UNITED NATIONS, Aug 20 (APP): Describing sexual violence, a grave crime, Pakistan on Tuesday called for ending the suffering and abuse of women and girls under foreign occupation, such as in Kashmir and Palestine.
“Sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war, torture, terrorism, political repression, and as a tool to consolidate illegal occupation of territories, as well as exploitation of natural resources,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the UN Security Council.
Speaking in a debate on conflict-related sexual violence under the 15-member Council’s agenda item on women, peace and security, he demanded that this disturbing trend must be condemned and”resolutely” addressed.
The Pakistani envoy, who was commenting on the report of the UN Secretary-General on the subject, said, “The problem is most acute in situations of foreign occupation, where the full-scale of the systematic repression and abuse is often masked by lack of transparency, access and reporting, and where immunity laws shield occupying forces from accountability.
“These cases must not escape international scrutiny. They demand urgent attention from the Council and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General’s office.”
In this regard, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad called the Occupied Palestinian Territories as an “glaring example”. In that region, he said thousands face violence, forced displacement and starvation at the hand of the occupying power.
Noting that the report the documented incidents of rape, sexual violence, prolonged forced nudity and repeated strip searches inflicted in degrading ways, he urged the Council not to turn away from such systematic abuse, underscoring the need for accountability. He said he could not understand why this “appalling situation did not find its place in the SG’s reports in all those previous years.”
At the same time, he said while the report conveys the severity and brutality of several situations of conflict related sexual violence, “it does not purport to reflect the global scale and prevalence of these crimes” – crimes which also exist in other situations, elsewhere around the world.
“Similar patterns are seen in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, where sexual violence has long been deployed to punish and humiliate communities,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said.
“There is documented evidence of Indian occupation forces using rape as a means of targeting women – who demand self-determination, or support and sympathize with those struggling for their inalienable right, that has been guaranteed to them – by this Council in its multiple resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir, pointing to the 2018 and 2019 reports of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as by international media, civil society and international human rights organizations.
According to one recent report, close to 10,000 women and girls have gone missing in the Indian Occupied Kashmir between 2019 and 2021 alone. “We therefore, call on the Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Pramila Patten) to also pay attention to this situation.”
In this context, the Pakistani envoy called for a “comprehensive response”, including meaningful increase of women throughout the peace continuum; special attention to situations of foreign occupation; ensuring accountability and ending impunity; and tackling the root causes by addressing unresolved disputes.
Pakistan, he said, has been a steadfast supporter of global efforts to shield and protect the most vulnerable from the effects of armed conflict.
“Our professional peacekeepers, including our women blue helmets, continue to set high standards – standing at the frontlines, protecting civilians and upholding UN values, in some of the most dangerous and complex conflict situations around the world,” the Pakistan envoy added.
