The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has responded to the request of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Tuesday in the form of an official statement.
The High Commissioner, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, had requested India and Pakistan to make room for unconditional access for both sides in order to facilitate independent probe, in the background of the ongoing violence and unrest in Kashmir and Balochistan.
The MEA responded by saying that the Commissioner is misinformed and has been receiving “conflicting narratives on the cause for the confrontations”.
The statement also cited cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan as one of the major factors for aggravating the problem, adding that it was the death of self-acknowledged commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen that led to the present situation.
The statement distinctly demarcated between the situation in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. While the Indian state provides democratic freedom, the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is a hub of global terror activities, added the statement.
“We hope that the connection between terrorism and violation of human rights would be recognized and deliberated upon in Geneva”, Swarup said in the statement.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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