Daily Times

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has drawn attention of international community to sufferings of the Kashmiri women in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK), while reaffirming its commitment to women’s cause, during a debate on women’s issues in a committee of the UN General Assembly.

“In Indian-held Kashmir, thousands of women have falling victims to brutal oppression and occupation,” Pakistani delegate, Shazra Mansab Ali, told the 193-member assembly’s third committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural issues. She said this while speaking in the debate on advancement of women.

“Countless others have suffered rape and sexual abuse, the worst and the most traumatic form of violence”, she added. “Armed conflict and illegal occupation, further accentuates the plight of women,” the Pakistani delegate said. Three quarters of the Syrian refugee population were women and children, she added. She described the plight of Palestinian women grave and said that all forms of discrimination must be eliminated in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Inequality and discrimination remained a reality for millions of women and girls, she added. Shazra Ali said that recently, Pakistani parliament passed a comprehensive legislation against the practice of “honour killing” adding that the government would take all possible measures to ensure its effective implementation.

“The Pakistan Vision 2025, the forward-looking and development-oriented action plan for long term economic development in Pakistan fully integrates gender issues within its fold,” she said.

“As a member of parliament myself, I can attest to the active role being played by women in positions of leadership and responsibility in Pakistan”, she added. Her remarks about the plight of Kashmiri women evoked a right of reply from an Indian representative, who alleged that innocent women in the disputed state had suffered from terrorist acts perpetrated by proxies of Pakistan.

In response, the Pakistani representative said that no amount of obfuscation could hide India’s human rights violations in the disputed state of Jammu Kashmir. As a result of India’s military actions in that territory, more than 90,000 innocent Kashmiris’ had died. He said the issue must be resolved in accordance with the UN resolutions, and emphasised that Pakistan would welcome meaningful dialogue with India in that endeavour.