​At UN, India uses 'right of reply' to cut short Pakistan's Kashmir blame game

The ongoing United Nation Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva is appearing to be no less than a battleground for India and Pakistan, as New Delhi, for the first time ever, has used the 'right of reply' rule to send across a strong message to Islamabad's on its never-ending blame game on Kashmir issue.

The move comes amid reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely meeting his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meet at Ufa in Russia.

The model UN glossary defines ‘right of reply’ - A right to speak in reply to a previous speaker's comment, invoked when a delegate feels that their personal or national integrity has been insulted or slandered by another's speech.

At the UN, India said, "A part of the territories of our state remains under the forcible and illegal occupation of Pakistan. It is unfortunate that in recent times the people of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir have become victims of sectarian conflict, terrorism and extreme economic hardship because of Pakistan's occupation and discriminatory policies."

Provoking India, Pakistan said: "The people of J&K have been denied their right to self-determination, subjected to consistent and forceful foreign occupation and their democratic rights have been usurped and suppressed by conduction of sham elections at gun-point."

It also added, “The denial of the right to self-determination was not only the negation of the UN Charter and key human rights covenants but also of human dignity.”

As per an Economic Times report, India had asked Pakistan to look deep within over killings of innocent children at Peshawar in December 2014, by criticised Islamabad's move to raise matters related to J&K at the UN forum.
(Image: Reuters)