AJK President, Caretaker Foreign Minister shows concern over HR abuses in IoK

MIRPUR (AJK): AJK President Sardar Masood Khan Friday met Abdullah Hussain Haroon, Caretaker Minister for Foreign Affairs, Defense and Defense Productions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad and discussed the current Kashmir situation.

The president congratulated him on assuming his new position in the caretaker Federal Cabinet, an AJK Presidential Secretariat Spokesperson told APP. Tehmina Janjua, Foreign Secretary was also present on the occasion.

During the meeting, the president exchanged views with the foreign minister about the grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir, including killings, arbitrary arrests, and other crimes against humanity being committed by the occupation forces.

The president said that the recent imposition of governor rule in occupied Kashmir has led to an intensification of repression in occupied Kashmir.

The foreign minister said that the report of the office of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has established gross and consistent human right violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

He welcomed the offer of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to constitute a commission of inquiry to investigate those abuses.

India, he said, must give access to such a commission to ascertain facts and determine responsibility for the human right violations.

The foreign minister affirmed that the people and government of Pakistan would continue to give full moral, diplomatic and political support to the people of Kashmir in their legitimate struggle to attain their inalienable right to self-determination.

The president said that the high commissioner’s report on Jammu and Kashmir especially expressed concern about mass graves, enforced or involuntary disappearances, sexual violence and use of pellet guns which was blinding Kashmiri youth.

The report, he said, has criticised a culture of impunity that enables occupation forces to commit heinous crimes against Kashmiris.

Masood Khan said that recent cold-blooded murder of veteran journalist Shujaat Bukhari had exposed the true face of India.

President AJK informed the foreign minister that Indian forces are committing massive ceasefire violations across the Line of Control and the Working Boundary.

He said that this year alone, India has committed 1577 violations resulting in the death of 48 civilians and seriously injuring 256. India was committing these violations to divert attention from its human right violations in IOK, escalate the situation along the Line of Control, and target civilians in AJK and Pakistan.