Pakistan has voiced grave concern over a new United Nations report alleging extensive human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which documents the arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention of nearly 2,800 individuals, including journalists, students, and rights activists.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Islamabad noted that the findings from UN Special Procedures experts, released on November 24, once again catalogue the severe and systematic abuses faced by the Kashmiri population.
The UN document highlights India’s continued use of draconian laws, such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), which reportedly facilitate indefinite and unjustified incarceration of the region’s inhabitants.
Further detailed in the publication are instances of torture, custodial deaths, incommunicado detention, and the denial of legal rights and family access. The report also points to punitive demolitions, forced evictions, and repeated communication blackouts as significant issues.
The experts’ findings also shed light on the suppression of media freedom, citing the blocking of 8,000 social media accounts. Additionally, the document records a sharp rise in hate speech, lynching, and harassment targeting Kashmiris and Muslim communities across India.
‘These findings reaffirm Pakistan’s longstanding concerns regarding state-sponsored persecution of Kashmiri Muslims and discriminatory treatment of minorities across India,’ the government statement read.
Pakistan has urged India to end all coercive measures in the occupied region and to unconditionally release all arbitrarily detained individuals. It also called on New Delhi to take meaningful steps to protect religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.
Reiterating its commitment to a peaceful and just resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions, Pakistan pressed India to reverse recent demographic and legal changes, restore fundamental freedoms, and engage sincerely in dialogue.
The statement concluded by reaffirming that Pakistan will continue to provide moral, political, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their struggle for self-determination.