Kashmiris protest at UN office against India’s illegal occupation, systematic HR violations in IIOJK
Geneva: Kashmiri delegation organized a strong protest demonstration outside the UN office in Geneva against India’s unlawful occupation of Jammu and Kashmir and the grave human rights abuses perpetrated by Indian troops in the territory.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the protest demonstration was attended and addressed by APHC-AJK convener Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Chairman Kashmir Institute of International Relations Altaf Hussain Wani, Executive Director KIIR Sardar Amjad Yousuf, Advocate Parvez Shah, Zaid Hashmi, Asif Jaral, Shugufta Asharaf and others. The speakers called for the immediate intervention of the UN Commission to avert further bloodshed and protect human rights in the disputed territory.
Highlighting the woeful plight of Kashmiri prisoners, the speakers noted that thousands of Kashmiris were languishing in Indian prisons located thousands of kilometers from their homes. They said that dozens of Kashmiri women prisoners who have been lodged in Tihar jail and other prisons were forced to face dire situations. Indian occupying authorities, they said, have since long been using arbitrary detentions as a tool of repression against Kashmiri political leaders, civil society members, journalists, lawyers, and human rights defenders. The speakers said that the authorities in IIOJK have been employing arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions under draconian laws as a strategy to suppress dissent and instill fear among the indigenous population. The speakers said that it was high time that the council should raise the matter with the government of India to help secure early release of all Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders and activists booked under trumped-up charges.
They also appealed to the UN Human Rights Council and other international human rights organizations to take effective notice of the Indian government’s totalitarian measures that seek to change the demography of the Muslim majority territory and convert it into a minority. They said that following the Indian government’s unlawful decision to revoke Articles 370 and 35A in August 2019, the human rights situation in the occupied territory has further worsened.
The speakers also raised alarm over the Indian government’s strategy to stifle political and democratic opposition in the territory, particularly in light of the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs’ decision to prohibit more than a dozen political parties in IIOJK.
Terming India’s occupation of Kashmir as a biggest threat to regional stability, they called upon the United Nations and other global institutions to fulfill their obligations in ensuring an early resolution to the Kashmir dispute in line with UN resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
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