ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday stood vindicated on its policy on Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) when the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, expressed concern over the continuing human rights violations there.
Volker Turk was speaking during the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, according to statements from the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations and other International Organisations in Geneva.
The UN High Commissioner not only expressed his concern regarding IIOJK but also criticized India for its handling of the continued violence in Manipur, India’s northeastern state, remarks, which incensed the Indian delegation. While expressing concerns over the overall human rights violations in India, and in IIOJK, the High Commissioner highlighted India’s use of restrictive laws and harassment tactics against human rights defenders and independent journalists, which have led to arbitrary detentions and a diminished civic space.
“I am concerned by the use of restrictive laws and harassment against human rights defenders and independent journalists (by India) resulting in arbitrary detention and a diminished civic space, including in Kashmir. I also call for stepped-up efforts to address violence and displacement in Manipur, based on dialogue, peacebuilding and human rights. Democracy requires constant nurturing of participation and inclusion at all levels of society,” he said.
Volker Turk pointed out that in recent months, he had the opportunity to discuss the worrying human rights situation in Kashmir with both India and Pakistan. He maintained that he will continue to explore how his office can assist, including through meaningful access to the region. He asserted that progress on human rights, and justice for the past, will be key to advancing security and development in the region.
During the General Debate, Ambassador Bilal Ahmad, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations in Geneva, in a statement on behalf of the OIC, said that IIJOK remained a matter of deep anguish for Pakistan. “We urge India to comply with the applicable UNSC resolutions and implement recommendations addressed to it in the two Kashmir reports by OHCHR, which need to be updated. We urge the Council to pay attention to repeated observations made by SPMHs on the human rights violations and impunity in the occupied territory,” he said. He thanked Volker Turk for his update and echoed his concerns regarding the dwindling respect for international law and the multilateral institutions.
Pointing to the disastrous situation in Occupied Palestine, he said that this was emblematic of the failure of the UN system to hold the perpetrator accountable and puts into question the efficacy of this entire system. “As the ceasefire has taken effect -- as tenuous as it may be -- it is high time for the international community to step up its efforts to help and support the Palestinians, in the wake of the unspeakable brutalities endured by them”, he added
The ambassador also said it was important to spotlight the global attention towards the rising xenophobia and particularly anti-Muslim hatred increasingly being peddled by some for their electoral ambitions.
Meanwhile, after an Indian delegate criticized Pakistan for its comments on IIOJK, Second Secretary Daniyal Hasnain at Pakistan’s Mission in his right of reply, said that truth has an invincible trait of surfacing, no matter how hard you try to bury it through the use of brute force. “The truth about the oppressed Kashmiris has always surfaced - whether in the communications of the SPMHs, reports of the OHCHR, or the comments by the High Commissioner and the UN Secretary General,” he pointed out.