Daily Times

Pakistan has urged the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to hold India accountable for its “egregious” human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, and ensure that such abuses are dealt with in a non-selective and impartial manner.

Failure to do so will further erode the credibility of OHCHR’s prevention mandate, Ambassador Aamir Khan, acting permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, said while speaking in the General Assembly’s Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultures issues.

Speaking in the annual report of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, he said that no end was in sight about India’s “gross and systematic” human rights violations carried out by India with impunity by a 900,000 strong occupation force since August 2019.

Ambassador Aamir Khan also highlighted the Human Rights 75 Initiative of the OHCHR, which focuses on universality, progress and engagement under the leadership of UN Human Rights, while underscoring that it should end double standards and selectivity in work of the UN.

The Pakistani envoy also said that the prevalence of Islamophobia such as the “repugnant” incidents of Qur’an burning was a matter of concern, given that it is outlawed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“Islamophobia leads to religious discrimination, incitement to hatred, hostility and violence; it is a scourge that we must combat to prevent persecution of Muslims in some western countries and imminent genocide of Muslims in India.” Presenting his report, Turk’s spoke in detail about the raging conflict in the the Middle East where human rights are continuing to be violated and called for urgent steps to ease tensions. Spotlighting his Office’s work in addressing human rights violations elsewhere, he drew attention to the situation in Afghanistan: in light of pervasive human rights violations in that country, it is essential to sustain support for the UN’s human rights presence.