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UN rights office calls for international probe in Kashmir

Pakpak

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The U.N. human rights chief called Thursday for an independent, international investigation into reports of rights violations in the disputed region of Kashmir, laying blame for civilian deaths and injuries on the actions of both India and Pakistan.

In its first report on the region, the office of Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, details "chronic impunity for violations committed by security forces." The report was written without visiting the region as both sides refused to grant unconditional access to the investigators.

The decades-old dispute "has robbed millions of their basic human rights," Zeid said. He called for the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council that begins a new session on Monday to create a "Commission of Inquiry" to investigate alleged abuses in the region.

India rejected the report as "fallacious, tendentious and motivated" and called it a selective compilation of largely unverified information. It said it has protested to Zeid's office.

"We question the intent in bringing out such a report," said Raveesh Kumar, the External Affairs Ministry spokesman. "It is overtly prejudiced and seeks to build a false narrative."

The 49-page report adds to criticism about India's tactics in Kashmir, saying its security forces used "excessive force that led to unlawful killings" and caused many injuries. It cited a 20-month span starting in July 2016 in which 145 civilians were killed by security forces and a further 20 by armed groups, according to figures from civil society groups.

It decried the use of pellet-firing shotguns that are still being used against protesters.

Kumar said that although terrorism was the most egregious violation of human rights, "the authors have conveniently ignored the pattern of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan and territories under its illegal control."

"The entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the Indian state through aggression," he said.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan.

The report cites experts' belief that Pakistan's military continues to support the operations of armed groups across the Line of Control. It says violations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir are of a more "structural" nature.

India and Pakistan have a long history of bitter relations over Kashmir, which both claim. They have fought two of their three wars since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947 over their competing claims to the region.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training rebel groups who demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. Pakistan denies the charge and says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris fighting Indian rule.

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ce-calls-international-probe-kashmir-55885261
 
Good report regarding India.

Laughable 8/49 pages about Pakistan. Calling for powers to be in GB and AJK rather than Islamabad is a human rights violation? 😂then what do you call Westminster in relation to Scotland, Wales and NI?!

The silly comments made about Pakistan were irrelevant and the people of Kashmir think so including me.

Big diplomatic win for Pakistan and Kashmiris....until Shujaat Bukhari was killed yesterday. RIP.
 
Superb response by Pakistan to the report

No.193/2018
Office of the Spokesperson

Press Release

Pakistan’s reaction to the UN report on Human Rights violations in Kashmir

Pakistan welcomes the proposal by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish a Commission of Inquiry for international investigation into human rights violations in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IoK).

This proposal is consistent with Pakistan’s several calls to this effect since 2016, even as India has continued to ignore legitimate demands for probe into gross and systematic violations, including pellet guns excessive use of force, arbitrary arrest and detentions as well as continued sexual violence as part of overall impunity enjoyed by Indian security forces.

The report by Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OCHCR) clearly stipulates that its main focus is on the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir. The contents, scale and the narrative of killings, maiming, abuse and impunity articulated in the report is a reaffirmation of what Pakistan has long highlighted for the international community.

References to human rights concerns in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan should in no way be construed to create a false sense of equivalence with the gross and systematic human rights violations in IoK.

OHCHR’s Report has rightly called for final political solution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute through meaningful dialogue that includes the people of Kashmir. The lasting solution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute is an essential imperative for peace, security and stability of South Asia and beyond. India’s continued denial of this imperative, its unwillingness to engage in a dialogue process with Pakistan and suppression of Kashmiri aspirations for freedom continue to endanger regional and international peace and security.

The United Nations has a key role to play in the resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Within the ambit of peace and security, the UN Security Council remains seized of numerous resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir. The OCHCR report is a reminder of this internationally recognized dispute and the urgency of its settlement both to protect human lives and promote peace.

Islamabad
14 June 2018
 
Nothing gonna change regarding kashmir. I am afriad if UN interfares then india may take that action in kashmir for once and all ,,which all countries aroundthe world like mynamar or china or pakistan or israel etc are known for .
India has shown a lot of patience to kashmiris .
 
