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Senate passes resolution on killing of Kashmiris

By Mumtaz Alvi
December 19, 2018

ISLAMABAD: The Senate passed on Tuesday a unanimous resolution on Kashmir, condemning the killing of innocent Kashmiris by Indian occupation forces in Indian-Held Kashmir (IHK).

Speaking on a motion, moved by PML-N Senator Abdul Qayyum, Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was working on a blueprint for finding a permanent solution to Kashmir dispute. “There has been no consistency on our policies on Kashmir and the time has come we go beyond extending moral and diplomatic support to Kashmir…we must stop playing politics on Kashmir issue,” she emphasised.

The resolution, read out by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Sherry Rehman, appreciated the recent condemnation by OIC of Indian atrocities on Kashmiris, but the resolution was redrafted after former chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani raised objection that OIC did not deserve appreciation, as it had failed to tackle the myriad issues in the Muslim countries.

Rabbani said, “OIC has turned into “Oh I see…’ and the way it is tackling issues confronting the Muslim world shows it has become a redundant body. I would suggest the recent condemnation of killing of Kashmiris by OIC does not need to be mentioned in the resolution”.

Through the resolution, the House strongly condemned the recent wave of repression and violence, unleashed by Indian occupied forces in Indian Held Kashmir as well as direct shooting at protesters in Pulwama district that claimed scores of lives and left many injured.

The issue was first discussed through a motion moved by Senator Abdul Qayyum, which was later converted into a resolution. The resolution, then moved by Sherry Rehman, said that no journalists, foreign tourists and humanitarian organisation are allowed to enter IHK.

It said the continued atrocities by Indian occupation forces can never suppress the just political struggle of the Kashmiri for the legitimate right of self-determination, adding the international community should end its indifference and deliberate negligence of systematic repression of Kashmiris by India.

The resolution reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to continue its moral and diplomatic support to the Kashmiris towards the day when they will exercise their recognised right to self-determination under UN Security Council resolution.

Dr Mazari lauded then step taken by the European Parliament, saying it was very good development as for the first time, the EU Parliament was going to make public the human right violations on IHK. The minister said, “We have also invited UN human rights commissioner to visit held Kashmir to take notice of the rights violations by the Indian security forces and again this is being done for the first time, which will expose the Indian brutalities on Kashmiris”. She added that the Kashmiri diaspora abroad is in deep slumber, and remembers Kashmir when there are some elections, adding no successive governments ever raised the killing of innocent children and rape of women in Kashmir.

The UNGA has unanimously adopted a resolution moved by Pakistan reaffirming the inviolability of right to self-determination for all people without exception including the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine, she said, adding it is an important resolution as it has been considered that the struggle for right to self-determination has become illegitimate after 9/11 which is incorrect.

Senator Abdul Qayyum condemned the on-going Indian aggression on Kashmir and insisted that status quo in Kashmir was no long an option, and added that tension with India also affected the Pakistan’s war against terrorism. He noted that the deployment of over 7 lakh Indian security forces had failed to deter youths like Burhan, 21, of rising against it for freedom.

He cautioned that Kashmir was a key nuclear flash-point and proposed that an emergency meeting of OIC should be convened on the issue.

Senator Raza Rabbani came down hard on the Western world for their ‘double standards’ about Kashmir, saying the reason behind this was the US efforts to make India policeman of region, which Pakistan will never accept it as such. He pointed out no Western capital had openly condemned the Indian aggression on innocent Kashmiris, as their conscious was asleep. “The killing of a cat becomes a right issue for the West, but the killing of innocent children and making and use of pellet guns to quell protests in the valley for a long time is going unnoticed by the West as well as the UN,” he lamented.

The world body, he regretted became a tool of the American imperialism to justify US aggression but would veto any issue relating to the Muslim countries.

Senator Mushahidullah Khan of PML-N said that future of a US-backed United Nations is no different than League of Nations as it is doing which suits the US and its cronies, adding the silence of western human rights champions on Kashmir is one example how concerned they are about human rights.