UNHRC report on Kashmir, nothing to do with int'l body

Union Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh on Friday dubbed the UN Human Rights Commission report on alleged human rights violations in Kashmir an "individual report" and said it has nothing to do with the international body.

"That report has nothing to with the UN. That was an individual report and let's keep it that," he said, responding to a question on the issue on the sidelines of an event in New Delhi.

Earlier this week, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Maleeha Lodhi referred to the June 14 report on Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein when the Security Council was discussion Children and Armed Conflict.

In the report, Al Hussein has called for a commission of inquiry by the Human Rights Council to conduct an independent international investigation into human rights situation in Kashmir.

In a sharp rebuttal, India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Tanmaya Lal has said that the "so-called" report reflects the "clear bias of an official who was acting without any mandate whatsoever and relied on unverified sources of information."

According to media reports, Zafar Bangash, a Pakistani-origin journalist based in Canada has claimed that Al Hussein was in touch with him when he was preparing the controversial report, which India has rejected.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar yesterday questioned the intention of bringing out the report.

"The document that was brought out reflected the clear bias of the official, who was acting without a mandate whatsoever and who relied on unverified source of information. The report which was put out was very motivated. It had a clear bias. And when I say motivated, it explains what you are alluding to," he had said.

Speaking on 'Global Dialogue Security Summit' at a seminar in New Delhi, V K Singh said, "historically, India has had a continental outlook. It never had a global outlook".

And because of this, the former Army chief said, India remained within its borders and did not venture out extensively anywhere.

"However, its culture, soft power and religion has reached many places," he said.

"Our cultural outreach was far and wide but otherwise in projection of power, we had a continental outlook," he said.