ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has offered to send fact-finding missions to both Indian Occupied Kashmir and the Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to Foreign Office, on July 15 this year, Pakistan had requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to send a fact-finding mission to Indian Occupied Kashmir to report along the gross violations of human rights since July 8, 2016.
Since that letter was penned, the situation has degenerated further. In the past 40 days, more than 80 innocent young Kashmiris have been killed, 6000 injured and 120 blinded as effect of brutal action by the Indian forces to suppress peaceful protests.
As the High Commissioner is aware, Azad Jammu and Kashmir is an area open to everyone and is patronized by foreign tourists and members of the diplomatic community in Pakistan, including representatives of the United Nations, where they have observed recent elections and saw a cross segment of the great unwashed.
Admission to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has been denied by India to the Indian Occupied Kashmir. Pakistan has never prevented UN officials from travelling to Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Yet, while welcoming any UN team that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights may wish to send to AJK, we cannot accept equating the rampant human rights violations in Indian occupied Kashmir with the situation in AJK. In fact, today the contrast between grim reality in Indian occupied Kashmir and the peaceful situation in AJK could not be more perfect. It is, thus, essential that the UN fact-finding team must visit Indian occupied Kashmir.
