19 countries, including China, have voted against it, whereas, seventeen were in favour and 11 abstained. Among those backing China -- a powerful permanent Security Council member -- were Muslim-majority nations that have also been benefactors of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, including Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
It was a surprising for many to see India abstaining from a vote that could have highlighted China's human rights violations in Xinjiang.
Last month, the outgoing UN High Commissioner of Human Rights published a damning report accusing Beijing of “serious human rights abuses" in Xinjiang. Detention of Uyghurs and other Muslims, along with a broader campaign of violations in China’s far-west region, may constitute “crimes against humanity," the UN report found.
Beijing has dismissed allegations of rights abuses, including forced labor, as the “lie of the century," and conducted tours for international diplomats that emphasized the Alaska-sized region’s political stability and economic transformation.
After the favourable decision China’s assistant minister of Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying claimed victory, “This is a victory for developing countries and a victory for truth and justice."
Then why did India abstain?
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said at a media briefing, “it is in line with India's practice of not voting on country-specific resolution." He added that Human rights of people of Xinjiang province of China should be respected
A Hindustan Times quoting sources claims, India has traditionally voted against or abstained on such country-specific resolutions at the UNHRC. It is understood that China’s presence within the UNHRC was a factor in the decision since any backing for the Xinjiang issue by India could have led to similar moves by China on other issues.
An outcome that has dealt a blow to credibility of the UN in holding China and other major powers to account on human rights issues underscores the powerful role small economies can play.
Meanwhile, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain why India abstained on a draft resolution.
Taking a dig at Modi, Owaisi asked if the former was “scared of offending (Chinese President) Xi Jinping."
“Will the PM Modi saheb explain the reason for India’s decision to help China out in the UNHRC on the Uighur issue by choosing to abstain from an important vote? Is he so scared of offending Xi Jingping, whom he met 18 times, that India can’t speak for what is right?" the AIMIM leader tweeted.
