Even as China raised human rights concerns over developments in Kashmir since abrogation of Article 370 twelve days ago, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia backed New Delhi’s stance, calling the development as India’s internal issue, at a closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Friday. Slamming the Chinese and Pakistani efforts to bring up the Kashmir issue at the world forum, India’s Permanent Representative at the UN Syed Akbaruddin asked the two countries to mind their own business. He insisted, India would not be open to any dialogue before terrorism was brought to end.

 

 

India’s stance has been unambiguous and consistent over time, Akbaruddin stressed even as he pointed out that Kashmir was a totally internal matter for India. Its response to end a temporary constitutional arrangement was with a view to eliminating all possibilities of terror in Kashmir that has been an integral part of India. Even before the rare closed-door meeting of the UNSC began, Russia had insisted that Kashmir was India’s internal issue and New Delhi and Islamabad should resolve it bilaterally. Sources confirmed later that the US and the UK, too, took similar positions on the issue.

 

 

The Chinese effort to raise the human rights concerns at the UNSC meet was treated as its loyalty to Beijing’s close ties with Islamabad. Beijing, however, admitted that India had been a victim of global spread of terror. This admission was treated by observers also as a Chinese effort not to overlook the obvious reality of the international situation, rather making Pakistani diplomats uncomfortable. At the end of hectic developments, the balance seemed to tilt in India’s favour as a bigger number of UNSC members backed the Indian stance.

 

 

Since India abrogated Article 370 in Kashmir 12 days ago, Islamabad had been trying to raise the issue internationally. Prime Minister Imran Khan, too, had given much space in his speech to blaming India on its Kashmir stance, on Pakistan’s Foundation Day, drawing much criticism from international community.

 

 

 

WITH Pakistan being kept out of the UN Security Council deliberations on Kashmir, its Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday dialled the US and was also trying to reach out to the other members of the Permanent Five (P-5), in order to present its case before the UNSC before it meets later in the day to discuss the Kashmir issue. In his talks with Trump, Khan voiced his concerns over India’s “illegal” move in Kashmir.

 

 

In a televised statement, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the Premier has reached out to four of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) over the Kashmir issue. “We are also trying to contact the French President so that his country understands our position,” he added. According to Qureshi, Khan had spoken with four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the situation in Kashmir.

 

 

“Pakistan had presented its stance to the Prime Minister of Britain, President Trump, Foreign Minister of Russia. We have had direct contact with four of the five P-5 members. They are aware of Pakistan’s stance,” Qureshi added.

While talking to the US President, Khan conveyed to him Pakistan’s concerns over the recent developments in Kashmir after India revoked its special status, and said that New Delhi’s moves posed a threat to regional peace. Qureshi said the two leaders also discussed the situation in Afghanistan, from where the US President is keen to pull out his country’s troops ahead of the US presidential election.

 

 

Imran Khan said Pakistan has been playing a constructive role to bring peace in Afghanistan. The conversation between the two leaders was held in a cordial environment, Qureshi said, adding that they also agreed to remain in contact over the Kashmir issue.

 

 

 

AS CHINA cozied up with Pakistan to take India to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) over the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in Kashmir, a white paper prepared by Beijing has admitted that India is the victim of global spread and aggravation of terrorism and extremism. The paper, titled “Vocational Education and Training in Xinjiang” and released on Friday by the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China, mentioned India in the list of countries impacted by terrorist attacks.

 

 

“Since the 1990s, the global spread and aggravation of terrorism and extremism has wrought havoc. Influenced by extremism, terrorist attacks and related incidents have caused heavy casualties and property damage in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and other countries and regions,” read the report.

 

 

“World peace is under serious threat, and the future of humanity is overshadowed,” it added. China said that separatist and religious extremist forces, spreading “Pan-Turkism” and “Pan-Islamism”, attempted to create a theocratic state they called “East Turkistan” in the remote province of Xinjiang. “In an attempt to split China, such forces advocated religious extremism and carried out a series of terrorist activities. For years, religious extremism continued to make inroads into Xinjiang, resulting in incidents of terrorism,” the paper noted. While human rights activists allege that over one million Muslims have been arbitrarily detained by Chinese authorities in detention centres in Xinjiang, China claims that the education and training in Xinjiang is a social governance measure taken by the government, in accordance with the law. “It is a basic principle, enshrined in the Constitution of China, prescribed by its laws, and demonstrated by the efforts of the Chinese government, to respect and protect human rights,” the paper said. “In organising the training programmes, the education and training centres strictly follow the provisions of the Constitution and the law to prevent any violation of the basic rights of trainees,” it added.

 

 

The white paper, published by the State Council Information Office, said that no terrorist incidents have occurred in Xinjiang for nearly three years since the education and training started. The white paper also said that education and training in Xinjiang is practiced in line with the spirit and requirements of the rule of law in the country. “It also reflects the ideas and principles of counter-terrorism and deradicalisation as practiced by the international community,” it said.

 

 

In an opinion piece in ‘The Age’ last month, Elaine Pearson, Australia director at Human Rights Watch, wrote that in Xinjiang, approximately one million people out of a Turkic Muslim population of 13 million were arbitrarily detained without any legal process, subjected to ill-treatment and sometimes tortured. “Family members are separated, including parents from young children. People are held for weeks or months at a time in closely guarded camps, forced to learn Mandarin, sing pro-Chinese Communist Party songs and pledge loyalty to the Chinese state,” Pearson wrote.