Islamabad, December 09, 2018 (PPI-OT): President of Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights (JKCHR), Dr Syed Nazir Gilani, has said that after the first direct visit by UN Secretary General to Srinagar in March 1959, the June 2018 report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights through Remote Monitoring is the second most important indirect action by the UN on Kashmir.
Dr Nazir Gilani said this while addressing as a keynote speaker on a seminar titled ‘UN Report on Human Rights Violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir: Demographic Changes and Societal Implications” organised by Pakistan House in Islamabad.
He said, “It is the first long awaited UN interest in Kashmir in the last forty years. We need to support it where it highlights the massive violations of human rights by the Indian security forces and calls for the establishment of an International Enquiry Commission to investigate these violations and equally contest parts of the report, which we find are wanting in substantive merit.”
The JKCHR President said that his NGO took two delegations to OHCHR in Geneva in September 2016 and June 2017 and the principle of Remote Monitoring was identified during the first visit of September 2016 with the senior officials at OHCHR. The first JKCHR delegation comprised of Mohammad Yasin Chaudhry – Leader of the opposition in Azad Kashmir Assembly, Lord Qurban Hussain – Member House of Lords and vice chairman APPG on Kashmir, Rana Muhammad Athar Javed Director General Pakistan House, Amjad Hussain – Civil Society Activist, Mohammed Ilyas – Civil Society Activist and Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani – President JKCHR.
“UN report has exploded the myth that India is unaccountable. We should increase our efforts and ensure that Human Rights Council establishes an Enquiry Commission as recommended in the report,” Dr. Nazir Gilani said and added that as an important start United Nations Secretary General had endorsed the report as ‘Voice of UN’ ”.
JKCHR President said that most important finding of the report on Kashmir was that it admitted that the presence of 500,000 to 700,000 Indian soldiers makes Kashmir one of the most militarised zones in the world. “We need to highlight the seven restraints placed on Indian security forces and revisit Pakistan’s proposal made at the 761st Meeting of UN SC on 16 January 1957 demanding to induct a UN Force into Kashmir and break the logjam on the question of demilitarization. He said a joint Resolution moved on 14 February 1957 by Australia, Cuba, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America had supported the Pakistan’s proposal.
Dr. Nazir Gilani said that there had been a strong support for the induction of a UN Force from Columbia, Philippine and Sweden. It has been highlighted by these countries, that in case the dissent between India and Pakistan on the question of demilitarization continues, the other alternatives of arbitration and intervention of International Court of Justice, need to be considered seriously.
JKCHR President said that since Pakistan conducts itself in its affairs in Azad Kashmir in accordance with its responsibilities under UNCIP Resolutions, JKCHR would continue to support and supplement the position of Pakistan at home and at the international forums.
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