by Shamindra Ferdinando
Those wanting India to back a second US resolution against Sri Lanka at the ongoing 22 sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) had been severely critical of India’s failure to address persistent human rights issues, government sources said. A spate of allegations had been directed against Premier Dr. Manmohan Singh’s administration, over the human rights situation, sources said.
India had been asked to implement far reaching constitutional changes to improve her own human rights record, sources said.
India is a constituent of the 47 member UNHRC divided into five regional groups.
Sources said that India couldn’t play politics at the expense of Sri Lanka at the behest of the US without exposing herself to western criticism, also on the contentious issue of accountability as it was facing similar charges in Kashmir.
Responding to criticism that the government had failed to counter ongoing US-led moves at Geneva, sources said Sri Lanka’s efforts shouldn’t be appraised on the basis of biased reporting by a section of the media, statements issued by foreign governments, UN agencies as well as well paid NGOs. India had realized that it was not immune to unfair criticism by the UNHRC, in spite of throwing its weight behind the US-led operation directed at Sri Lanka, sources said.
Sources recalled an unprecedented UNHRC attack on India at last year’s Geneva sessions soon after India pledged its support for the first US resolution moved against Sri Lanka.
The UN had been pushing for the abolition of India’s National Security Act, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and the Unlawful Activities et al. Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, Margaret Sekaggya lambasted India at the 19th sessions much to the discomfort of the Indian delegation. The former Ugandan judicial official went to the extent of alleging that the Indian judiciary as well as the human rights commissions, both at the central and state level for failing in their duty. India was also accused of targeting Indian journalists by the official, who directed a spate of allegations against Indian security forces, police and intelligence services. Sekagya’s assessment was based on a visit she undertook in January 2011.
Sri Lanka, too, had been attacked by Sekaggya at the same sessions.
India reacted angrily to Sekaggya’s criticism. The Indian delegation alleged that Sekaggaya repeated unsubstantiated, generalized accounts of alleged cases raised by a handful of NGOs.
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