Crimes against humanity in IIOJK: Lawmakers for holding Modi, RSS accountable

ISLAMABAD: Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle— treasury and opposition— came together on Friday to unanimously demand, with the passage of a resolution, that Indian premier Narendra Modi and his ‘fascist’ organisation RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) be held accountable for crimes against humanity in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), in the Senate sitting presided over by Hindu Senator Krishna Kumari Kohli from the opposition.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his RSS fascist organisation—have unleashed a reign of terror on the defenceless Kashmiri people and have been involved in unspeakable atrocities— be held accountable for their crimes against humanity,” reads the resolution, moved by Parliamentary Affairs State Minister Ali Muhammad Khan.

The upper house of the Parliament held an exclusive session, on a motion jointly moved by Leader of the House Dr Shahzad Waseem and Leader of the Opposition Yousuf Raza Gilani, to take up the Kashmir issue on Friday, in connection with Kashmir Solidarity Day being observed today (Saturday).

Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani was in the saddle when the sitting commenced but he later gave the chair to Krishna Kohli, commonly known as Keshoo Bai, from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

The house, through the resolution, demanded of New Delhi to stop extra judicial killings of Kashmiri youth in fake encounters and cordon and search operations.

It demanded immediate release of all political prisoners and denounced the illegal Indian measures to change the demographic structure and efforts to “peddle a facade of normalcy” in IIOJK.

The house urged the international community to take note of India’s “belligerence, intransigence and brazen persistence of cruelty against the Kashmiri people, including the danger of genocide which was now documented internationally,” and to take action against India’s “gross and widespread human rights violations in IIOJK as well as its open repudiation of UN resolutions.”

The resolution stated, “Ever since August 5, 2019, hundreds of innocent Kashmiris have been martyred, arbitrarily arrested, or rounded up under trumped-up charges—even the worst form of state-terrorism would not break the will of the Kashmiri people or crush their legitimate struggle, which was popular, spontaneous, widespread and indigenous.”

The Senate demanded reversal and revocation of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, which, it said, were tantamount to gross violation of all UN (United Nations) resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.

The house saluted the ‘heroism and valour’ of the people of IIOJK.

The upper house of the Parliament reiterated that the people, government and Parliament of Pakistan would “always stand firm with their Kashmiri brothers and sisters” in their just struggle till the resolution of the Kashmir dispute as per their wishes and UNSC (United Nations Security Councils) resolutions— for their ‘inalienable’ right to self-determination.

Senators from both the sides including leader of the house, the opposition leader, parliamentary affairs state minister, Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Affairs Advisor Babar Awan, former chairman Senate Raza Rabbani, Mushahid Hussain, Azam Tarar, Shafiq Tareen, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Faisal Subzwari, Mushtaq Ahmed, Faisal Javed, Walid Iqbal, Tahir Bizenjo, Ejaz Chaudhary among others spoke in strong condemnation of the India’s actions in IIOJK and in solidarity with the people of the occupied valley.

Later, Kohli, the PPP senator, stated in a tweet that it was a ‘great honour’ for her to have presided over the Senate session on IIOJK.

Faisal Javed from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tweeted, “A Hindu presiding Senate session on Kashmir in Pakistan. Chairman Senate asks our colleague Krishna Kumari Kohli to do the honour. In connection with Kashmir Solidarity Day, it’s a strong message going out depicting difference between Pakistan and Hindustan.”

The Senate also offered Fateha for the martyred soldiers of Panjgur and Noshki.

The house is scheduled to meet again on Monday.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022