ISLAMABAD, Jun 04 (APP):On the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, Kashmiri leaders and rights advocates renewed calls for international intervention, highlighting that 933 children have been killed and 108,007 orphaned in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) since January 1989 due to Indian state violence and repression. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service (KMS) on Wednesday said that 933 children were …
Aggression Day puts spotlight on Kashmiri children’s suffering
ISLAMABAD, Jun 04 (APP):On the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, Kashmiri leaders and rights advocates renewed calls for international intervention, highlighting that 933 children have been killed and 108,007 orphaned in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) since January 1989 due to Indian state violence and repression.
A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service (KMS) on Wednesday said that 933 children were among 96,497 Kashmiris killed by Indian forces in the occupied territory over the past nearly four decades.
The report was issued to mark the global observance dedicated to raising awareness about the plight of children affected by violence and conflict.
According to the report, military operations, alleged extrajudicial killings and prolonged unrest have left more than 108,000 children orphaned in IIOJK since 1989.
It said thousands of children, including school going boys and girls, had also sustained injuries from pellets, bullets and teargas shells fired during security operations.
The report further stated that hundreds of teenagers and young civilians suffered partial or complete loss of eyesight after being hit by pellet guns, PAVA shells and teargas canisters, particularly since 2010.
It noted that many minors had also been killed during cordon-and-search operations and alleged fake encounters.
Separately, a statement issued by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in Srinagar said a large number of Kashmiri minors continue to face abuse, injuries and detention under stringent laws in prisons across IIOJK and India.
APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas urged the international community, including the United Nations, the OIC, the European Union and global child rights organisations, to take practical steps for the protection of Kashmiri children.
He said the suffering of children in the disputed territory should not be ignored on a day dedicated to victims of aggression, adding that violence against minors remained one of the most pressing humanitarian concerns in the region.
APHC-AJK leaders, including Mushtaq Ahmed Butt, also called for greater international attention to the situation, urging world powers and human rights bodies to work towards safeguarding children’s rights and addressing the longstanding Kashmir dispute in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
