India said on Friday that the people of Xinjiang’s human rights should be respected, a day after the country chose to abstain on a vote at the UN Human Rights Council protesting China’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims.
Arindam Bagchi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, declared during a press conference that India “remains committed to upholding all human rights. The vote by India is consistent with its steadfast stance that country-specific resolutions are never beneficial. India is in favor of having a dialogue to resolve these issues.
We have taken note of the OHCHR’s assessment of the situation with respect to human rights in the People’s Republic of China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. It is important to respect and protect the human rights of the residents of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. We anticipate that the appropriate party will handle the situation in a fair and impartial manner, he continued.
India was one of the 11 nations that chose not to vote against China on Thursday in response to allegations that it had violated the human rights of the Uyghur population in the province of Xinjiang.
At the UNHRC, China, Pakistan, and Nepal were among the 19 members who voted against the resolution, which received support from 17 members. India, Brazil, Mexico, and Ukraine were among the eleven members who chose to abstain.
In Xinjiang, China has been repressing Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other primarily Muslim ethnic minorities since 2017, all while claiming to be fighting terrorism. This practice has been extensively documented since that time.
Arindam Bagchi added that the relationship between China and India is abnormal. His words ran counter to Beijing’s envoy’s assertion that conditions along the Line of Actual Control were returning to normal.
China’s military claimed last week that the removal of Chinese and Indian troops from Patrolling Point 15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs region of eastern Ladakh was helpful in fostering tranquility and peace in the border regions.