Pakistan wins UNHRC election despite opposition by India, US

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan registered yet another time a great victory at the UN Headquarters by winning the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) election despite opposition by India and the United States. It achieved a landslide in a vote by the 193 member General Assembly on Monday.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative (PR) to the UN Ambassador Dr Maleeha Lodhi has been very actively engaged in the election campaign for months leading up to Pakistan’s win on Monday. Pakistan will begin its three-year term at the Human Rights Council on 1st January, 2018.

"This victory is a ringing endorsement of Pakistan's strong commitment to human rights," an elated Maleeha Lodhi, while talking to The News from New York, said.

A large number of ambassadors came to the Pakistan desk in the General Assembly to congratulate Ambassador Lodhi who thanked them for reposing confidence in her country and assured them of Pakistan’s commitment to promote human rights in the council.

Pakistan has previously served three terms at the UNHRC and has worked to  ensure that council’s work is guided by the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity and cooperation.

The victory in this election in many ways was a vote of confidence in Pakistan’s proactive and successful diplomacy at the UN, considering that its membership to the Human Rights Council was opposed by countries like US and India. Pakistan won despite opposition by an alliance of countries led by the US, which wanted to bring in pliant members to the Council especially those who were uncritical of Israel.

In fact the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley let the cat out of the bag back in June 2017 when she declared that Pakistan is one of the countries that was standing in the way of her effort to reduce the anti-Israel bias at the Human Rights Council. Thereafter the US ran a clandestine effort to ensure that Pakistan's competitors won. However, this US plot failed when Pakistani diplomats were able to overwhelm the votes of America and its allies by those from Africa, the Caribbean and key Muslim and European states.

India expressed its strong support to the candidature of Afghanistan as evidenced by its tweets. It was against all odds that Pakistan secured a resounding victory.

Ambassador Lodhi said after the announcement of results that “Pakistan’s election gives the lie to those who claim that Pakistan is isolated.” The UN General Assembly elected four members of the Council from the Asia Pacific Group for which there were five contestants. Pakistan was elected along with Afghanistan, Nepal and Qatar to serve at the Council for three years. "We will use our membership to protect our core national interests, uphold universal values, be a bridge builder between polarised positions and expose human rights abuses by India in Indian occupied Kashmir (IOK)”, Ambassador Lodhi said.

"Pakistan's entire leadership, parliament and judiciary have all proactively pushed the human rights agenda," Ambassador Lodhi said. Polls were held at the UN General Assembly. Pakistan secured more than two third majority votes.

Pakistan is firmly committed to uphold, promote and safeguard universal human rights for all, including through its membership of the Human Rights Council. Pakistan has achieved membership for the fourth time ever-since council’s inception in 2006.