First Priyanka Chopra highlighting issue of Hindu false flag terrorists and now this? Bad week!
 
First Priyanka Chopra highlighting issue of Hindu false flag terrorists and now this? Bad week!

Priyanka highlighting issue of hindu false flag terrorist ? You mean fiction story quantico ? Was it a real story ? Loll
Well priyanka and quantico team corporation has apologized for this .
But every other uncountable hollywood movie or serials is about pakistan or muslims ,so what we should think about that ?? And nobody even apologized for that.

Regarding UN, have patience as UN has supported india many times and trust us it will have to change it stance soon.let india build and show some pressure to them ,then we will talk.
 
Priyanka highlighting issue of hindu false flag terrorist ? You mean fiction story quantico ? Was it a real story ? Loll
Well priyanka and quantico team corporation has apologized for this .
But every other uncountable hollywood movie or serials is about pakistan or muslims ,so what we should think about that ?? And nobody even apologized for that.

Regarding UN, have patience as UN has supported india many times and trust us it will have to change it stance soon.let india build and show some pressure to them ,then we will talk.
Doesn't matter. Even if it's exaggerated It has been broadcast to the whole world and most won't bother to go through sources to verify its veracity :))
 
Doesn't matter. Even if it's exaggerated It has been broadcast to the whole world and most won't bother to go through sources to verify its veracity :))

Phir toh yr duniya ko pta lg gya hoga quantico se sb... ..ab hamara kya hoga...
 
Pakistan lost any credibility regarding Kashmir after Kargil. Sending their own troops disguised as Mujahids exposed Pakistan completely. Things were different before. OBL getting found in safe havens in Pakistan didn’t help their agenda either.
That’s why no one listens to what they say.
 
Pakistan lost any credibility regarding Kashmir after Kargil. Sending their own troops disguised as Mujahids exposed Pakistan completely. Things were different before. OBL getting found in safe havens in Pakistan didn’t help their agenda either.
That’s why no one listens to what they say.

It's not about Pakistan anymore is it? If you take Pakistan out of picture, Kashmiris themselves are fighting for their rights and situation in Kashmir is probably worst ever in history and no matter how much you deny it but Pakistan has VERY LITTLE to do with it.
 
It's not about Pakistan anymore is it? If you take Pakistan out of picture, Kashmiris themselves are fighting for their rights and situation in Kashmir is probably worst ever in history and no matter how much you deny it but Pakistan has VERY LITTLE to do with it.

You’re gullible my friend. Why would Pakistan have very little to do with it? Watch PCB Chairman and your country’s best news person Najam Sethi’s interviews on Kashmir. Pakistan has always played an extremely active role in fueling the movement, funding it and indulging in nefarious activities, including sending troops disguised as “mujahids”.
 
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You’re gullible my friend. Why would Pakistan have very little to do with it? Watch PCB Chairman and your country’s best news person Najam Sethi’s interviews on Kashmir. Pakistan has always played an extremely active role in fueling the movement, funding it and indulging in nefarious activities, including sending troops disguised as “mujahids”.

You didn't get my point at all, Pakistan has played a role and it was at peak in the 90s and probably at it's lowest right now , Kashmiris themselves are leading the resistance and this is what India does not want Indians and world to know. They want everyone to believe that Pakistan is responsible for everything when in fact Kahsmiris are leading an extremely fierce campaign right now and it is never good news when the area that claims to be yours rise to this extent against own state.
 
You didn't get my point at all, Pakistan has played a role and it was at peak in the 90s and probably at it's lowest right now , Kashmiris themselves are leading the resistance and this is what India does not want Indians and world to know. They want everyone to believe that Pakistan is responsible for everything when in fact Kahsmiris are leading an extremely fierce campaign right now and it is never good news when the area that claims to be yours rise to this extent against own state.

I have mentioned here before, my wife had a best friend from Indian Kashmir. Who was very apolitical, didn't care and even said people overreact to Kashmir. If you go to her Instagram now its full of anti-India rhetoric in the last few years. Indians with all these killings are shooting themselves in the foot.
 
