India corners Pakistan at UN, says it has no moral right to preach on minority rights
India strongly criticised Pakistan at the United Nations, questioning its moral authority to lecture others while failing to protect minorities.
New York (The Uttam Hindu): India strongly criticised Pakistan at the United Nations over its treatment of religious minorities accusing Islamabad of failing to protect vulnerable communities while attempting to lecture other countries on religious freedom. Bhavika Mangalanandan, First Secretary at India's Permanent Mission to the UN raised concerns about a report on freedom of religion or belief and funeral rights in exceptional circumstances questioning its approach to discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mangalanandan argued that the report appeared to focus disproportionately on incidents in developing countries while overlooking similar cases in developed nations. She stressed that human suffering should not be used for political purposes and called for an objective assessment of religious discrimination. India also questioned the emphasis on funeral rights for perpetrators of terrorist attacks arguing that the suffering and rights of innocent victims must not be overlooked. The diplomat said terrorism violates the fundamental right to life and challenged those advocating for terrorists' rights to show equal concern for their victims.
Referring to the 1999 Kargil War, Mangalanandan accused Pakistan of inconsistency, recalling that India had buried Pakistani soldiers killed in the conflict with military honours and according to Islamic customs. India also urged Pakistan to address conditions in areas under its control instead of commenting on Jammu and Kashmir specifically mentioning Rawalakot. Raising concerns over the declining population of religious minorities in Pakistan and alleged violations of their rights, Mangalanandan said a country unable to protect its minorities had no moral right to preach to India. Concerns over alleged abductions, forced conversions and marriages involving Hindu girls in Pakistan's Sindh province have also drawn attention to minority protection and the implementation of safeguards.