India on Tuesday hit out at Pakistan, describing it as an “epicenter of terrorism”. Neither India nor others deserve a lecture from Pakistan on human rights, India said exercising the Right of Reply to the statements made by Pakistan at the 45th session of Human Rights Council.

Pakistan “has consistently persecuted its ethnic and religious minorities, is an epicenter of terrorism, has the distinction of providing pensions to individuals on UN Sanctions list and has a Prime Minister who proudly admits training tens of thousands of terrorists to fight in Jammu and Kashmir,” the Indian diplomat said.

Highlighting the demographic changes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the diplomat said, “the mass influx of outsiders has whittled down the number of Kashmiris to an insignificant number in Pakistan occupied parts of Indian Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Laddakh.”

“In its zeal to reassert its theocratic ideology, it has ensured that ethnic and religious minorities have no future through systematic persecution, blasphemy laws, forced conversions, targeted killings, sectarian violence and faith-based discrimination,” the Indian representative said. 

Highlighting the plight of people in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, the Indian diplomat said, “Not a single day has gone by when a family in Balochistan doesn’t find its members picked up or kidnapped by the security forces of Pakistan,” the diplomat said.

The issue of attacks on journalists, rights defenders  and political dissidents was also raised.

India hit out at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for making a reference to Jammu and Kashmir.

“The OIC has no locus standi to comment on internal affairs of India. The OIC has allowed itself to be misused by Pakistan to subserve its own Agenda. It’s for the members of the OIC to decide if it is in their interests to allow Pakistan to do so,” the Indian representative said.

India also advised Turkey to refrain from commenting on its internal affairs and develop a better understanding of democratic practices.