ISLAMABAD: A 12-member delegation of Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will be visiting Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from 4-9 August 2021, as part of its mandate to monitor the deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), especially as a result of the spate of Indian illegal actions since 5 August 2019.

A statement issued here by Foreign Office said that the commission was mandated by the 13th Islamic Summit and the 42nd Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) to monitor the human rights violations in IIOJK and submit regular reports.

The IPHRC, at its 17th regular session held in March 2021, regretted the lack of response from the Indian government on a Fact-Finding visit to IIOJK. Accordingly, the Commission decided to undertake a visit to Azad Jammu and Kashmir for an impact assessment of continuing restrictions on Kashmiris and egregious human rights violations by the Indian Occupation Forces in IIOJK.

During the visit, the IPHRC delegation will travel to Muzaffarabad and the Line of Control and interact with Kashmiri leadership, refugees from IIOJK and victims of Indian atrocities.

The IPHRC, a statutory body of OIC, conducted its first visit to Pakistan and AJK in March 2017 and submitted a detailed report on the state of human rights violations in IIOJK to the 44th Session of OIC-CFM in July 2017.

The visit of the IPHRC coincides with the completion of two years of Indian illegal actions of 5 August 2019, in flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolutions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.–PR

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021