Pakistan lodges protest on extra-judicial killing of Pakistani prisoner in IIOJK

Pakistan lodged a protest on Friday with the Indian Charge d’Affaires on the extra-judicial killing of a Pakistani prisoner by Indian Occupation Forces in a fake encounter in Indian-Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). They said Muhammad Ali Hussain’s death was nothing but 'cold-blooded murder'.

In a statement on Friday, the Foreign Office (FO) said Hussain had been jailed in Kot Bhalwal Prison in IIOJK since 2006. The Indian Charge d’Affaires was told that Hussain’s death under mysterious circumstances at a location away from the prison has once again substantiated Pakistan’s long-standing position that Indian Occupation Forces in the IIOJK are routinely involved in undertaking choreographed attacks and extrajudicial killings of Pakistani and Kashmiri prisoners.

It gave the example of Zia Mustafa, another Pakistani prisoner, who was murdered by Indian authorities in a similar fake encounter last year.

The FO underscored that the narrative being spun that Hussain had allegedly attacked the security forces and attempted to escape when he was being taken to a suspected weapons’ smuggling site was not only fallacious but deceptive.

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The FO also raised concerns over the safety, security and well-being of other Pakistani prisoners in Indian custody.

Pakistan demanded that the Indian government immediately share the details of the incident, as well as a credible post-mortem report to determine the cause of death and undertake a transparent investigation to bring to account whoever is responsible for the murder of the Pakistani prisoner.

"Government of India has also been called upon to ensure prompt and expeditious repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased to Pakistan, as per the wishes of his family," FO said.

The statement further said that Pakistan has reiterated its call to the world to hold India accountable for its "gross and systematic" violations of international humanitarian law and ensure that Pakistani and Kashmiri prisoners under Indian custody are not expended as cannon fodder in the execution of India’s nefarious designs in the IIOJK.