Pakistan has voiced grave concern over a new United Nations report detailing widespread human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir, highlighting findings that nearly 2,800 individuals, including journalists and activists, have been arbitrarily arrested and detained.
In a statement today, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi declared that the report from UN Special Procedures experts once again underscores the severe and systematic rights violations endured by the Kashmiri people under what Pakistan terms as Indian occupation.
Andrabi noted with alarm the UN experts’ observations on the extensive use of arbitrary detention. He specified that the persistent application of what he called draconian legislation, such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has enabled indefinite and unjustifiable detentions.
The spokesperson detailed further allegations cited in the report, including instances of torture, custodial deaths, incommunicado detention, and the denial of due legal process. He also pointed to punitive demolitions, recurring communication blackouts, and significant suppression of press freedom, which reportedly includes the blocking of 8,000 social media accounts.
These findings, according to Andrabi, are compounded by a rise in hate speech, lynching, and harassment targeting Kashmiris and Muslim communities across India, which he described as “equally deplorable and deeply troubling.”
He remarked that the UN report reaffirms Pakistan’s longstanding concerns regarding state-sponsored persecution of Kashmiri Muslims and discrimination against minorities throughout India.
In response to the report, the spokesperson called upon India to cease its coercive measures and to unconditionally release all individuals arbitrarily detained in the region. He further urged New Delhi to take concrete steps to end the persecution of all religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.
Reiterating Pakistan”s position, Andrabi emphasized a commitment to a peaceful and just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. He pressed India to halt its repressive policies, reverse recent demographic and legal alterations, restore fundamental freedoms, and engage sincerely in meaningful dialogue.
The spokesperson concluded by stating that Pakistan will continue to extend its moral, political, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their “just struggle against foreign occupation.”