UK MP wants parliamentary inquiry into IHK rights abuses

LONDON: A newly elected Labour member of the parliament has called for the British parliament to hold an immediate inquiry into human rights abuses in Indian occupied Kashmir committed mainly by the armed forces.
Addressing the first meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, Labour MP from Bradford East Imran Hussain called for the parliament to hold an immediate inquiry into human rights abuses in Kashmir and demanded an end to the barbarity committed against Kashmiris by the Indian state.
Imran Hussain, the newly elected Vice-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, drew the group’s attention towards the Indian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which has been used by the military to abuse civilians in Kashmir. The Labour MP pointed out that the Act had been declared in violation of human rights treaties by several United Nations’ bodies, and urged the UK government to work with the Indian government to repeal it.
Introduced in 1958, the Special Powers Act grants special powers to the armed forces to act in what it describes as ‘disturbed areas,’ allowing them to fire upon or otherwise use force, even to the causing of death, against any person who they deem to be acting against the law, which has led to its international condemnation.
He said that the Indian Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been used as a tool by the military to oppress the population of Kashmir and its designation as an Act that defies human rights treaties by United Nations bodies shows that the Indian government need to immediately repeal it.
He added, “Human rights abuses have gone on for far too long without any accountability and it is time that the British Parliament needs to hold an immediate inquiry into Kashmir and the Special Powers Act, which I will be pushing for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir to do.”
Imran Hussain told The News that Kashmiris had suffered for too long and Indian government has done everything to suppress their freedoms and aspirations. He said that the people of Indian occupied Kashmiri demand their rights to be recognised as human beings but it’s a sad fact that India has denied them human dignity while the world powers look the other way by adopting inexcusable silence.