ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office issued a statement after Israel commented on the human rights situation in Pakistan during a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva.

The Foreign Office issued a rebuttal and called the meeting “politically motivated” and “fundamentally at variance with the positive tone” of the meeting.

It noted that Pakistan’s Universal Periodic Report — a process that involves a review of the human rights records of UN member states — was adopted unanimously in the same session. It said that several states and civil society organizations commended Pakistan on the progress achieved in promoting human rights.

It added that Israel’s “politically motivated statement is fundamentally at variance with the otherwise positive tone of the session and the statements made by a vast majority of states”.

“Given Israel’s long history of oppression of Palestinians, Pakistan can certainly do without its advice on protecting human rights,” the statement added.

The rebuttal came after Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN Adi Farjon made remarks during a session of the UN Human Rights Council regarding the human rights situation in Pakistan.

The Israeli envoy said the country was “deeply concerned about the overall rights situation in Pakistan where enforced disappearances, torture, crackdown on peaceful protests and violence against religious minorities and other marginalised groups remain prevalent”.

She added: “Israel believes that it is essential that Pakistan heeds our recommendations to take all appropriate steps to prevent arbitrary arrests, torture and other ill-treatment and bring perpetrators of such acts to justice and end the widespread use of the death penalty, especially against children and persons with disabilities.”

She further mentioned that Israel was also concerned over the National Assembly passing amendments in January to tighten the blasphemy law in Pakistan, which she claimed was “often used to target and persecute religious and other minority groups”.