ISLAMABAD: The upper house of the parliament on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution, condemning the illegal move of India to strip occupied Kashmir of its semi-autonomous status one year ago on August 5, 2019, urging the international community to take note of the New Delhi's unimaginable savagery.
A special session, which was also attended by President Dr Arif Alvi, condemned India's continued human rights violations in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOK).
Through the resolution, the Senate declared that illegal actions by India were a blatant violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, bilateral agreements, and the precepts of the international law.
It denounced the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for taking advantage of the world's preoccupation with the Covid-19 pandemic, to introduce new domicile rules in the IIOK in a bid to illegally change the demographic structure of the region to advance its "Hindutva" agenda.
"The illegal steps to turn Muslims into a minority in the only Muslim-majority area in India are in clear violation of the UNSC resolutions, bilateral agreements and international law, including the 4th Geneva Convention," it added.
The resolution strongly condemned extra-judicial killings of Kashmiri youth in fake encounters and cordon-and-search operations by the Indian occupation forces as well as arbitrary arrests and detentions of senior Kashmiri leaders and activists.
It also condemned the refusal by Indian occupation forces to handover mortal remains of the martyrs to their families for proper burial, and burning and looting of Kashmiris' houses to inflict collective punishment on the communities and neighbourhoods.
It deplored that Indian occupation forces had partially or completely blinded more than 11,000 Kashmiri civilians, including women and children, through the deliberate use of pellet gun shots, which represented a grave violation of international law and fundamental human rights.
It denounced the fact that to divert attention from grave human rights violations in the IIOK, the Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) had been continuously targeting civilian-populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-calibre mortars and automatic weapons committing more than 1,800 ceasefire violations this year alone, resulting in 14 shahadats and serious injuries to 138 innocent civilians.
"Appreciates strong statements of support on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute from world leaders, reaffirming the "disputed" nature of Jammu and Kashmir, as well as the international community, in particular, the United Nations' responsibility in seeking a resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions," it added.
The resolution commended the three discussions on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in the UNSC after a gap of more than 55 years; the two reports on the issue by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); the consistent support demonstrated by the OIC and its human rights body IPHRC; and the convening of three meetings of the OIC Contact Group on Kashmir.
It said that the BJP leaders threatening statements and belligerent rhetoric as well as irresponsible and aggressive Indian actions posed a grave threat to peace, security, and stability in South Asia.
The House reaffirmed the firm resolve of the people and the armed forces of Pakistan to thwart any act of aggression resolutely and effectively, adding the RSS-BJP dispensation in India was driven by the toxic mix of extremist ideology (Hindutva) and hegemonic designs (Akhand Bharat), which pose a threat inter alia the Kashmiri people under Indian occupation, to the minorities in India, and to regional peace and stability.
It underscores that Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally-recognised dispute and longest outstanding item on the agenda of the UNSC, and categorically states that illegal Indian steps do not and cannot alter its disputed status.
The House reaffirms and upholds the inalienable right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as enshrined in the relevant UNSC resolutions and protected by international law.
It called upon the international community to use all tools at its disposal to hold India accountable for its illegal and unilateral actions and human rights violations against the Kashmiri people, pressurise India to adhere to its international human rights obligations, and allow international media, humanitarian organisations and independent observers entry into the IIOJ&K to independently verify reports of abuse, violations and use of excessive force.
It urged the UN Human Rights Council to constitute a Commission of Inquiry to investigate gross and consistent human rights violations in IIOJ&K being committed by the Indian occupation forces with impunity under the cover of the two draconian laws, the AFSPA and the PSA, as recommended by the two reports of the UN high Commissioner for Human Rights.
The resolution was moved by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Speaking on the occasion, he said that the nation wholeheartedly and completely rejected India's August 5, 2019, measure of revoking special status of the IIOK.
Qureshi said India had lost the battle to win the "hearts and minds" of the Kashmiris, and it had caused damage of billions of rupees to the economy in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
Comments
Comments are closed.