In a befitting reply to Pakistan, India exercised its ‘Right of Reply’ in response to references to New Delhi stating that the nation that has institutionalized the systemic persecution of its minorities and has a truly abysmal human rights record has no right to comment on India.

Exercising the ‘Right of Reply’ at the High-Level Segment of the 55th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council on Wednesday, First Secretary Anupama Singh said that regarding Pakistan’s lengthy mentions of India, it is very regrettable that the Council’s forum has once again been abused to propagate flagrantly false accusations about India.

“With regard to the extensive references to India made by Pakistan, we note that it is deeply unfortunate for the Council’s platform to have once again been misused to make patently false allegations against India,” she said.

India exercises Right of Reply against Pakistan at #HRC55 pic.twitter.com/rdTMVWYmFT

— India at UN, Geneva (@IndiaUNGeneva) February 28, 2024

“The entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh is an integral and inalienable part of India, and the constitutional measures taken by the Government of India to ensure socio-economic development and good governance in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are matters internal to India. Pakistan has no locus standi to pronounce on matters that are internal to India,” she added.

Terming Pakistan’s human rights record as “truly abysmal,” the First Secretary said, “A country that has institutionalized the systemic persecution of its own minorities and has a truly abysmal human rights record, commenting on India, which is demonstrably making great strides in achieving economic progress and social justice, is not merely ironical but perverse.”

“A glaring example was the large scale brutality perpetrated against the minority Christian community in Jaranwala city, Pakistan in August 2023, when 19 churches were gutted and 89 Christian houses burnt down. Three, a country that hosts and even celebrates UNSC-sanctioned terrorists, commenting on India whose pluralistic ethos and democratic credentials are exemplars for the world, is a contrast for everyone to see,” she said further.

Ms Singh also said that the government has failed to serve the actual interests of its citizens, and added that Pakistan sponsors terrorism around the world.

“We cannot pay any further attention to a country that speaks while being soaked in red the red of the bloodshed from the terrorism it sponsors around the world; the red of its debt-riddled national balance sheets; and the red of the shame its own people feel for their government having failed to serve their actual interests,” she concluded.

The 55th Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council is taking place from February 26-April 5.

India had in August last year said that an environment free of terror and hostilities was imperative for normal ties with Pakistan.

Answering queries after the then Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had expressed his willingness to hold talks with India, the Ministry of External Affairs had said that India wants normal ties with all its neighbouring countries including Pakistan.

“We desire normal neighbourly relations with all our neighbours, including Pakistan. For this an environment free of terror and hostility is imperative,” a MEA spokesperson had said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said in an earlier interview with the news agency ANI that Pakistan’s future will be largely determined by its own actions and choices and it is for the neighbouring country to find a way out of its economic troubles.

Pakistan is currently grappling with economic difficulties including dwindling forex reserves, high inflation and sharp depreciation of its currency.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, main accused in Sandeshkhali case, has been arrested, police said.. The leader and his associates have been accused of sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing in Sandeshkhali.

Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested around midnight in the North 24 Parganas district by a special Bengal police team. He had been on the run for 55 days. After the arrest, he was taken to the Basirhat court.

The team had been monitoring the leader’s activities for several days leading up to the arrest, officials said.

The arrest comes three days after the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice ordered to add Sheikh Shahjahan to the Sandeshkhali case.

On February 26, Calcutta HC Justice asked to issue a notice in the case and said, “There is no reason to not arrest him.”

“Public notice shall be given in this case. There is no stay order in Sandeshkhali cases. There is no reason to not arrest him,” the Court said.

Sandeshkhali in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district has been witnessing widespread protests against the Trinamool Congress strongman Shahjahan Sheikh this month as a section of women are seeking justice against alleged atrocities committed by the TMC leader.

A large number of women in Sandeshkhali had accused Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of “land-grab and sexual assault” under coercion. The leader who had been on the run since January 5, has been previously embroiled in several criminal cases, including the murder of 3 BJP workers in 2019.

The Enforcement Directorate has accused Sheikh Shahjahan of money laundering in the ration and land scams. There were also allegations of violence against power department employees in West Bengal, resulting in an FIR filed against him.

The search for a missing college student has led the Noida police to unearth a shocking crime in which four youngsters murdered a friend after a party brawl and buried his body in a field.

Yash Mittal, son of a businessman and student of a Noida-based university, was missing from his hostel since Monday. His father Deepak Mittal informed police after he started getting ransom messages, demanding Rs 6 crore in return for his son’s release.

When police scanned CCTV footage of the campus, they saw Yash leaving the university on Monday while speaking over the phone. Call records of his phone led them to his friend Rachit. On questioning him, police learnt that Yash would often hang out with Rachit, Shivam, Sushant and Shubham.

“On February 26, they called Yash to a field in Gajraula in Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha (about 100 km away) for a party. He joined them soon after. During the party, a brawl broke out. They killed Yash and buried the body in the field. We recovered the body after Rachit identified the location,” senior police officer Saad Miya Khan said.

Police tracked down the other accused in Dadri. The accused tried to escape, but were caught by police after an encounter. “We have arrested three accused after combing the area. One more accused, Shubham, is on the run. We will catch him soon,” the officer added.

The officer said that the accused had told police that the ransom messages were sent to mislead Yash’s family. Police had formed multiple teams to work on the case, he said.

Visuals from the field showed the youngster’s parents breaking down after his body was dug out. The youngster, police said, was pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in business administration at the Noida university before his tragic death.