India slams UN ‘cherry-picking’ over Kashmir

New Delhi has strongly rejected comments by rights chief Volker Turk

New Delhi has strongly rejected remarks made by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Monday regarding Kashmir and Manipur. India’s UN Representative Arindam Bagchi has labeled remarks Turk made during an address to the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva as “unfounded and baseless.”

Turk told the gathering that he was “concerned by the use of restrictive laws and harassment against human rights defenders and independent journalists resulting in arbitrary detention and a diminished civic space, indulging in Kashmir.” He also called for “stepped-up efforts” to address violence and displacement in Manipur, “based on dialogue, peace-building and human rights.”

The Indian delegation has accused him of “cherry-picking” and of citing situations that contrast with “ground realities.”

Jammu and Kashmir, a region bordering Pakistan, has been at the center of an unresolved dispute between the two countries since they gained independence from Britain in 1947, and has been blighted by decades of violence and terrorism. Manipur, a small state in India’s northeast, bordering Myanmar, has emerged as a hotspot of ethnic violence since may 2023. Over 200 people have been killed  and tens of thousands displaced as a result of clashes between rivalling communities.

Take A ‘Long, Hard Look In The Mirror’ Indian Envoy Tells UN After Volker Türk's ‘Baseless’ Report On Kashmir