India regrets UN rights chief’s remarks on Kashmir

“The people of Kashmir have exactly the same rights to justice and dignity as people all over the world, and we urge the authorities to respect them. The Office continues to request permission to visit both sides of the Line of Control, and in the meantime, will continue its monitoring and reporting,” she said.

Expressing regret over the remarks, Permanent Representative of India to the UN in Geneva Ambassador Rajiv Chander said India had made its views “abundantly clear” on this matter in the UN Human Rights Council. “Madam High Commissioner, there is no denying that these are challenging times including for this body. It is important, therefore, that human rights issues are addressed constructively with respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity in a transparent and credible manner. “We regret that reference has been made to the Indian State of Jammu and Kashmir. Our views on the matter have been made abundantly clear in the Council,” he said.

Speaking at the 39th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, Chander said terrorism was the biggest scourge and the greatest violator of human rights and expressed hope Bachelet would address this issue more emphatically in the coming years. Bachelet also welcomed last week’s decision by India’s Supreme Court to decriminalise same-sex relations.