New York: India criticised Pakistan at the United Nations over its comments on religious freedom and funeral rights, invoking the 1999 Kargil War and accusing Islamabad of overlooking its own record while raising concerns about Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking during an interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief on Thursday, India’s First Secretary at the Permanent Mission to the UN, Bhavika Mangalanandan, said Pakistan had refused to acknowledge the involvement of its Army personnel killed during the Kargil conflict.
“It is deeply ironic that a State that did not even accept the bodies of its own soldiers who were killed in combat in 1999 in Kargil unabashedly speaks with fervour on faith, religious freedom and burials,” Mangalanandan said.
India’s remarks came in response to an interim report by Special Rapporteur Nazila Ghanea that raised concerns about funeral rights in exceptional circumstances, including cases involving security operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
India Cites Kargil War While Responding To UN Report
The report highlighted allegations of denial of funeral rights to people killed during security operations in Jammu and Kashmir, including the return of bodies to families and the use of remote or secret burials. It said these practices disproportionately affected Muslims and raised concerns about their consistency with religious practices.
Responding to the findings, Mangalanandan recalled that the Indian Army had recovered the bodies of Pakistani soldiers killed during the Kargil War and buried several of them with military honours, in accordance with Islamic rites.
She argued that Pakistan’s statements on funeral rights should be considered alongside its conduct during the conflict.
The exchange brought the 1999 war into a UN discussion focused on religious freedom, burial practices and the treatment of bodies in exceptional circumstances.
India Raises Questions Over Pakistan’s Minority Rights
Mangalanandan also accused Pakistan of focusing excessively on developments in Jammu and Kashmir while overlooking conditions in areas under its control.
She referred to Rawalakot in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and raised concerns about the treatment of religious minorities in Pakistan.
“A State that cannot ensure the safety of its own minorities has no standing to lecture India,” she said.
Pakistan’s minority communities include Hindus, Christians and Sikhs. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, in its annual report titled Sanctuary Denied: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2025/26, reportedly highlighted concerns including alleged misuse of blasphemy laws, forced marriages and conversions, and discriminatory practices affecting minorities.
India Questions Scope Of Special Rapporteur’s Report
Mangalanandan also criticised aspects of the report’s scope and the treatment of allegations concerning different regions of the world.
She argued that the report relied on references to India from several years earlier while, in her view, failing to adequately address more recent alleged violations in the region and elsewhere.
She further questioned its discussion of discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that comparable situations in developed countries had not received similar attention.
The Indian representative also challenged what she described as the report’s emphasis on the funeral rights of terrorists without equivalent attention to victims of terrorism.
Her remarks formed part of India’s broader response to the report, which raised concerns about funeral practices in security-related cases. The exchange highlighted differing positions over religious freedom, state security, the treatment of deceased persons and the responsibilities of governments under international human rights principles.
