India has criticised Pakistan at the United Nations, recalling its refusal to acknowledge the bodies of its soldiers killed during the 1999 Kargil War, while raising concerns over its remarks on religious freedom and burial rights.

 

First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the UN, Bhavika Mangalanandan, said the Indian Army had buried several Pakistani soldiers with military honours and in accordance with Islamic rites. Her remarks came during a discussion on an interim report by UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion and belief, Nazila Ghanea, which raised concerns over alleged denial of funeral rights in Jammu and Kashmir.

 

Mangalanandan also criticised Pakistan over the treatment of minorities, saying their numbers were declining and their rights were regularly abused. She said a country unable to ensure the safety of its own minorities had no standing to lecture India, and urged Pakistan to focus on developments in areas of Jammu and Kashmir under its illegal occupation, including Rawalakot.

 

She further questioned the report’s approach to the burial rights of terrorists, arguing that the rights of victims of terrorism also deserved due consideration. She also accused the report of selectively highlighting human rights concerns while overlooking similar incidents in other regions, including the developed world.