Govt of India can't control external elements based on Pakistani soil, so it should take this report in the right spirit and try to improve the ground situation in the valley. Kashmir is a political problem and needs a political solution, can not afford to keep separatists and Pakistan away from the round table. Needless to say the Modi government has mishandled the situation very badly. The death of the senior journalist and local Kashmiri cops and soldier over the past two days must be a wake up call for all those in power. Ideally an independent Kashmir and closer Indo-Pak relations will do this entire South Asian region a world of good, hope to see that happen one day.
 
https://www.dawn.com/news/1414513/1...fire-at-anti-india-protesters-in-held-kashmir

At least one person was killed and about two dozen others wounded on Saturday in clashes between Indian forces and demonstrators as protests against Indian rule erupted in India-held Kashmir shortly after Eid prayers, police and residents said.

Shouting “Go India, go back” and “We want freedom,” hundreds of people began marching in the southern Anantnag area but were confronted by government forces firing tear gas, leading to clashes with stone-throwing protesters.

Take a look: India not yet ready to confront truth on Kashmir

The use of force intensified as the protesters barraged police and paramilitary soldiers with a hail of stones while the troops fired shotgun pellets, injuring at least 17 people.

One young man among the injured died at a hospital. He suffered pellet injuries in his head and throat while at least nine other men among the injured were hit by pellets in their eyes, medics said.

However, police said in a statement that a “preliminary investigation” revealed that the young man died when a hand grenade exploded in his hand, a claim refuted by local residents.

Protests and clashes also were reported at several places across Kashmir, including the main city of Srinagar, after Eid prayers concluded. At least seven protesters also were injured in southern Shopian area.

Muslim Kashmiris on Saturday were celebrating the Eidul Fitr holiday to mark the end of the holy month of Ramazan.

The Indian military also claimed that one soldier was killed after Pakistani soldiers fired mortars and guns and called it an “unprovoked” violation of the 2003 cease-fire agreement between the rivals.

Pakistan did not immediately comment. In the past, each country has accused the other of initiating border skirmishes and violating the cease-fire agreement.

Anti-India sentiment runs deep in Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan territory divided between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan but claimed by both in its entirety.

In recent years, the India-held portion has seen renewed militant attacks and repeated public protests against Indian rule.

Separatists have been fighting Indian control since 1989, demanding that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the separatists, a charge Pakistan denies.

Most Kashmiris support the separatists' cause while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.
 
Nothing gonna change regarding kashmir. I am afriad if UN interfares then india may take that action in kashmir for once and all ,,which all countries aroundthe world like mynamar or china or pakistan or israel etc are known for .
India has shown a lot of patience to kashmiris .


Are you talking about Genocide?
 
https://www.dawn.com/news/1414534/india-to-resume-strikes-on-militants-in-held-kashmir

India said on Sunday it was resuming military operations against rebels in held Kashmir after a rare 30-day suspension for Ramazan expired, with a top minister blaming militant attacks.

Army operations were halted on May 16 at the start of the fasting month, despite a months-long escalation of violence in the Muslim-majority Himalayan region.

Troops would stop the pursuit of militants and door-to-door house searches but would still retaliate if attacked, officials said at the time.

“While the security forces have displayed exemplary restraint during this period, the militants have continued with their attacks, on civilians and SFs (security forces), resulting in deaths and injuries,” Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Twitter.

“The security forces are being directed to take all necessary actions as earlier to prevent militants from launching attacks and indulging in violence,” Singh added.

“The government of India decides not to extend the suspension of operations” in held Kashmir, Singh's office said in a separate statement on Twitter.

“The operations against militants to resume,” it added.

The government's suspension had failed to halt the mounting death toll in India-held Kashmir, which is also claimed by Pakistan.

A youth died after being hit by a paramilitary vehicle during a demonstration. A number of militants and at least five soldiers or police were also killed in clashes.

One young Indian soldier from Kashmir, who was on leave for the end of Ramadan, was abducted and murdered by suspected militants.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a cabinet meeting on Thursday to discuss whether to extend the initiative, amid a heated debate on the move.

It was the first time in almost two decades that Indian authorities had suspended military operations against militants.

