India slams Pakistan at UNHRC, highlights terrorism, forced conversions of religious minorities and extra-judicial killings

India apprised the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, that Pakistan has also become the land of enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and arbitrary detentions of political activists, students, journalists, human rights defenders and minorities.

File Photo of Pakistan PM Imran Khan (Credits: Reuters)

New Delhi: India on Tuesday (June 22, 2021) slammed Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and highlighted terrorism, forced conversions of religious minorities and extra-judicial killings in the neighbouring country. 

Pawan Kumar Badhe, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India, during the 47th session of the Human Rights Council, said that the plight of minorities in Pakistan is evident from their 'shrinking size'. 

Badhe said that forced conversions have become a 'daily phenomenon' in Pakistan and that there have also been reports of minor girls belonging to religious minorities being abducted, raped, forcibly converted and married. 

"More than 1000 girls, belonging to religious minorities, are forcibly converted in Pakistan every year," he stated.

Badhe informed the council that the systemic persecution of minorities, including Christians, Ahmadiya, Sikhs, Hindus through draconian blasphemy laws, forced conversions and marriages and extrajudicial killings, has become a regular phenomenon in Pakistan. 

"Holy and ancient sites of religious minorities in Pakistan have been attacked and vandalized," he said.

Badhe apprised the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, that Pakistan has also become the land of enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and arbitrary detentions of political activists, students, journalists, human rights defenders and minorities. 

"Pakistan has the dubious distinction of being listed as one of the most dangerous countries for practice of journalism. Journalists are threatened, intimidated, taken off air, kidnapped and in some cases killed, mainly to silence critics of the Establishment. While families of victims continue to struggle for justice, the perpetrators of these acts have enjoyed complete impunity," he said.

He also commented on terrorism and said that Pakistan, as its state policy, continues to provide pensions to dreaded and listed terrorists and hosts them on its territory. 

"It is high time that Pakistan is held accountable for aiding and abetting terrorism," Badhe said.