Daily Times

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Foreign Affairs Committee strongly condemned human rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) and reiterated PPP’s full moral, political and diplomatic support to the people of Kashmir.

The meeting chaired by Vice President PPP Senator Sherry Rehman was attended by Syed Nayyer Hussain Bokhari, Fozia Habib, Matloob Inqlabi and Haider Zaman Qureshi. Later, President PPP AJK Chaudhry Latif Akbar also joined the meeting. The PPP has always stood for Kashmiris right of self-determination, and will not accept any unilateral moves on the inalienable right of the Kashmiri people. It called on the United Nations to stand by its obligations to protect the Kashmiri people in an area where the UN Charter applies.

The Committee termed the Indian attempted annexation of IHK, an attack on the Muslim majority of Kashmir, the United Nations (UN) itself, and regional peace. It demanded that the human rights violations by the Indian state and its security forces in IHK, that bluntly disregard United Nation’s resolutions, should be probed by the UN Human Rights Commission. The Committee also demanded that the ICRC and a UN peacekeeping mission should be sent to Kashmir immediately for protecting civilians.

Senator Sherry Rehman condemned Indian aggression and shelling on LoC targeting Pakistan’s civilian population as well as military officials. “The government should facilitate people living near the LoC and take all political parties into confidence on its strategy”, she demanded.

The committee stated, “The government needs to immediately apprise and inform human rights organisations of the crippling curfew in IHK which has crossed its eighteenth day and has left millions short of food and medicine supplies. Human rights organisations and international media should be freely allowed in IHK to protect citizens and access to international media should also be allowed.” “The PPP was first to get in touch with Hurriyat leadership, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a meeting with Hurriyat leadership before the prime minister did. He also offered Eid prayers in Kashmir to express strength and solidarity with the people”, she said.

The Committee said that the government should take public representatives into confidence about forward options on Kashmir, and reiterated its full support as per the PPP Chairman’s directives on support to Kashmir.