- IPHRC delegation visits refugee camps, interacts with displaced families
The high-ranking delegation of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organisation of the Islamic Countries (OIC) on Wednesday took notice of the brutal killing of four defenceless Kashmiri youth at the hands of Indian forces in the Indian-held Kashmir the same time when the delegation was visiting the neighbouring Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK).
The delegation, led by Chairperson Med S Kaggwa, is visiting Pakistan and AJK to gain a better understanding of the Jammu Kashmir issue and to interact with the refugees from the disputed state who escaped Indian atrocities. The OIC body has a standing mechanism to monitor the gross human rights violations in the disputed state.
India continues to deny international bodies’ access to the Kashmiri state. While Pakistan welcomed the delegation’s visit in Azad Jammu Kashmir, India, so far, has not responded to the IPHRC’s request for access to the disputed state to assess the human rights situation there.
“During the visit, the IPHRC delegation called on the AJK president and the prime minister who briefed them on the intensified, ongoing human rights violations of innocent Kashmiris by Indian forces,” said a handout issued here by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The situation has aggravated since July 2016 when the Indian forces brutally martyred Kashmiri poster boy Burhan Wani.
The use of live ammunition and pellet guns by Indian forces against defenseless civilians has resulted in martyrdom of more than 150 innocent civilians; 20,000 injured and scores of people, including young girls and children being blinded since then. “While IPHRC delegation was in AJK, Indian forces martyred four more innocent Kashmiris, including three teenagers, which they noted,” the handout said.
The Pakistan government strongly condemned the martyrdom of four Kashmiris and injuries inflicted on scores, it said. The delegation also visited refugee camps and interacted with Kashmiri refugees who had migrated from the disputed state to escape Indian atrocities.
The AJK people are strongly distressed at the plight of their relatives in the disputed state. Indian barbarities are a cause of deep anguish and pain for the Kashmiris. Divided families are unable to share moments of joy and sorrow and are forced to witness marriages and funerals from afar. The delegation members also interacted with Hurriyat leadership, who briefed them about the latest Kashmir situation.
“The delegation was informed that Indian forces prevent people from offering Friday prayers and children from attending schools. Hurriyat leadership either remains imprisoned or under house arrest,” the statement said. The delegation was informed that Kashmir was one of the most heavily militarised zones on the planet with one soldier to every 17 civilians.
The delegation was also briefed about Indian attempts to divert the attention of the international community from the blatant human rights violations in the disputed state through repeated and unprovoked ceasefire violations. “The visit is a manifestation of Pakistan’s commitment to unflinching political, moral and diplomatic support to the just cause of the oppressed Kashmiri people towards realisation of the right to self-determination promised to them under the UN Security Council resolutions,” the handout concluded.