The killing of the abducted soldier and the shooting last week of a leading Kashmir editor, Shujaat Bukhari, put pressure on the government to resume operations.

The home minister said the suspension had been ordered “in the interests of the peace-loving people” of Kashmir “to provide them a conductive atmosphere to observe Ramadan”.

Violence in held Kashmir has escalated since Indian troops killed a top militant commander in 2016. Last year was the deadliest in the region for the past decade.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in 1947 and the two nations have fought two wars over the territory.

Rebel groups seek independence or a merger of the territory with Pakistan.

India accuses Pakistan of arming the rebels but Islamabad says it only gives diplomatic and moral support.https://www.dawn.com/news/1414534/india-to-resume-strikes-on-militants-in-held-kashmir
 
Ball in India’s court. UN resolutions state Pakistan must vacate Kashmir first but Indian constitution states they must fulfil its constitution that Kashmir is “theirs.” Therefore Pakistan will never walk out of Kashmir until India agrees to a referendum.

For a referendum to take place, India has to agree to it. Then Pakistan will have to vacate.

Kashmiris will vote for Pakistan, which is why India will never agree to a referendum.
 
Nothing gonna change regarding kashmir. I am afriad if UN interfares then india may take that action in kashmir for once and all ,,which all countries aroundthe world like mynamar or china or pakistan or israel etc are known for .
India has shown a lot of patience to kashmiris .

Which genocide took place in Pakistan?Explain.
 
Ball in India’s court. UN resolutions state Pakistan must vacate Kashmir first but Indian constitution states they must fulfil its constitution that Kashmir is “theirs.” Therefore Pakistan will never walk out of Kashmir until India agrees to a referendum.

For a referendum to take place, India has to agree to it. Then Pakistan will have to vacate.

Kashmiris will vote for Pakistan, which is why India will never agree to a referendum.

Can you quote that part of the constitution?

India already agreed to referendum in 1949.

Does Pakistan have a record of people who settled in PoK after 1948 and their descendents since they have to vacate the place as well.
You assume that kashmiris will vote for Pakistan. The non muslims the shias the gujjars and bakarwals will not vote for Pakistan. Even the valley may be split between Pakistan India and freedom.
 
Nothing gonna change regarding kashmir. I am afriad if UN interfares then india may take that action in kashmir for once and all ,,which all countries aroundthe world like mynamar or china or pakistan or israel etc are known for .
India has shown a lot of patience to kashmiris .

UN interfere? Lol. You must be joking. The UNHCR report has zero value unless the UNSC decides to endorse it.
 
Doesn't matter. Even if it's exaggerated It has been broadcast to the whole world and most won't bother to go through sources to verify its veracity :))

So Hindus have been put on extreme vetting lists for visas?

Or has any western govt blamed hindus for a terror attack?

How Desperate....:)
 
Having deployed 700,000 armymen in a region of people who just want peace is nothing less than
terrorism. When innocent civilians aren't free, killed regularly and are monitored 24x7, it is not freedom. Just because you are wearing army uniforms, doesn't mean you aren't a terrorist. Shooting down innocent civilians is nothing less than terrorism. No wonder many Indians support Israel as both have similar tactics of occupying and terrorizing the locals. In Pakistan part of Kashmir, we don't have hundreds and thousands of soldiers dictating locals. Kashmiris there are living peacefully.

This issue needs to be resolved for good, and it's the millions of Kashmiris who need to make the call, not any country.
 
So according to the Indian's the UN is correct when it calls Hafiz Saeed a terrorist. However, when the very same UN calls India's bluff about the situation in IoK they suddenly become the bad guy's whose word mean nothing at all. Again the lies and double standards of India are for all to see. Yes! Even a man in a uniform can be a terrorist as well! The uniform is no guarantee of justice being delivered at all. Indian army is a terrorist army, I have always believed that.
 
Can you quote that part of the constitution?

India already agreed to referendum in 1949.

Does Pakistan have a record of people who settled in PoK after 1948 and their descendents since they have to vacate the place as well.
You assume that kashmiris will vote for Pakistan. The non muslims the shias the gujjars and bakarwals will not vote for Pakistan. Even the valley may be split between Pakistan India and freedom.

