––UN has failed to stop violence in Kashmir, says Raza Rabbani
–Senate endorses protection of rights of Turk nationals, discourages involvement in Turkey’s internal rows
–Forced repatriation of Turkish nationals was grave violation of human rights
ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday passed a unanimous resolution condemning the atrocities being committed in India-held Kashmir (IHK).
The resolution moved by Leader of the House Raja Zafarul Haq stated that India boasts itself as the largest democracy of the world but it has been denying the most fundamental human rights to the Kashmiri people.
It said Pakistan has always made efforts to hold multilateral and bilateral dialogue with India to resolve the dispute but it continuously rejected such proposals. It said that the UN, human rights organisations and the US administration must understand and fulfill their longstanding commitment to the amicable resolution of Kashmir dispute according to the aspirations of the people of Kashmir.
Speaking during the session on Friday, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani said that the United Nations has failed as an international body responsible for keeping the peace. “How can the UN protect human rights when it is taking part in human rights violations itself?” Rabbani asked. The Senate chairman also said that the UN does not give the rights of Muslim countries the same importance as it does to the rights of Western nations.
During a debate on the matter, Senate members held the international community and the UN responsible for not making efforts to stop the violence in IHK. They also said that India is the biggest contributor of human rights violations in the world.
In the course of discussion on the issue of the forcible repatriation of Turkish school teachers and their families, Rabbani said that the verbatim of the observations of Senator Farhatullah Babar on the repatriation of the teachers be provided to the interior Minister to give a policy statement on the issue.
During the discussion on the matter, Babar said that nearly three hundred Turkish nationals in Pakistan were facing grave human rights abuses by way of arbitrary arrests and forcible repatriation to Turkey in contravention of international covenants that Pakistan has signed and ratified.
He said that Turkish President Erdogan and Turkey were great friends of Pakistan, but warned against Pakistan becoming a party to internal domestic political infighting within Turkey. He said that Turkey had obtained forcible repatriation from Myanmar and Saudi Arabia and asked whether Pakistan also had joined ranks of these countries in forcible repatriation?
He said that last month the former head of the Pak-Turk schools in Pakistan was first abducted along with his family, and then forcibly repatriated through a Turkish police contingent that had flown in by a special Turkish plane. He said that Foreign Minister Khwaja Asif, during a visit to the US early this month, had assured that there will no repatriations as long as the Turkish teachers had stay orders from the courts and possessed asylum seeker certificate from the UNHCR. He questioned whether Khawaja Asif was in charge of the policy.
He said that Pakistan had signed and ratified several human rights covenants and handing over of Turkish nationals in this manner was a grave violation of our commitments and called for a reversal of the decision.
ABSENT SENATORS:
Earlier, the Senate chairman was agitated at the absence of several ministers from the Senate session and issued yet another warning telling ministers that he would bar them from the Senate if they do not start appearing in the Senate more regularly.
“This carelessness on the ministers’ part will not be tolerated. Convey my message to the ministers and their secretaries that I will suspend them and bar them from entering the Senate.”
Upon inquiry, Rabbani was told that the minister for energy was in Karachi and the minister for housing was in Bannu.
Enraged at the revelation, Rabbani said, “What is the minister for energy doing in Karachi? He has an army of people working for him and he still is never present in the Senate.”
“If ministers cannot come to the Senate, they should resign from their jobs,” he said.
