India asks UN human rights office when it will report on Pakistan’s actions in PoK, accuses it of “extreme selectivity”

“Extreme selectivity”: India’s Anuj Swarup questions the OHCHR at the UNGA Third Committee. See what he said on PoK and the Joint Awami Action Committee

PGurus Newsdesk

October 15, 2026

Killings, Internet Curbs, Detentions in PoK: India Seeks UN Report at UNGA Committee

India asked for legal access and a fair trial for detained Joint Awami Action Committee leaders

India has asked the UN human rights office when it plans to issue a report seeking answers from Pakistan on the steps it has taken to address concerns about the situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The concerns include killings and internet restrictions.

What India said

Anuj Swarup, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission, delivered the statement on Wednesday at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, during an interactive dialogue with the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Swarup asked when the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) can be expected to publish a report on Pakistan’s response. He accused the office of “extreme selectivity” in its approach, saying similar problems elsewhere often go ignored. He also said Pakistan would do well to look inwards, since the rights it was being asked about are not enjoyed in large parts of its own territory, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

India also called for detained leaders of the Joint Awami Action Committee to be given access to legal representation and to their families, and for due process and a fair trial. Swarup reaffirmed India’s commitment to human rights and said Jammu and Kashmir, including Ladakh, is an integral part of India.

Background in PoK

In July, UN human rights chief Volker Turk appealed for calm in PoK amid a wave of unrest ahead of regional elections at the end of that month. The OHCHR had also called for a prompt, thorough and impartial investigation into deaths during the protests. The UN human rights office has not announced a date for any report on the matter.

Timing

India’s remarks come just days after it called comments by the OHCHR on the protests in Delhi “unwarranted” and an “unacceptable interference” in its internal affairs. Last week the office had expressed concern over reports of mass detentions of demonstrators, protest leaders, members of civil society, lawyers and journalists before and during large demonstrations in the capital.

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