Daily Times

Pakistan has called the local elections taking place in the Indian-occupied Kashmir as “farcical”, asserting that the United Nations remains committed to the Kashmiri people’s inalienable right to self-determination. “Any activity with the appearance of an election in an illegally occupied territory, with overwhelming military footprint, after banning political parties, incarcerating political leaders and torturing and killing thousands is only a farce with no legitimacy – not an election,” Pakistani delegate Danyal Hasnain told the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday. Hasnain was responding to the remarks made by his Indian counterpart Gaurav Thakur, who criticised an earlier Pakistan’s statement denouncing human rights abuses taking place in occupied Kashmir. Exercising his right of reply, the Pakistani delegate — without naming India — said he hoped that “this delegation” becomes sensitive to the lives that suffer under its illegal occupation. “This delegation”, Hasnain said, “repeats, ad nauseam, the so-called unprecedented development in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” pointing out that all colonial enterprises hide behind “glittering but misleading” advertisement of development in the territories they occupy. “We also know that colonial projects have only ended in perpetuating exploitation, abuse and creating inter-generational inequalities,” he added. Denouncing the Indian delegate for trying to deflect the attention from the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination, the Pakistani delegate said, “The UN Security Council committed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir this inalienable right through various resolutions”, noting that UN Secretary-General has also affirmed to their applicability. “For over seven decades,” Hasnain regretted, “occupied Kashmiris have been denied this right in utter defiance of international law, especially Article 25 of the UN Charter.”