UNHRC intervention in Kashmir 'unacceptable': BJP

While appreciating United Nations Human Rights Council's (UNHRC) request to visit Kashmir to examine if there was any human rights violation, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said Kashmir is India's internal matter and not an area of UNHRC intervention.

"I appreciate the concern cited by the UNCHR chief, but I don't think this is clearly an area of their intervention. This is an area which is internal to India, and I think it is for our government to decide what is in the best interest of Indians first," BJP leader Shaina NC told ANI.

Shaina said coming in the country with the complete knowledge and the acceptance of the government is one issue, but the UNHRC's offer to be an arbitrator between India and Pakistan is "unacceptable".

On Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar's decision to visit Pakistan for talks on cross-border terrorism, Shaina said, "Our Foreign Secretary has made it very clear that we are going to limit the discussion over cross-border terrorism. Pakistan cannot bully us into its own agenda or what they want to discuss."

She, however, criticised Congress leader Salman Khurshid's comment on Prime Minster Narendra Modi's foreign policy as a "novice's policy", saying he is the Prime Minister of India and one should not make such barb on him.

Shaina said, "He should first realise that Prime Minister Modi is the Prime Minister of the country and of every single citizen, and if he has echoed a view on Balochistan, it's clearly an intelligent thinking."

Earlier this week, India has politely rejected the UNHRC move to send a team to Jammu and Kashmir, pointing out the domestic human rights violation in the valley.

The UNHRC sent the letter to India, after Pakistan raised the issue of alleged human rights violations in Kashmir.