New Delhi: Once then a heated debate was seen in the United Nations (UN) between India and Pakistan regarding the rights of minorities. In the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan raised questions on the status of minorities in India. In response, Indian representative Raghu Puri said that it is the sovereign responsibility of every country to protect the rights of minorities. He moreover accused Pakistan of using the UN platform for propaganda versus India.
India is said to be a multi-religious, multi-ethnic and multilingual society in the world, where diversity has been an important part of its civilisation. The Indian Constitution contains well-spoken provisions to protect the rights of religious and linguistic minorities.
What wordplay did India requite to Pakistan in UN?
Indian representative Raghu Puri said that while commenting on the internal wires of other countries, their sovereignty and legal system should be respected. India accused Pakistan of using the international forum to divert sustentation from the economic crisis, law and order problems and human rights issues in its country.
India reiterated its old stand on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, saying that it is an integral and indivisible part of the country. According to India, the remaining issue in this matter is to vacate the areas under illegal occupation of Pakistan.
Why are questions raised on the status of minorities in Pakistan?
The status of Hindus and other religious minorities in Pakistan has been a topic of discussion for a long time. The government there has been criticised for forced religious conversion, kidnapping of minor girls and allegations related to religious freedom.
Controversies have moreover arisen in Pakistan regarding sacrilege law. Former governor of Punjab province Salman Taseer was murdered by his own security baby-sit in 2011. Taseer had criticised the sacrilege law. Due to these incidents, questions have been raised on religious self-rule and security of minorities in Pakistan.
India has once raised questions on religious freedom?
Earlier, India's representative Bhavika Mangalanandan had raised questions on the functioning of a report related to human rights in the United Nations. He had said that the report paid increasingly sustentation to developing countries, while similar problems faced in ripened countries did not get unbearable space.
India moreover said that justice to victims of terrorism and their families should be given priority when discussing human rights.
Why does tension increase between India and Pakistan in UN?
Differences between India and Pakistan often come to the fore in the United Nations on issues like Kashmir, terrorism and human rights. Both countries have been responding to each other's allegations in international forums. This time too, the debate over the rights of minorities has once then brought the diplomatic tension between the two countries into focus.
