Pakistani HC Nafees Zakaria briefs British MPs on Kashmir humanitarian crisis
Indian govt has been perpetrating grave human rights violations in Kashmir for the past seven decades, Zakaria said
September 05, 2019
LONDON: Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Mohammad Nafees Zakaria has said the continued human rights abuses in Indian occupied Kashmir are an affront to the conscience of humanity.
Briefing a large number of UK Parliamentarians in the House of Commons, Zakaria said, the ongoing humanitarian crisis in occupied Kashmir has been going on since August 5.
“For the past seven decades Indian governments have been perpetrating grave human rights violations in the occupied territory unabatedly with impunity,’ Zakaria said.
He emphasised that Indian governments’ atrocities, such as mass killings, fake encounters, abductions, forced disappearances, use of prohibited weapons such as pellet guns and cluster munitions against the defenceless Kashmiris have caused incalculable sufferings to the Kashmiri nation and these atrocities come under the ambit of crimes against humanity under all human rights and humanitarian conventions, statutes and United Nations resolutions.
The high commissioner underlined that complete lockdown in the valley for 31 days with no communication with the outside world and the reports of killings, abductions, illegal detentions, rapes and use of pellet guns against the defenceless Kashmiris was a matter of deep concern.
“Since there is no access to media in occupied Kashmir, the actual scale of atrocities could be much more given the Indian governments’ track record of torture, killings in fake encounters, forced disappearances and other inhuman treatment,” he added.
The high commissioner noted that all these human rights violations were taking place in the 21st century and amidst protectors of human rights, by a so-called world's largest democracy.
Zakaria urged an immediate and unconditional end to the bloodshed of Kashmiris in Indian occupied Kashmir; delivery of justice to the victims; and, accountability of the perpetrators as demanded by international human rights bodies and NGOs of international repute and members of the civil society, such as OHCHR, IPHRC, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, US Human Rights Report on India and International People’s Tribunal.
The high commissioner reiterated that Pakistan would continue to extend its moral, political and diplomatic support to the oppressed people of the valley in realisation of their inalienable right to self-determination and do everything in its capacity to ensure delivery of justice to the Kashmiris. He lauded all the British parliamentarians for becoming the voice for the oppressed people of IoK.
The honourable British Parliamentarians noted with concern the tragic situation of human rights as well as the Indian government’s blockade of the valley, which has led to severe humanitarian, political and security crisis thee.
Acknowledging that the Kashmir issue was an internationally recognised dispute awaiting implementation of UNSC resolutions, they agreed to continue to work towards ensuring the alleviation of human sufferings faced by the Kashmiris in the valley.
