After Abstaining From Voting Against China At UN, India Bats For Human Rights Of Uyghur Muslims

This is the first time that India has directly called for respecting the human rights of the people of Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region.

An Uyghur woman holds a picture of her relatives during a protest ( Image Source :Getty Images )

A day after India abstained from voting on the human rights situation in China's Xinjiang at the United Nations, the MEA on Friday said the rights of Uyghur Muslims should be "respected and guaranteed". Addressing a press conference, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India decision to abstain was in line with the practice of not voting on country-specific resolutions, PTI reported.

"The human rights of the people of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region should be respected and guaranteed. We hope that the relevant party will address the situation objectively and properly," Bagchi said.

This is the first time that India has directly called for respecting the human rights of the people of Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region.

READ | India Abstains From Voting In UNHRC On Debate On Human Rights Situation In China's Xinjiang

"India remains committed to upholding all human rights. India's vote is in line with its long held position that country specific resolutions are never helpful. India favours a dialogue to deal with such issues," Bagchi further said.

The MEA's response came amid criticism from Opposition parties on the government's abstention, saying India should speak for what is right and should not be afraid of its neighbour.

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha MP Manish Tewari questioned the government why there was "so much diffidence on China".

"The Government of India will not agree to a Parliamentary debate on Chinese incursions. India will abstain at UNHRC on a resolution for debate on human rights in Xinjiang," he tweeted.

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Saket Gokhale tweeted, "Giving them our land and abstaining on holding them to account. What exactly is it that makes (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi so afraid of China?"

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi wondered if PM Modi was "so scared of offending" Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"Is he so scared of offending (Chinese President) Xi Jinping, whom he met 18 times, that India can’t speak for what is right?," he tweeted.

The draft resolution in the UNHRC was pushed by a group of countries comprising Canada, Denmark, Finland, the UK, the US, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

In its recent report, the UNHRC said serious human rights violations have been committed in Xinjiang region in the context of the Chinese government's application of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism strategies.

Human rights groups have alleged that more than one million Uyghurs were detained against their will in what Beijing calls "re-education camps".

(With inputs from PTI)