ISLAMABAD (APP) – The members of European Parliament (MEPs), who are on avisit to Pakistan, Tuesday underlined the need for resolving thelongstanding Kashmir issue between Pakistan and India, saying the massivehuman rights violations being committed in the Indian occupied Kashmir(IoK) could no longer be ignored by the world community.
Earlier, a United Nations report accused India of human rights violationsin occupied Kashmir and has called for the formation of a commission ofinquiry into the allegations.
A 43-page report released by the Office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Monday said the Muslim-majorityregion of Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, who havefought two wars so far over the Himalayan territory.
The two countries came close to a third war earlier this year following thekilling of over 40 Indian soldiers in a suicide attack claimed by aPakistan-based rebel group.
The UN report asked India to investigate the killing of civilians followingthe killing of rebel commander Burhan Wani in 2016.
More than 100 protesters were killed in the five-month-long street protestsfollowing Wani s killing, triggering a new wave of popular anger againstthe Indian rule.
New Delhi, in response, intensified its security operations in the disputedregion, leading to more killings of rebels and civilians.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), 586people, including 160 civilians, 267 rebels and 159 Indian securitypersonnel were killed last year – the highest since 2008.
The UN report says the heightened tensions in Kashmir following theFebruary suicide bombing continues to have a severe effect on the humanrights of civilians, including the right to life.
It says authorities in India-administered Kashmir “continue to use variousforms of arbitrary detention to target protesters, political dissidents andother civil society actors”.
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The report criticised the special legal provisions for the Indian troops inKashmir and called for the repeal of the controversial Armed Forces SpecialPowers Act (AFSPA), which has made accountability for human rightsviolations in Kashmir “virtually non-existent”.
The report underlined that there has not been a single prosecution of armedforces personnel granted by the central government in a civilian court.
It added that despite the high numbers of civilians killed near gunfightsites, “there is no information about any new investigation into excessiveuse of force leading to casualties”.
“No prosecutions have been reported. It does not appear that Indiansecurity forces have been asked to re-evaluate or change theircrowd-control techniques or rules of engagement,” the report said.
The UN report recommended the formation of a commission of inquiry toconduct a “comprehensive, independent, international investigation” intoallegations of human rights violations in Kashmir.
A commission of inquiry is one of the UN s highest-level probes, generallyreserved for major global crises.
In June 2018, the UN had released its first detailed report on Kashmir andcalled for an international investigation into human rights abuses.
