Altaf Wani urges UNHCR to release complete report on rights abuses in IIOJK
#HumanRightsAbusesInIIOJK
Geneva: Altaf Hussain Wani, chairman of the Kashmir Institute of International Relations, has appealed to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) to release a comprehensive report on the human rights situation in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing the ongoing 55th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Wani, representing the World Muslim Congress and International Muslim Women’s Union, commended the High Commissioner for addressing concerns regarding human rights, especially in Palestine.
Wani expressed grave concern over the deteriorating political and human rights situation in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir and stressed that Kashmir had become perilous, with human rights facing severe threats and around 10 million people awaiting the fulfillment of their right to self-determination.
He condemned India’s actions, terming it as violating UN Security Council resolutions and suppressing Kashmiris’ basic rights through intimidation, torture, and restrictions on civil society.
“The India’s apartheid regime, which cherishes to violate UNSC resolution on Jammu and Kashmir is constantly violating the basic rights of Kashmiris by threatening and torturing journalists, putting leadership behind the bar, and virtually squeezing space for civil society to raise their concerns”, Wani said. “India is setting a new example for the world by not only violating rights of Kashmiris but also completely undermining and mocking the UNHRC mandate in occupied Kashmir”, he added.
Wani said that a regime of black laws offering blanket impunity to Indian army was the main cause and consequence of rights violations in the region.
“By imposing harsh laws the BJP government is making sure that all essential guarantees on human rights no longer apply and exist in Jammu and Kashmir”, he said.
Highlighting the plight of Kashmiris, he said that Kashmiris were paying the cost for asking their basic rights in the form of stolen identity, broken families, half widows, tortured and blinded youth, helpless and feared elders and incarcerated leadership from decades.
