Pakistan has welcomed the letter written by EU Parliamentarians over the issue of grave human rights violations in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
In a statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has welcomed the global censure and condemnation of egregious violations of human rights in IIOJK.
It is to be noted that that 16 members of EU Parliament have penned a letter Ursula von der Leyen – President of the European Commission, highlighting deteriorating human rights situation in the disputed valley.
The letter argues that the miseries of the people of Jammu and Kashmir have been amply documented in the International Human Rights Watch Report 2021 as well as the reports of the Office of the UN high Commissioner for Human Rights in 2018 and 2019.
“The Indian-administered region had already suffered a debilitating lockdown since the revocation of its special status in 2019 and the restrains on the rights to movement, access to information, health care, education as well as free speech have ben intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic,” reads the letter.
“Journalists and human rights defenders have been increasingly targeted for raising their voice in support of the Kashmiri people and denounce their situation. Arbitrary detentions continue, public assembly is still prohibited under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure 1973 (CrPC) and hundreds including minors and several election legislators of Jammu and Kashmir remain under preventive detention,” it adds.
Urging the EU to take action, the letter demands the organization to ‘raise its voice against the violation of human rights affecting the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“We call upon you (Ursula von der Leyen), as Commission President and Vice President/High Repetitive, on behalf of the EU to convey our grave concerns at the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir to the Indian Government,” wrote the EU Parliamentarians.
