ISLAMABAD – A committee of the UN General Assembly has unanimously passed aresolution calling for promotion and protection of human rights of personsbelonging to minorities.
The resolution, titled “Effective promotion of the Declaration on theRights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and LinguisticMinorities”, was adopted in the General Assembly’s Third Committee, whichdeals with social, humanitarian and cultural issues.
Meanwhile, Pakistan, welcoming the adoption of the resolution, drew theinternational community’s attention towards the plight of Muslims in India,especially in occupied Kashmir and Assam.
Second Secretary at Pakistan Mission to the UN, Qasim Aziz pointed out thatthe recent report of the Special Rapporteur on minority issues has deploredthe treatment of millions of Muslims in Assam who face the threat of beingdeemed ‘foreigners’ and treated as non-citizens.
Referring to the current crisis in occupied Kashmir, he said the abrogationof Article 35A and 370 of Indian Constitution was clearly aimed at changingdemography of the disputed state, to turn the indigenous Muslim majoritypopulation into a minority.
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He said the current human rights and humanitarian crisis in occupiedKashmir could lead to forced displacement of its Muslim population andrender them stateless.
The Pakistani delegate also warned the committee that a process of wipingout the Islamic heritage in India is currently underway in pursuance of theruling BJP party’s “Hindutva” ideology.
He said the Indian Muslims face an existential threat today and the recentverdict on Babri mosque in Ayodyha is a true illustration of this mindset.
