Significance of retaining UNHRC membership

Saiyan0321 · Oct 20, 2020

Significance of retaining UNHRC membership

A tribute to Pakistan’s diplomacy

Pakistan has been re-elected as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council by the UN General Assembly for a second term. Pakistan had already served a three-year term which began in 2018. Winning the election to this prestigious body of the UN for a second consecutive term represents a great diplomatic achievement by the managers of Pakistan’s foreign policy, whose lobbying won Pakistan the highest number of votes, reflecting the acknowledgement of, and confidence of the international community in, its contribution to the national and global human rights agenda and iys strong credentials as a consensus builder in HRC.

From amongst five countries from the Asia-Pacific region vying for election to the four seats, Pakistan secured 169 votes in the 193 member General Assembly followed by 164 for Uzbekistan, 150 for Nepal, 139 for China and 90 for Saudi Arabia. Pakistan has been elected to the premier human rights body of the UN for the fifth time.

The resolution establishing the UNHRC states “when electing members of the Council, Member States shall take into account the contribution of candidates to the promotion and protection of human rights and their voluntary pledges and commitments made thereto and that members elected to the Council shall uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.” In the light of the foregoing, the election to the Council implies endorsement of the fact that the state elected as member of the Council has not only respected human rights within her own boundaries but has also made a discernible contribution to the protection of those rights at the global level. It is perhaps pertinent to mention that UN General Assembly can suspend the rights and privileges of any Council member that it decides has persistently committed gross and systematic violations of human rights during its term of membership. The suspension process requires a two-thirds majority vote by the General Assembly.

The diplomatic offensive launched by the PTI government under stewardship of Prime Minister Imran Khan has also made it difficult for India to conceal the realities in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan’s re-election to the UNHRC, therefore, augurs well in regards to sustaining and reinforcing efforts to unmask Indian atrocities and human rights abuses in the state under illegal Indian siege

Prime Minister Imran Khan has rightly lauded the role of the Foreign Office and Pakistani missions abroad for orchestrating this diplomatic triumph which, as he put it, enhances Pakistan’s profile and recognition on the international stage. He also reaffirmed that Pakistan would continue efforts towards consensus building and ensuring that the HRC’s work was guided by principles of universality, impartiality, dialogue and cooperation adding that Pakistan would continue to expose human rights violations committed with impunity by the Indian occupation forces in the Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The UNHRC, with its headquarters in Geneva, is charged with the responsibility to promote and protect human rights around the world. It has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. The UNHRC replaced UN Commission on Human Rights in March 2006. It investigates allegations of breaches of human rights in United Nations member states, and addresses important thematic human rights issues such as freedom of association and assembly, freedom of expression, freedom of belief and religion, women’s rights, LGBT rights, and the rights of racial and ethnic minorities.

It has been a prominent forum for discussing the gross and systematic human rights abuses being perpetrated in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The human rights violations committed with impunity by the Indian occupation forces in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir have been extensively documented in the various reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the independent Special Procedure Mandate Holders. Presence in the Council affords an excellent opportunity to Pakistan to sensitize the world body and the international community about the gross violation of human rights in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and revealing India’s true face to the world.

India, which is being ruled by the followers of the RSS ideology of Hindutva, has not only committed brazen violations of human rights within India by pursuing communal policies targeting Muslim community and other minorities but is also guilty of unleashing a reign of terror in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir through continued extra-judicial killings and keeping the entire population under siege since 5 August 2019. International media and international human rights bodies such as Amnesty International have been reporting and documenting the human rights violation in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir to expose India before the global fraternity.