NEW YORK: Pakistan has once again called on the United Nations to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Kashmir, saying that India’s rejection to allow one was in fact the acknowledgment of the grave atrocities being committed by its occupation forces.
Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s permanent ambassador to the UN, made this call when the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called on her at the Pakistan Mission in New York, according to an official statement.
The Pakistani envoy commended the high commissioner for his effective leadership as an advocate of human rights and fundamental freedoms across the world. She appreciated his [high commissioner] repeated calls for grant of unconditional access of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to both sides of the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ambassador Lodhi also noted that the calls by the high commissioner for sending a fact-finding mission to Indian-held Kashmir (IHK) to independently assess the situation on the ground, was a source of solace for the people of Kashmir.
“Their rejection by India only reinforced the need for the office of the high commissioner to monitor the situation on a sustained basis.” Pakistan, she said, would continue to support the high commissioners’ efforts to end human rights violations worldwide.
Briefing High Commissioner Zeid on the prevailing situation in Held Kashmir, she said violations of human rights including the extra-judicial killings, torture, violence and arbitrary detentions were continued in Kashmir with impunity.
Highlighting the plight of Kashmiri people, Lodhi said their hardships had been exacerbated by prolonged curfews and denial of medical and basic facilities. “The international community has an obligation to support the legitimate struggle of the Kashmiri people for their right to self-determination and act decisively to end human rights violations there,” she added.
The high commissioner briefed the ambassador on his proposed initiative to reform the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Lodhi assured him of Pakistan’s support to all measures that promote and protect the cause of human rights. During the meeting they also exchanged views on efforts to counter Islamophobia, xenophobia and new forms of racism, the statement added.
Ambassador Lodhi told the commissioner that Pakistan accorded great importance to the work of the high commissioner for human rights. “We look forward to maintaining a close liaison with the OHCHR in this regard,” she said.
