Pakistan calls for enhanced int’l, UN monitoring of IOJ&K’s human right situation

Islamabad: Pakistan on Thursday called for enhanced international monitoring and continued reporting by the United Nations on the human rights crisis in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K) to save lives, dignity and freedom of Kashmiri people.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui at the weekly press briefing said continued brutalization of innocent people in the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir had entered 346th day after India revoked the special status of IOJ&K on August 5 last year.

She said Kashmiris were facing illegal occupation of Indian security forces for over seven decades.

She mentioned that recently, the Indian occupation forces during their continued so-called cordon and search operations martyred eight Kashmiris including Idrees Ahmad Bhat, Ajaz Ahmad, Muahmmad Usman, Saifullah Mir, Zahid Ahmad and Waleed Ahmad in Kupwara, Baramulla and Islamabad districts of IOJ&K.

The FO Spokesperson said the UN human rights machinery in recent months had highlighted India’s non-compliance with its international human rights obligations.

“Through several official communications, nearly a dozen UN Special Rapporteurs have raised serious concerns over India’s consistent pattern of arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture, corporal punishment, extra-judicial killings, and physical and digital lockdown in occupied Jammu & Kashmir,” she added.

On 89th Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, she said the government and people of Pakistan joined Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC) and across the globe to pay homage to the 22 innocent, unarmed Kashmiris who stood up for truth and justice against the tyranny of Dogra force in 1931.

She said across the world, conferences, webinars and peace walks were organized to draw the attention of the world conscience towards the long struggle for fundamental rights of the people of IOJK.

During last week, she said Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi held telephone conversations with Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councillor and Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization.

“In these interactions, the Foreign Minister shared our deep concern over the situation in IOJK and underlined the importance of urgent steps by the international community to help address the grave situation,” she said.