ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch has categorically rejected Israel’s statement regarding the adoption of Pakistan’s Universal Periodic Report.
Responding to media queries, she said the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday adopted Pakistan’s Universal Periodic Report unanimously and Israel’s politically motivated statement was fundamentally at variance with the otherwise positive tone of the session and the statements made by a vast majority of the countries.
The spokesperson said several states and civil society organizations had commended Pakistan on the progress achieved in promoting human rights.
She said given Israel’s long history of oppression of Palestinians, Pakistan can certainly do without its advice on protecting human rights.
The FO statement came after Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN Adi Farjon said during a sitting of the UN Human Rights Council that the country was “deeply concerned about the overall rights situation in Pakistan where enforced disappearances, torture, crackdown on peaceful protests and violence against religious minorities and other marginalised groups remain prevalent”.
She added: “Israel believes that it is essential that Pakistan heeds our recommendations to take all appropriate steps to prevent arbitrary arrests, torture and other ill-treatment and bring perpetrators of such acts to justice and end the widespread use of the death penalty, especially against children and persons with disabilities.”
The envoy said Israel also called for Islamabad to “decriminalise same-sex activities” in line with international human rights standards and adopt a “comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation” in this regard.
She mentioned that Israel was also concerned over the National Assembly passing amendments in January to tighten the blasphemy law in Pakistan, which she claimed was “often used to target and persecute religious and other minority groups”.
In its rebuttal, the Foreign Office (FO) noted that Pakistan’s Universal Periodic Report — a process which involves a review of the human rights records of UN member states — was adopted unanimously in the same session.
“Several states and civil society organisations commended Pakistan on the progress achieved in promoting human rights,” the statement said, adding that Israel’s “politically motivated statement is fundamentally at variance with the otherwise positive tone of the session and the statements made by a vast majority of states”.
“Given Israel’s long history of oppression of Palestinians, Pakistan can certainly do without its advice on protecting human rights,” the statement added.
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