Don't play victim card, India hits out at Pakistan on issue of terrorism

New Delhi: Hitting out at Pakistan at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), India on Thursday said that Islamabad continues to play "victim card" on the issue of terrorism to "distract international community" even as it continues its support for them.

Highlighting that Pakistan continues with its "shenanigan of running with the hare and hunting with the hound", India's first secretary to the United Nations in Geneva, Vimarsh Aryan said, "Whenever there is a discussion on terrorism the failed state of Pakistan plays the victim card so as to distract international community’s attention from the reality that Pakistan is unabashedly harbouring and supporting UN proscribed terrorists and terrorist organizations."

Fact by fact, and case by case, Aryan exposed the condition of minorities, women, children and journalists in the country. He said, "the draconian State of Pakistan dares to talk about the rights of minorities in egalitarian India without realising that their responsibility is to protect people", citing the example of Asif Pervaiz, a Christian man from Lahore who was recently sentenced to death under draconian blasphemy laws of Pakistan.

On women's right, giving an example of Parsha Kumari, a Hindu woman who was abducted and converted in the southern province of Sindh, the Indian diplomat said, "the barbaric State of Pakistan dares to talk about the rights of women in an inclusive democracy like India without realising that their responsibility is to protect women".

Speaking on children rights, he cited an example of three-year-old Shahid Shah against whom FIR was lodged in Gujranwala. Aryan said, "the ruthless State of Pakistan dares to talk about the rights of children in a progressive democracy like India without realising that their responsibility is to protect children".

When it comes to the situation of journalists, he pointed at the "deep state of Pakistan" which "dares to talk about the rights of journalists in an open democracy like India" and without "realising that their responsibility is to protect honest journalists like Bilal Farooqi who is being tortured by Pakistani Army in Karachi, as we speak".

On September 30, India had highlighted Pakistan's hate speech against Indian leadership and the situation of minorities in the country at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). India's First Secretary at United Nations in Geneva, Pawan Badhe had said, "We are not baffled that Pakistan does well when it comes to inciting hatred against religious minorities and targeting our leadership with hate speeches."

Badhe had added, "It’s well cherished an inherited culture of hatred makes it the perfect candidate for carrying forward the legacy of intolerance against anybody having modern views on human rights."

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and other members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have been making remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India. In fact, Pakistani PM mentioned India 20 times during his United Nations General Assembly speech last week.

The Indian Diplomat had said, "no fabricated words against India is going to change the fact that Pakistan and territories under its control are deathtraps for journalists, human rights defenders, social activists and religious and ethnic minorities".

He had explained, "Perennial India bashing project of Pakistan in the UN system is also not going to change the fact that hundreds of journalists and human rights defenders die each year in Pakistan due to systematic killings including extrajudicial ones. Incessant attempts to maligning India in all international forums is not going to change the fact that tens of thousands of minorities would not stop fleeing Pakistan."

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A number of reports of minority Hindu and Sikh girls being converted have been reported in the country. Recent abduction and conversion of Jagjit Kaur to Ayesha Bibi has been dominating the news on both sides of the border with a number of Sikh groups protesting against it near Pakistani High Commission in India's national capital Delhi.

Pointing out, Badhe had said, "While the world has progressed well, Pakistan is still at the crossroads to understand the real meaning of modern laws, democracy and human rights" and "the language of accountability, civic space, fundamental freedoms, public participation is yet to find resonance with the authorities of Pakistan".