Sartaj shares Kashmir situation with OIC body

• Adviser says Kashmiri families migrated to AJK to escape Indian atrocities; Fact-finding mission criticises India for not facilitating rights bodies in IHK

Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Monday condemned reprehensible Indian practice of using live ammunition and pellet guns as a result of which more than 150 Kashmiri people have been martyred, 20,000 have been injured and scores of people, including young girls and children have been blinded.

He was talking to a high-level delegation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (OIC IPHRC), called on him here. The visit of the OIC delegation was agreed during the visit of the OIC Secretary General’s Special Representative on Jammu Kashmir to Pakistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) in May, 2016.

The delegation expressed concern over the reports of rights violations in the disputed state. They regretted that India did not respond to the request for a fact-finding mission to visit the disputed state to assess on ground human rights situation. They appreciated the Pakistan government for inviting them to visit the Islamic Republic and Azad Jammu Kashmir.

Welcoming the delegation, the adviser underscored the grave human rights violations in the disputed state by the Indian forces which had intensified since July 2016. He said that the imposition of curfew in Indian-held Jammu Kashmir had made the lives of innocent people miserable. The Indian government created a deliberate shortage of essential food supplies, medicines, petroleum products and other basic amenities.

“Children are denied their basic right to education as a number of schools were burnt and shut down. Hurriyat leadership either remains imprisoned or under the house arrest. People are barred from offering Friday prayers in a blatant violation of religious freedom,” he said.

He hoped that the visit would provide an opportunity to the IPHRC delegation to gain a better understanding of the Jammu Kashmir issue and witness firsthand plight of the Kashmiri refugees who had migrated to Azad Jammu Kashmir to escape the Indian atrocities.

Indian denial of allowing the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights Fact Finding Mission and IPHRC to visit the disputed state was regrettable, he said. In contrast, Pakistan welcomed both, he added. The adviser appreciated the continued support of the OIC for the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people and urged the delegation to highlight the human rights violations in the disputed state and sensitise the international community about the gross human rights violations of the Kashmiris by the Indian occupation forces.