Islamabad, May 15, 2020 (PPI-OT): Pakistan termed Kashmir issue a global responsibility as India could not be allowed to continue genocide in the forcibly held territory. Speaking at a weekly news briefing here, Foreign Office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui called upon the international community to take immediate notice of the alarming situation in occupied Kashmir and held India accountable for state-terrorism, extra-judicial killings, and gross and systematic violations of human rights.
“It is a shared responsibility of the world community to seek immediate resolution of Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UNSC resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people,” she said. In its latest report, the Human Rights Watch noted that hate speech against Muslims, already a serious and growing problem since the election of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (in 2015, increased in connection with the spread of COVID-19, she said.
Aisha Farooqui said the situation grew so serious that the WHO issued a statement of caution, noting that it is very important that we do not profile the cases on the basis of racial, religious, and ethnic lines. “The Indian authorities at the national and local level have not taken adequate steps to stem the increasingly toxic atmosphere or conduct adequate investigations of attacks where appropriate,” the spokesperson said.
She said the Indian occupation forces’ relentless campaign of brutalization, including incarcerations and arbitrary arrests, even during the holy month of Ramazan continue unabated. “The repression of journalists to muzzle the voice of Kashmiri people and utter disregard for human rights and humanitarian norms even in the middle of a pandemic is reprehensible,” she said.
Aisha Farooqui said Pakistan reiterates “our consistent support for the two-state solution of the Palestine issue as enshrined in the relevant Security Council and General Assembly Resolutions.” Pakistan, she said, renews its call for establishment of a viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine, on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, the pre-1967 borders, and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its Capital.
“We have seen reports about the framework agreement by Israel’s coalition government proposing “annexation” of the West Bank with grave concern. Pakistan is opposed to any move for annexation of the occupied Palestinian territories as it would be a serious violation of International law and a dangerous escalation in an already volatile situation,” she said.
Aisha Farooqui said red West Bank and Jordan valley were Palestinian territories, illegally occupied by Israel since 1967. Pakistan supported the position adopted by the United Nation’s and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on the issue of Palestine and called upon the international community to uphold and support the rights of the Palestinians, she remarked.
“We would also like to underscore that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and Palestinian issue continue to be the longest standing items on the UN and OIC agenda. The attempts being made by the occupying powers in Palestine and Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir are essentially similar, particularly with reference to human rights violations, seeking to alter the demographic structure, and posing threat to peace and security. Both these situations are worsening and call for urgent attention of the international community,” she remarked.
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