Don’t speak for the Shias please.
 
Don’t speak for the Shias please.

They are my countryman living in my country. I have no interest in speaking for you or your countrymen.

Shias mainly live in Ladakh and there are no protests there.
 
NEW DELHI: The BJP has pulled out of its alliance with the PDP or People's Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir, which leaves the state under President's rule.

The BJP had 25 lawmakers and the PDP had 28 in the state assembly, where the majority mark is 45.

The decision to withdraw support came after BJP president Amit Shah met with the party's lawmakers from Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi.

The rift between the two parties widened following the central government's decision to resume anti-terror operations in the state after Ramzan.

The PDP of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti asserted that the Centre needed to reach out to the separatists. The Centre argued that the separatists lost an opportunity as they did not take a cue from civil society, the sources said.

The central government's special peace initiative in the Kashmir Valley -- suspension of cordon and search operations -- was taken to provide relief to the people during the holy month of Ramzan.
But data showed the terror activities had more than doubled in this period.

On the eve of Eid, senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead by terrorists in Srinagar. With it, any faint hope of an extension of the ceasefire ended.

In a series of tweets on Sunday, Union home minister Rajnath Singh announced that security forces have been directed to resume operations.

The ceasefire was Mehbooba Mufti's idea and the state BJP unit had fought it tooth and nail.

The alliance between the BJP and the PDP, parties with widely divergent views, had been shaky since the beginning.

The rift showed from time to time -- over PDP's promises of talks with separatists, the proposal to remove the AFSPA (the Armed Forces' Special Powers Act under which grants special powers to the army in insurgency-hit areas), and even the rollout of the government's flagship Goods and Services Tax.

In March, concerns over the future of the alliance surfaced after the PDP sacked its minister Haseeb Drabu. Since the death of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, the father of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Mr Drabu had been a key interlocutor between the two parties.

On that occasion too, the top BJP leadership had summoned the state leaders to discuss possible repercussions on the alliance

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/bjp...booba-muftis-pdp-in-jammu-and-kashmir-1869788
 
The U.N. human rights chief called Thursday for an independent, international investigation into reports of rights violations in the disputed region of Kashmir, laying blame for civilian deaths and injuries on the actions of both India and Pakistan.

In its first report on the region, the office of Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, details "chronic impunity for violations committed by security forces." The report was written without visiting the region as both sides refused to grant unconditional access to the investigators.

The decades-old dispute "has robbed millions of their basic human rights," Zeid said. He called for the U.N.-backed Human Rights Council that begins a new session on Monday to create a "Commission of Inquiry" to investigate alleged abuses in the region.

India rejected the report as "fallacious, tendentious and motivated" and called it a selective compilation of largely unverified information. It said it has protested to Zeid's office.

"We question the intent in bringing out such a report," said Raveesh Kumar, the External Affairs Ministry spokesman. "It is overtly prejudiced and seeks to build a false narrative."

The 49-page report adds to criticism about India's tactics in Kashmir, saying its security forces used "excessive force that led to unlawful killings" and caused many injuries. It cited a 20-month span starting in July 2016 in which 145 civilians were killed by security forces and a further 20 by armed groups, according to figures from civil society groups.

It decried the use of pellet-firing shotguns that are still being used against protesters.

Kumar said that although terrorism was the most egregious violation of human rights, "the authors have conveniently ignored the pattern of cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan and territories under its illegal control."

"The entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan is in illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the Indian state through aggression," he said.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistan.

The report cites experts' belief that Pakistan's military continues to support the operations of armed groups across the Line of Control. It says violations in Pakistan-administered Kashmir are of a more "structural" nature.

India and Pakistan have a long history of bitter relations over Kashmir, which both claim. They have fought two of their three wars since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947 over their competing claims to the region.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training rebel groups who demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. Pakistan denies the charge and says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to Kashmiris fighting Indian rule.

https://abcnews.go.com/Internationa...ce-calls-international-probe-kashmir-55885261

Only in the fairyland of the UN would a career diplomat from a Mideast dictatorship lecture the world's largest democracy about human rights.
 
