Pakistan to move UN on Indian atrocities

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to approach the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) on its own behalf and on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Kashmir, urging it to send a fact-finding mission to the Indian occupied Kashmir (IOK) for investigating the slaughter of innocent civilians and imposing a ban on the use of pellet guns for dispersing the people exercising their right to protest.

The decision was taken in the meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) of the federal cabinet here at the Prime Minister’s House on Friday. The civil and military leadership with consensus made certain decisions pertaining to the security and the country’s position on Kashmir and Afghan issues.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who chaired the two-hour-long closed-door meeting, said the Indian attempts to claim that the deteriorating human rights situation in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) was an internal affair of India was factually incorrect, legally untenable and indeed a violation of international law and the UNSC resolutions.

The meeting was attended by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Rashad Mahmood, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zakaullah Khan, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman, Director General Inter-Services Intelligence (DG ISI) Lieutenant General Rizwan Akhtar, DG IB Aftab Sultan, DGMO, DGMI, federal ministers Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, Senator Pervaiz Rashid, Khawja Muhammad Asif, Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, National Security Adviser (NSA) to the PM General (retd) Nasser Khan Janjua, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi, Secretary to the Prime Minister (SPM) Fawad Hasan Fawad, Secretary to the National Security Division Muhammad Sadiq Khan.

The meeting unanimously expressed grave concern over the deteriorating situation in the Indian occupied Kashmir in the wake of martyrdom of Burhanuddin Muzaffar Wani. The meeting strongly condemned the subsequent brutal oppression by the Indian security forces of innocent Kashmiris who have been peacefully protesting against the martyrdom.

While reiterating his condemnation over the continuous Indian oppression and human rights violations by the Indian forces in the IoK, the prime minister said that this brutal use of force was a blatant violation of fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people which no civilised society permitted. The legitimate freedom struggle of the Kashmiri people had seen several generations wherein the Kashmiris had rendered matchless sacrifices. “It is our conviction that by suppressing the voice of Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination, India will not be able to legitimise its occupation in the Indian occupied Kashmir,” the prime minister said. The only plausible solution to the Kashmir issue would be an early implementation of the UNSC resolutions i.e. a fair and impartial plebiscite under the UN auspices, said the prime minister.

“We have provided and will continue to provide diplomatic, political and moral support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the realisation of their fundamental right to self-determination in accordance with the UNSC resolutions,” reaffirmed the prime minister.

The meeting unanimously called upon the international community to condemn these blatant human rights violations by Indian security forces and play their role in ensuring the realisation of human rights of the Kashmiri people through fulfilling its commitments towards the people of Jammu and Kashmir under the UNSC resolutions.

While lauding the relentless and unmatched contributions and sacrifices of Pakistan’s armed forces and security personnel, particularly in the ongoing Operation Zarb-e-Azb, the meeting expressed satisfaction over the gains achieved so far in effectively ensuring national security. The meeting reaffirmed its resolve to eliminate terrorism and extremism from the motherland. The meeting appreciated the role of military and civil intelligence agencies against the nefarious designs of the international agencies and hostile countries. The meeting decided that effective border management system between Pakistan and Afghanistan should be introduced and enforced as it was in the interest of both the countries.