ISLAMABAD, Dec 10 (APP):Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday urged the world community as well as the human rights bodies to take cognizance of the continued grave human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
With the deployment of 900,000 troops the IIOJK, the most militarized zone in the world, India had turned the occupied Jammu and Kashmir into a large prison, he said while speaking at an event organized here in connection with the International Human Rights Day.
The foreign minister highlighted the atrocities being committed by the occupation forces in IIOJK against the innocent Kashmiri men, women and children, and said the real face of India – so called secular country and the largest democracy, should be exposed before the world.
Highlighting the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise the human rights situation in IIOJK before the world, including through a special cell created at the Foreign Office, he called for a partnership between the government, and the civil society and human rights organizations in that respect.
Mentioning the atrocities being committed by the occupation troops in IIOJK against the innocent Kashmiris as well as the inhuman treatment with women and children, Foreign Minister Qureshi said the personalities people like Mashaal Malik could supplement the government’s efforts to highlight the Indian inhuman actions before the world.
He said it was unfortunate that various countries remained quiet and were not raising their voice for the Kashmiris due to political and commercial interests.
The foreign minister stressed on the world bodies to call upon India to constitute a commission of inquiry, and allow unhindered access to human rights organizations and the international media in the IIOJK.
He said basic and inalienable human rights of the innocent IIOJK people were being trampled with impunity by India. They were suffering systematic and serial violations of their fundamental freedoms.
Giving an overview of the situation in IIOJK, Qureshi said with the continuing atrocities, including the rape of women, blinding thousands of people by using pallet guns etc, India had turned the valley into the largest prison on the planet where basic amenities and means of communication were not accessible.
Shops and hospitals in the region, he added, were running out of supplies and the political leadership of Kashmir had been placed under house arrest or imprisoned.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said with its illegal actions, including the unilateral August 5, 2019 revocation of Article 370, India was breaching multiple international human rights instruments to which it was a party.
