In a veiled attack on Pakistan, India has said that nothing damages the credibility of the cause of human rights more severely than its misuse as a "decoy" by a country which provides patronage and safe havens to the "linchpins of terror networks".
Pakistan this week raked up the issue of Jammu and Kashmir at the UN, referring to the communications lockdown in the state following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. The Pakistani representative noted that the Kashmiri people were being denied their basic rights.
Responding to this, First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Paulomi Tripathi said, "Nothing damages the credibility of the cause of human rights more severely, than its misuse as a decoy, to divert attention from the real issues."
Tripathi asserted that the international community is too familiar with "this deceitful tactic" and has "rejected" these attempts for what these are - "desperate attempts to mask territorial ambition."
She also noted that the Universal Periodic Review is a platform for dialogue and cooperation on human rights situations in all countries and nations must avoid turning the review "into a platform for pushing selective human rights issues."