ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expressed serious concerns over the deteriorated health condition of Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders in Indian jails, particularly Yasim Malik, and called for an immediate end to the illegal incarceration of Kashmiri leaders on fabricated charges.
Speaking at his weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said Kashmiri leaders are under illegal detention in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India, including the infamous Tihar Jail.
He said incarceration of Kashmiri people is against the fundamental human rights, international conventions, and the international law.
"Pakistan condemns framing of concocted, fabricated, and politically motivated charges against Hurriyat leader Yasin Malik," he said, adding that a fictitious case relating to gunning down of four Indian Air Force personnel was launched against Malik in March last year by the TADA [Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act] Court.
He said the timing of reopening the old cases suggests that the BJP government is determined to frame the Hurriyat leadership for resisting the illegal Indian occupation of the Jammu and Kashmir.
He expressed concerns about the health condition of Yasin Malik as he has a number of medical complications, which require appropriate treatment.
"Imprisonment and torturing of Kashmiri leaders on the basis of their political ideology and struggle against illegal occupation is true reflection of extremist mindset of the BJP-RSS regime, which has no respect for human rights of the people of Kashmir," he added.
He also reiterated Pakistan's condemnation of the framing of Shabir Ahmad Shah, by the Indian authorities in a six-year-old fake case under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
Chaudhri urged the international community, especially the United Nations and human rights bodies, to take note of the egregious human rights violations in the IIOJK and illegal incarceration of Kashmiris.
About the death of 11 members of a Pakistani Hindu family in India's Jodhpur, he said that New Delhi continues to remain evasive on the horrific incident in Jodhpur, where 11 members of a Pakistani Hindu family died in India under mysterious circumstance.
He said a group of Pakistani Hindu community from all across the country, including the family members of the deceased and the patron-in-chief of Pakistan Hindu Council called on the foreign minister on Wednesday and handed over a petition, expressing serious concerns over the continuing failure of the Indian government to carry out a transparent and credible investigation to bring the perpetrators of the heinous crime to justice.
He said that the family of the deceased has raised serious concerns, hinting at the involvement of Indian agency "Research and Analysis Wing" (RAW) in the incident.
He said that India has not explained as to why the bodies of the deceased were hastily cremated without informing the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi and why a postmortem in the presence of Pakistan High Commission's doctor was not permitted despite repeated requests by the High Commission.
He said that the foreign minister assured the delegation that the government of Pakistan will continue urging the government of India to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the matter and share its findings with Pakistan without further delay.
He added that Minister of Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari has also addressed a letter to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), calling for constitution of an investigation team under the auspices of the United Nations to investigate the deaths of the 11 Pakistani Hindus.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021