ISLAMABAD – The event is a huge diplomatic success for Pakistan as it isthe first time in more than a decade that the EU has officially organizedan event on Kashmir, where Pakistan’s concerns regarding India’s humanrights violations in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir have been discussed.
European Union’s Sub Committee on Human Rights hosted an official exchangeof views on situation of human rights in Kashmir at the European Parliamentin Brussels.
This was for the first time after 2007 that the issue of Kashmir wasdiscussed publically at an official EU forum.
In his remarks, the Chair of the Sub-Committee Pier Antonio PANZERIreiterated EU’s commitment to uphold and protect human rights throughoutthe world. He pointed out that the issue of Kashmir was the longestunresolved issue on the agenda of United Nations. EU believed that dialogueamong nations was necessary to resolve such issues.
The discussion focused on the June 2018 report of the United Nations’Office of High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR)on Kashmir.
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Christine Chung, one of the authors of the report was especially invitedfor the occasion by the sub-committee. In her comments, she highlighted thedire human rights situation in the Indian-occupied Kashmir and reiteratedthe OHCHR’s recommendations for establishing a commission of inquiry toconduct a comprehensive and independent international investigation ofhuman rights violations in Kashmir.
Besides Prime Minister Azad Jammu and Kashmir Raja Farooq Haider,Pakistan’s Ambassador to Belgium, the European Union and LuxembourgNaghmana Alamgir Hashmi, the debate was attended by a large number ofMembers of European Parliament, representatives of human rights and civilsociety organizations, think tanks, diplomats from various countries andmembers of Kashmiri diaspora across Europe.
Overwhelming majority of the European parliament members rallied behind therecommendations of the OHCHR report and called for their fullimplementation. They called on India to immediately put a halt to itsatrocities in the Indian-held Kashmir and carry out investigations into theincidents of grave human rights violations. The members also highlightedthe need for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue through dialoguebetween Pakistan and India, and with full participation of Kashmiri people.
