Kashmiris see another Human Rights Day passing to no avail

The last Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) in his Farewell Sermon said: “There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a non-Arab over an Arab, and no superiority of a white person over a black person or of a black person over a white person, except based on personal piety and righteousness.”

The United Nations General Assembly in 1948 adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Human Rights Day is observed on December 10, every year and for 2021, the theme for Human Rights Day is Equality; Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights. Such days are now seen only in the newspapers with a few speeches and some flowery messages while discrimination continues unabated.

This day and any such day reminds me of the oppressed people of Kashmir who are under continued curfew and no Muslim or non-Muslim country has effectively raised the issue of oppressed Kashmiris and no one has condemned the unprecedented atrocities by India that are increased manifolds under the leadership of hard-line Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Heart bleeds to see the oppressed people of Kashmir and Palestine whose voice is being unheard by the world powers including the United Nations; where are all those resolutions of the Security Council, the UN Charter, and the so-called champions of human rights.

It looks the international community is becoming heartless with every passing day whereas UN Human Rights Commission has reported on 14th June 2018 that alone, from January 1989 till 31st January 2018, 94,700 Kashmiris were killed, 8,000 killed in custody, 11,050 women were gang-raped & 7,485 were injured by pellets in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOK). Callously, to date, no action has been taken by the United Nations on these reports, and Kashmiris, as always, are victims of Indian oppression and barbarism.

The day is aimed to raise awareness about people’s social, cultural, and physical rights and to ensure the welfare of everyone but no statement was issued by the UN on human rights violations in Kashmir.

The UN should at least have asked India as a reminder of its duty as a member to stop atrocities in Kashmir. Let me say that Kashmir and Palestine are two places where human rights are being violated and humanity is being humiliated blatantly but the United Nations and other human rights organizations have maintained a criminal silence.

I appeal to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish a UN Inquiry Commission to investigate human rights violations, discriminations and crimes against humanity in Jammu and Kashmir by Indian Forces and provide unhindered access for the UN Inquiry Commission and other human rights organizations and media to India Illegally Occupied Kashmir to ascertain and report on the situation there with reference to the importance of this day.

I appeal to the Government of Pakistan to move a resolution in the incoming OIC summit in Islamabad to appoint a tribunal with members of Muslim States to investigate the brutalities and other crimes against humanity as earlier proposed by Justice R Nawaz Chouhan and also work to pave the way to expedite the right to self-determination to the people of Kashmir.

Now it is time to go beyond speeches because we have to give a real relief to the Kashmiri people as they have been suffering for decades. I would like to urge the Government of Pakistan to file a lawsuit in International Court of Justice (ICJ) and International Criminal Court (ICC) against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his accomplices for their unprecedented crimes against humanity and genocide in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK).

The writer is Former Interior Minister of Pakistan, author of five books, Chairman Institute of Research & Reforms (IRR) Islamabad/ Global Eye. He can be reached at: rmalik1212@gmail.com, Twitter @Senrehmanmalik, WhatsApp +923325559393