ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday said India stands isolated in the international community after a damning report by the United Nations accusing Indian security forces for gross human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir.
“The isolation of India in the international community is complete,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal at a weekly news briefing. “The skeletons in Indian closet are growing in numbers and size. Right-wing governments end up paying a high price,” he added.
In first of its kind report, the office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights accused India of committing atrocities in occupied Kashmir. The UN Human Rights chief said he would recommend establishment of a commission of inquiry to look into the rights abuses in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir state.
India, however, rejected the UN report saying it had no business with its internal matters.
Pakistan, on the other hand, welcomed the UN report and expressed its willingness to give unfettered access to the proposed commission to its part of Kashmir. “We are ready for a commission of inquiry to visit both AJK and IOK. India has again backed out,’ the spokesperson regretted.
Dr Faisal said Pakistan welcomed the OHCHR report’s recommendation for an independent, international commission of inquiry to assess the situation in IOK which was consistent with several calls by Pakistan and the OIC IPHRC to the same effect, since 2016.
The report, which is sharply critical of the human rights atrocities being committed with impunity by Indian occupation forces in IOK, especially the use of pellet guns, draconian laws, including the AFSPA and the SPA, use of rape to gag dissent, communication blockade, including the internet and violation of right to life, health, education and peaceful protests, confirms the humanitarian emergency in IOK.
It also highlights the absence of recourse to justice by the victims. India’s knee-jerk rejection of the report indicates its complete insensitivity to international law and its deplorable intransigence, which has delayed the resolution of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) dispute since the last seven decades and holds the regional peace and development hostage, even now.
The spokesperson said despite hollow Indian assertions, Jammu and Kashmir remains an internationally recognised disputed area, pending on the agenda of the UN Security Council.
“The dissociation of India from reality is alarming. Indian attempts to exploit and cash in on the international environment by labelling the legitimate Kashmiris struggle terrorism makes a mockery of the victims of actual terrorism and is reprehensible,” he added.
“If it really has nothing to hide, India can address its claims of the report being based on unverified information by allowing the COI and OIC IPHRC access to IOK.”
Dr Faisal also denounced “the tragic and brutal killing” of Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari, editor-in-chief of Rising Kashmir, by gunmen outside his office in Srinagar on 14 June.
His assassination, due to his unremitting efforts for the Kashmiri cause will be remembered forever and is a clear manifestation of Indian state terrorism, the spokesperson said.
“Shujaat Bukhari’s brutal murder by Indian forces is reflection of the intolerance of Indian state apparatus who wants to stifle freedom of speech and expression. The Indian government remains fearful of international exposition of the brutalization of occupied Jammu & Kashmir. India can run, but can it hide? This remains to be seen,” he asked.
He further said Shujaat Bukhari’s targeted killing, within hours of his tweet on the OHCHR’s report on Jammu & Kashmir, raised serious questions about the motivation behind his murder.
“Indian attempts to politicise his death and to deflect attention, not only from the Indian atrocities in IoK, but also the very real threat faced by independent journalists in India, when they differ from the government’s stance, are condemnable.”
