'Develop better understanding before jumping to conclusion': India slams UN remarks on J&K

Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir is an "integral and inalienable part of India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday hit out at two UN Special Rapporteurs (SRs) for criticising its policies for the region and advised them to develop a better understanding of issues before jumping to hasty conclusions.

"The SRs disregarded the fact that J&K is an integral and inalienable part of India and that the decision on the abrogation of Article 370 was taken by the Parliament of India," said MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava, in response to media queries on the press release. 

The UN Special Rapporteurs, in a press release on Thursday, criticised the changes in Jammu and Kashmir, from the abrogation of Article 370 to enacting new laws.  "The loss of autonomy and the imposition of direct rule by the Government in New Delhi suggests the people of Jammu and Kashmir no longer have their own government," the Special Rapporteurs stated. 

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Srivastava asserted that the statement by the SRs was deliberately issued during the visit of foreign ambassadors to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

"It is deplorable that the SRs, after sharing their questionnaire on February 10, did not even wait for our response. Instead, they chose to release their inaccurate assumptions to the media. The press release has also been deliberately timed to coincide with the visit of a group of Ambassadors to Jammu and Kashmir," he said.

Foreign diplomats from Chile, Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Bangladesh, Malawi, Eritrea, Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal, Malaysia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and the European Union were on a two-day visit to J&K on February 17-18.

The latest visit of foreign envoys came in the backdrop of District Development Council (DDC) polls and restoration of 4G mobile internet after 18 months, indicating the return of full normalcy in the Union Territory.

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Press Release ignored the positive impact of new laws

The MEA pointed out that the press release fails to take into account the steps aimed at ending decades of discrimination, enshrining democracy at the grassroots level through successful conduct of local elections for the District Development Councils, and ensuring good governance through back to village program. 

"Special Rapporteurs has ignored the positive impact of extending laws applicable to the rest of India to Jammu and Kashmir, enabling the people of the region to enjoy the same rights as available to people in other parts of India," Srivastava said. 

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On the apprehensions of demographic change, the MEA said that the fears are baseless as an overwhelming majority of domicile certificates issued in the Union Territory are to the erstwhile Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC) holders. It said that this press release calls into question the larger principles of objectivity and neutrality that the SRs are mandated by the Human Rights Council to adhere to.

"We expect the Special Rapporteurs to develop a better understanding of the issues under their consideration before jumping to hasty conclusions and issuing press statements," he added. 

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