At the 60th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, India launched a sharp counterattack against Pakistan for what it described as blatant hypocrisy on human rights. 

Representing India, diplomat Mohammed Hussain called it "deeply ironic" that a country with one of the worst human rights records globally was attempting to lecture others through fabricated allegations. He stressed that Pakistan’s consistent misuse of UN forums only underlined its duplicity on the matter.

Hussain urged Pakistan to put an end to propaganda against India and instead focus on its own internal crises. He highlighted the systematic persecution of religious and ethnic minorities within Pakistan, pointing specifically to the state-sponsored discrimination that has long characterised Islamabad’s domestic policies.

During the 35th meeting, Pakistan’s envoy Abbas Sarwar exercised the right to reply, repeating Islamabad’s well-worn narrative on Jammu and Kashmir. He accused India of attempting to divert international attention from what he described as the "dire human rights situation" in Kashmir and Ladakh. Sarwar alleged that the developments since August 2019, when India abrogated Article 370, reflected "illegal measures" taken by New Delhi.

The exchange at the UNHRC coincided with rising unrest in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). Nasir Aziz Khan, spokesperson of the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP), addressed the council and urged international intervention to stop Islamabad’s intensifying repression in the region. He detailed the September 29 complete shutdown and wheel-jam strike organized by the Joint Awami Action Committee, underscoring the widespread disillusionment with Islamabad’s policies in PoK.

Khan accused Pakistan of adopting authoritarian tactics to suppress peaceful dissent. Rangers were deployed, internet services were suspended, and a communication blackout was imposed across several districts of PoJK. He claimed that more than three million residents of the region were under siege, while approximately two million Kashmiris abroad had been cut off from their families due to restrictions.

In Muzaffarabad, PoK’s capital, large-scale demonstrations have continued for days. Initially, protesters voiced demands for reduced electricity tariffs, subsidised wheat flour, and better healthcare facilities. However, the agitation has escalated into violent clashes in which at least three people have been killed and more than 22 injured. Protest leaders have also sought the abolition of 12 legislative seats reserved for refugees settled in Pakistan, arguing that these distort political representation in the region.

In response to the unrest, Islamabad has intensified its security presence. Flag marches were organised, Rangers were deployed in several hotspots, and phone and internet networks were cut off in strategic areas. Far from reducing tensions, these measures appear to have hardened public anger in PoK, further weakening Islamabad’s claims of democratic governance in the region.

On the sidelines of the UNHRC, a seminar highlighted the deteriorating human rights conditions not only in Pakistan but also in Bangladesh. Both countries were flagged for growing authoritarian practices, restrictions on press freedom, and the suppression of minority voices. The discussion reflected an increasing global concern about South Asia’s fragile human rights environment and its implications for regional stability.

Based On ANI Report