Countries across continents support India on Kashmir at UN, Pakistan isolated

Even as India rejected the report prepared by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), it was not alone in doing so.
During the 'General debate on the overall update of the High Commissioner on the situation of Human Rights worldwide and on the activities of his office' at the Human Rights Council, the Kashmir report was discussed, and six nations rejected the report authored by Zeid Raad Al Hussein.
There were two from Asia (Bhutan, Afghanistan), one from Africa (Mauritius), one from Eurasia (Belarus), and two from Latin America (Cuba, Venezuela).
While Pakistan's permanent representative to UN in Geneva, Farukh Amil, made an ardent appeal on behalf of his own country to establish a commission of inquiry in Jammu and Kashmir, he did not have much to add when he spoke on behalf of the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation).
"The OHCHR report on Jammu & Kashmir also points to a grave situation in Indian Administered Kashmir and needs appropriate follow up by this council," said the Pakistan envoy on behalf of OIC.
Not a single country came out in support of either Pakistan or the OHCHR report on Kashmir, while many questioned the timing and the veracity of the report itself.
In its first-ever human rights report on Kashmir, the UNHRC has called for international inquiry into multiple violations in the undivided Jammu and Kashmir.
The 49-page report details human rights violations and abuses on both sides of the Line of Control, and highlights a situation of "chronic" impunity for violations committed by security forces.

The situation is not a comfortable one for India since Pakistan is a member of the Human Rights Council and can affect change whereas India is not.
As former Ambassador to the UN Asoke Mukherjee says,"We have to see that Pakistan is in the Council and in the Working Group on Situations of the Council. India is not in the Council from this year till 2020. Therefore, we cannot vote or influence any proposal to take action on the HCHR report in the Council or its working group."
Many have called the methodology of collecting data for this report a "fallacious" one.
First, the report was drafted on using remote monitoring, without any rigorous cross-verification on the ground, amounting to biases of individuals and media reports creeping into the report.

Bhutan's representative Kinga Singye made a very strong statement against the OHCHR report raising the issue of terrorism which the High Commissioner seemed to have missed out in his report on the ground situation. Bhutan also requested the HRC to not take action on the report.
"My delegation would like to refer to the report issued by the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Kashmir. Given the complex historical background, political issues involved which the report has acknowledged; the report is not going to be helpful to the situation that is fuelled by terrorism among others," he said.
The Mauritian representative, Israhyananda Dhalladoo, questioned the assessment on Kashmir and stood with India rejecting any third party intervention.
This report of OHCHR in respect of the human rights situation in Kashmir does not provide a balanced assessment of the situation on the ground," said the Mauritian envoy.
The timing of the report and the purpose is being questioned. Zeid Raad al-Hussein, a Jordanian diplomat, was recently seen in pictures with the Pakistani Hurriyat faction leader Syed Faiz Naqshbandi and some other leaders from Pakistan which leads to the question of where his facts were coming from.
The report is clearly a violation of the High Commissioner's mandate which says that he should conduct his work respecting "sovereignty, territorial integrity and domestic jurisdiction of member states".
 
Pakistan wants UN team to visit both AJK, held Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday expressed its willingness to receive the United Nations’ Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), but impliedly again conditioned it with New Delhi also agreeing to the commission’s visit to India-held Kashmir.

Pakistan was ready for a commission of inquiry to visit both AJK and held Kashmir, Foreign Office spokesman Dr Muhammad Faisal said at the weekly media briefing apparently linking the acceptance of the commission to its visits to both parts of Kashmir.

Mr Faisal exhorted India to accept the commission.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein had called for setting up of a Commission of Inquiry, the UN’s highest-level probe, to investigate human rights violations in Kashmir.

The call followed the first report on Kashmir by the Office of the High Comm*i*ssioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The report that pointed to impunity for rights abuses and lack of access to justice in India-held Kashmir; and certain administrative, constitutional and legislative issues related to Azad Kashmir, was welcomed by Pakistan, but rejected by India.

The report had mentioned that neither India nor Pakistan allowed unconditional access to territories under their control for investigations for preparation of the document.

