India says its not the only victim of Pakistan-sponsored terror, urges swift end to 'terror factories'

India is not the only victim of Pakistan’s “nurturing” of terrorism, it told the United Nations Human Rights Council on Wednesday, saying the effects of this are felt in south Asia and beyond, and that Pakistan should refrain from sponsoring terrorism against India. In exercising its second right of reply (RoR) to a Pakistani statement, India said that Pakistan for years has “with complete impunity, channelised billions of dollars from international aid, to training, financing and supporting terrorist groups as militant proxies against it neighbours”. “We demand that Pakistan lives up to its public commitment to refrain from supporting and sponsoring terrorism against India,” New Delhi told the HRC. [caption id=“attachment_3493083” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] There were about 450 ceasefire violations by Pakistan in 2016, and the number of terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir increased by 50 percent over 2015. “Internationally proscribed terrorist entities and their leaders continue to thrive in Pakistan with state support, even raising funds openly, in flagrant violation of its international obligations,” Alok Jha, counsellor (political) at the Indian mission in Geneva told the council. “We would like to iterate that India is not the only victim of Pakistan’s preaching, practicing, encouraging and nurturing terrorism. The deleterious impact of Pakistan’s irresponsible and short-sighted approach of terrorism as State policy has started showing in other countries of South Asia and beyond. Internationally proscribed terrorist entities and their leaders continue to thrive in Pakistan with State support, even raising funds openly in flagrant violation of Pakistan’s international obligations, India told the council,” Jha said. India welcomed the introduction of a US Congress bill to declare Pakistan a state sponsor of terrorism — countering such terrorism that “has turned out to be the most acute violator of human rights” — and said that shutting down the country’s “terror factories” is the only way to achieve peace in South Asia. In the first RoR made earlier in the day, India raised the issue of Balochistan, stating that Pakistan “has systematically abused and violated the human rights of its own citizens, including in Balochistan, as well as of the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir”. “While advocating restraint to others, it has no hesitation in using air power against its own people. Pakistan also continues to provide sanctuary to UN-designated terrorists,” India said. Pakistani people as well as people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have become victims of sectarian conflict, terrorism and extreme economic hardship due to Pakistan’s “authoritarian and discriminatory policies in complete disregard of human rights”, India added. Pakistan also used both of its RoRs to respond to India at an interactive dialogue held at the 35th session of the HRC. Pakistan has shown its willingness for the UN team to visit ‘Azad Kashmir’, together with a mission in tandem to the “Indian-occupied Kashmir”, Pakistan said in response to the UN human rights chief’s request on Tuesday to India and Pakistan to grant him access to “India-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir”. It is in “sharp contrast to India’s outright denial for access”, Farukh Amil, the new Pakistani ambassador and permanent representative of UN offices in Geneva said. Amil urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to present the “complete picture” in front of the Council. The war of words has become a constant feature in council sessions since India restarted the practice in 2015 of using its RoR to respond to Pakistani statements at the HRC.