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India responded to Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi's comments on the Kashmir issue at the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) on Tuesday, 10 September.
While addressing the issue, Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated India's stand that the country will not accept interference.
The Centre in early August had abrogated Article 370 which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Stating that India's "democracy is unshakable", Singh said the government is taking affirmative actions to promote socio-economic equality and that the steps taken by the Centre in Kashmir will ensure application of these measures to the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Pakistan had demanded an international investigation by the UN Human Rights Council into the Kashmir situation and urged the world rights body not to remain “indifferent”.
"We must not allow this august body to be embarrassed on the world stage. As a founding member of this Council, Pakistan feels morally and ethically bound to prevent this from occurring," he said.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan Foreign Minister Qureshi had asked UNHRC to urge India to "reverse the curfew" in the erstwhile state.
Singh in her statement assured that restrictions are being eased continuously and temporary preventive and precautionary measures were necessitated to ensure safety and security.
“Temporary preventive and precautionary measures were necessitated to ensure safety and security of our citizens in the face of credible threats of cross-border terrorism,” she added.
Highlighting terrorism concerns, India said supporters of terrorism in any form are the worst violators of human rights.
Singh added that those who are misusing this platform for malicious political agendas under the garb of human rights should be called out.
“Those who are attempting to speak on the human rights of minorities in other countries whilst trampling upon them at will in their own country, they cry victim when they actually are the perpetrators.”
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