The findings were then based on “remote monitoring of the situation” in the two parts of Kashmir. India had refused to allow the UN visit, while Pakistan linked its permission to India allowing the UN team to tour held Kashmir.

The spokesman challenged India to allow the UN team to access the occupied valley. “India can address its claims of the (OHCHR) report being based on unverified information by allowing the COI and OIC Independent Permanent Hum*an Rights Commission access to held Kashmir.”

Mr Faisal further said: “The isolation of India in the international community is complete. The skeletons in Indian closet are growing in numbers and size.” The spokesman further asked the Indian government to hold an independent, transparent and credible probe into the assassination of Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bokhari.

Mr Bokhari was assassinated by unidentified gunmen while leaving his office on June 14.

He said that Mr Bokhari’s murder was manifestation of Indian state terrorism and reflection of intolerance of Indian state apparatus which wants to stifle freedom of speech and expression.

“The Indian government remains fearful of international exposition of the brutalisation of occupied Jammu & Kashmir. India can run, but can it hide? This remains to be seen,” he added.

The spokesman praised slain Bokhari as a vocal voice, who consistently spoke out against human rights abuses in held Kashmir and strongly advocated the need for the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Mr Faisal also expressed concern over imposition of the governor rule in India-held Kashmir.

The valley was put under the governor rule on Wednesday after PDP-BJP coalition government collapsed as the two allies decided to part ways.

The spokesman said that the ongoing bloodshed in held Kashmir along with Indian statements about the crackdown in the valley shows an alarming Indian imperviousness to international opinion.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1415317/pakistan-wants-un-team-to-visit-both-ajk-held-kashmir
 
SRINAGAR: At least four militants, a police official and a civilian were killed during a gun battle in India-held Kashmir on Friday, triggering anti-India protests and clashes in which several people were injured.

Indian forces raided a cluster of homes on a tip that militants were hiding in the southern Srigufwara area and they came under fire from militants, police claimed.

Four militants and a police official with the counterinsurgency force were killed in the fighting, said Col Rajesh Kalia, an Indian army spokesman.

Police said a civilian husband and wife were hit by gunfire as soldiers cornered the militants in the couple’s house. Residents said the couple was not given time by Indian forces to leave their home.

They were evacuated to a hospital where the husband was declared dead on arrival. Police said at least two soldiers were also wounded in the fighting. As the fighting raged, protests and clashes broke out nearby and in other neighbourhoods as residents tried to help the trapped militants escape.

Indian forces fired shotgun pellets and tear gas at the stone-throwing protesters, injuring at least 20.

Authorities suspended mobile phone internet service in several districts of the disputed Himalayan region, a common practice to make organising protests more difficult and stop the spread of news.

Large anti-India protests and clashes later erupted on the outskirts of Srinagar, as thousands gathered to participate in the funeral of one of the slain militants. Protesters, chanting pro-militant slogans and demanding the end of Indian rule in the disputed region, blocked a major highway and fought pitched battles with Indian forces. Several people were reportedly injured in the clashes.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1415551/policeman-among-six-killed-in-india-held-kashmir
 
UN denies Indian allegations on Kashmir report: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday said the United Nations had denied Indian allegations on a report on Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK).

FO Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal took to twitter to express disappointment with the country's eastern neighbour.

"Deeply disappointed by India dismissing the report without examining it," Dr Faisal wrote.

He further said that India had failed to address the very serious concerns raised by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) about the grave human rights situation in IoK.

"OHCHR has categorically denied any contact between the high commissioner and Zafar Bangash," Dr Faisal said, adding that the Kashmir report of OHCHR has quoted official Indian sources including the Indian Parliament, Indian Supreme Court and Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

The foreign office spokesperson further stated that OHCHR is disturbed by the sustained Indian attempts to distract and divert the focus from the human rights violations in IoK. "OHCHR has said the Kashmir report is about the human rights of millions of people in Kashmir," Dr Faisal said.

The foreign office further said that Pakistan has welcomed a visit by the Commission of Inquiry (COI) both to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and IiK as recommended by the report.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/203725-un-denies-indian-allegations-on-kashmir-report-fo
 
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