The Indian delegation is led by Ajay Bisaria and Vijay Thakur Singh
Highlights
- Pak minister said the country will speak "definitively" on Kashmir
- Indian delegation at UNHRC is led by Ajay Bisaria and Vijay Thakur Singh
- "Deeply concerned," UN rights body chief had said on Kashmir
India and Pakistan are expected to face off today over Jammu and Kashmir at the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Switzerland. Pakistan, which has so far been unsuccessfully flagging the government's move to end special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate it into two union territories at various international forums, had announced that it will speak on the matter.
On Monday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is leading their delegation, tweeted that Pakistan will speak "definitively" at UNHRC sessions on Kashmir. He had also cited the comments of UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet on the issue.
In her address on Monday, Ms Bachelet said she was "deeply concerned" over the "impact of recent actions" by the Indian government on the "human rights of Kashmiris" including the detention of political leaders and activists in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian delegation is led by Ajay Bisaria, the High Commissioner expelled by Pakistan as part of a five-point plan to downgrade ties with India, and Vijay Thakur Singh, Secretary East.
Pakistan wrote to the United Nations last month, flagging what it called "massive violations of International Human Rights Law" in Jammu and Kashmir. But its efforts fell flat as at the closed-door meeting held at UN, the participating nations -- barring China -- had sided with India, agreeing that the changes in Jammu and Kashmir were an internal matter.
"The letter is not worth the paper it is written on," the foreign ministry later responded.
US President Donald Trump, who earlier offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on Kashmir, has offered his help again. "I get along with both countries very well," President Trump told reporters."I am willing to help them if they want. They know that. That (offer) is out there," he said.