China brought up rights situation in J&K at closed-door UNSC session!

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China raised the issue of Kashmir at the closed-door, informal UN Security Council counsltation session. (Photo courtesy: UNSC)

(TibetanReview.net, Aug20’19) – China, a one-party monolith which does not recognize the idea of civil and political rights as enshrined in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has on Aug 16 criticized democratic India’s human rights record in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) at a closed-door, informal UN Security Council (UNSC) consultation session. The purpose of the session was to discuss India’s abrogation of Article 370 of its constitution – a temporary provision which granted a special status to the state – on a request by Pakistan with strong support from China.

Despite a strong push by China for UN action against India on the issue, the session, which did not issue any statement as it was informal, recognized by a majority of 14 to one, that the abrogation of Article 370 was a matter of India’s internal affair.

In order to make an issue of it, the Chinese Permanent Representative in the UN claimed that the government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 challenged China’s sovereign interests and violated bilateral agreements on maintaining peace and stability in the border area, reported economictimes.indiatimes.com Aug 20.

“What should be pointed out is that India’s action has also challenged the Chinese sovereign interests and violated bilateral agreements on maintaining peace and stability in the border area and, on that, China is also very much seriously concerned,” the senior Chinese diplomat was stated to have contended, referring to the status of Ladakh which included the cold desert plateau area of Aksai Chin annexed by China during its 1962 aggression against India. “And, we wish to emphasize that such unilateral practice by India is not valid in relation to China and will not change China’s exercise of sovereignty and effective administrative jurisdiction over the territory.”

But the UNSC session neither backed Pakistan’ s call for action against India nor accepted China’s demand that a call be given to prevent unilateral actions which would heighten tension in J&K and the region, noted thecitizen.in Aug 19. The session only called on India and Pakistan to settle their disputes bilaterally, with the US, Russia and France saying so openly.

India maintains that Article 370 was abrogated to promote better governance and socio-economic development. There was no implication for either the external boundaries of India or the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, it added. The legislation abrogating the Article separated Ladakh from J&K and made both union territories, a nomenclature applied to centrally ruled areas in India.

China’s brazenly anti-India and pro-Pakistan stand at the UNSC on the developments in Jammu and Kashmir, has cast a shadow on Sino-Indian relations in general, and the planned summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping in India in October, in particular, noted thecitizen.in report.

Still, the two sides are scheduled to hold a defence dialogue later this year, headed by the Indian Defense Secretary Sanjay Mitra and his Chinese counterpart Lt General Shao Yuanming, reported timesnownews.com Aug 20. And the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to take place sometime later this year.

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