NEW DELHI : India on Wednesday said Jammu and Kashmir – which Pakistan also claims as part of its territory -- "was, is and shall forever" remain an integral part of India, at the UN Human Rights Council meet in Geneva.

Speaking at the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Switzerland whose sessions started Monday and will carry on till 20 March, Vikas Swarup, Secretary (West) in India’s foreign ministry also slammed Pakistan as the "epicentre of global terrorism".

Swarup’s comments came a day after Pakistan sought the international community's intervention on the Kashmir issue at the UNHRC. It also came a day after Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari charged that India was continually violating human rights of the Kashmiri people and demanded the immediate reinstatement of the special status of Kashmir, that the Indian Parliament had revoked on 5 August. New Delhi had also bifurcated the state into two union territories administered directly by the central government.

In his speech, Swarup called for decisive action against those who “direct, control, fund and shelter terrorists," in an obvious reference to Pakistan, which is accused by its neighbours of providing safe havens to terror groups.

"It is more than a little ironical that a nation that has become the world's leading exporter of terror and violence seeks to lecture others about human rights," Swarup said.

"Jammu and Kashmir was, is and shall forever remain an integral part of India," he said.

Pakistan has been trying to draw international attention to the Kashmir dispute following India revoking the special status of the region. But India has said that the abrogation of Article 370 was its "internal matter" urging Islamabad to accept the reality and stop its anti-India campaign.

Swarup said the transformative changes "wrought by our Parliament last August were meant to strengthen the integration of the State... It was intended to ensure the extension of all progressive legislations passed for the entire country to cover this region, and to resume the pace of socio-economic development in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir."

Despite Pakistan's best efforts - over decades - to destabilise Jammu and Kashmir through externally-instigated terror and a campaign of canards and untruth, the situation on the ground is quite normal, he said.

"Most temporary restrictions - imposed solely to ensure safety of the people from Pakistani trained terrorist attacks - have already been removed, political processes have resumed, telecom facilities have been largely restored, developmental activities are being undertaken at a rapid pace and there is access for all to education and healthcare," Swarup said.

He said schools, colleges and universities have resumed and regular examinations are being held. Hospitals, clinics and pharmacies are well-stocked and staffing is at full capacity.

"These have been achieved despite Pakistan's frenetic attempts to promote both violence within our territory - with an 81% increase in infiltration attempts since last August - and disinformation outside," Swarup said.

"It is Pakistan that would do well to look to its own house and introspect about the condition of its people, especially its minorities," he added.

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