government and have lost power to legislate or amend laws in the region to ensure the protection of their rights as minorities,” the two UN experts claimed.
Responding to the statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it is “deplorable”, that after sharing their questionnaire on 10 February, the Special Rapporteurs did not even wait for New Delhi’s response.
“Instead, they chose to release their inaccurate assumptions to the media,” the Ministry said. “The Press Release has also been deliberately timed to coincide with the visit of a group of Ambassadors to Jammu and Kashmir.”
The Ministry further noted that the press release disregards the fact that Jammu and Kashmir is “an integral and inalienable” part of India and that the decision to change the status of the region into a Union Territory of the country was taken by the Indian Parliament.
It also accused the statement of failing to take into account the steps taken by New Delhi to end decades of discrimination, by ensuring governance and enshrining democracy through successful conduct of local elections for the District Development Councils.
“The Press Release has ignored the positive impact of extending Laws applicable to the rest of India to Jammu and Kashmir, enabling the people of Jammu and Kashmir to enjoy the same rights as available to people in other parts of India,” the Ministry said.
Moreover, New Delhi called into question the principles of objectivity and neutrality which the Special Rapporteurs are mandated by the Human Rights Council to adhere to. “We expect the Special Rapporteurs to develop a better understanding of the issues under their consideration before jumping to hasty conclusions and issuing press statements,” the Ministry noted.
