Pakistan’s diplomatic success against India at the international forum
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ISLAMABAD (APP) - The members of European Parliament (MEPs), who are on a visit to Pakistan, Tuesday underlined the need for resolving the longstanding Kashmir issue between Pakistan and India, saying the massive human 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 violations in occupied Kashmir and has called for the formation of a commission of inquiry into the allegations.
A 43-page report released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Monday said the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, who have fought two wars so far over the Himalayan territory.
The two countries came close to a third war earlier this year following the killing of over 40 Indian soldiers in a suicide attack claimed by a Pakistan-based rebel group.
The UN report asked India to investigate the killing of civilians following the killing of rebel commander Burhan Wani in 2016.
More than 100 protesters were killed in the five-month-long street protests following Wani s killing, triggering a new wave of popular anger against the Indian rule.
New Delhi, in response, intensified its security operations in the disputed region, leading to more killings of rebels and civilians.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), 586 people, including 160 civilians, 267 rebels and 159 Indian security personnel were killed last year - the highest since 2008.
The UN report says the heightened tensions in Kashmir following the February suicide bombing continues to have a severe effect on the human rights of civilians, including the right to life.
It says authorities in India-administered Kashmir "continue to use various forms of arbitrary detention to target protesters, political dissidents and other civil society actors".
The report criticised the special legal provisions for the Indian troops in Kashmir and called for the repeal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which has made accountability for human rights violations in Kashmir "virtually non-existent".
The report underlined that there has not been a single prosecution of armed forces personnel granted by the central government in a civilian court.
It added that despite the high numbers of civilians killed near gunfight sites, "there is no information about any new investigation into excessive use of force leading to casualties".
"No prosecutions have been reported. It does not appear that Indian security forces have been asked to re-evaluate or change their crowd-control techniques or rules of engagement," the report said.
The UN report recommended the formation of a commission of inquiry to conduct a "comprehensive, independent, international investigation" into allegations of human rights violations in Kashmir.
A commission of inquiry is one of the UN s highest-level probes, generally reserved for major global crises.
In June 2018, the UN had released its first detailed report on Kashmir and called for an international investigation into human rights abuses.
