Describing Indian planning of arranging another visit for New Delhi based diplomats to the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir as “smokescreen”, Pakistan on Monday said it was aimed at diverting international attention from India’s egregious human rights violations in the IIOJK.
“We have seen reports regarding India planning another ‘visit’ to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for the diplomats based in New Delhi as part of its efforts to mislead the world community,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri stated in response to media queries.
He said, “Such guided tours are a smokescreen, aimed at diverting international attention from India`s egregious human rights violations in IIOJK, and creating a false impression of ‘normalcy’.”
The spokesperson viewed that the visit would mean nothing if there was no access to all the areas and possibility to freely interact with the Kashmiri people and the civil society in an atmosphere free of intimidation.
“Equally, meeting the senior Hurriyat leadership, including those incarcerated on trumped-up charges alone, would enable an objective assessment of the ground realities,” he added.
The spokesperson further said that the Indian notion of so-called normalcy in the IIOJK had no feet to stand on.
“The world can clearly see that the illegal and inhuman military siege continues for over 18 months now; extrajudicial killings of Kashmiris in fake ‘encounters’, and staged ‘cordon-and-search’ operations have become rampant; arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances and custodial torture have increased; Kashmiri leadership remain incarcerated; journalists, human rights activists and international human rights organizations are being harassed; and the Kashmiris’ fundamental rights, including the right to express themselves continue to be denied,” he added.
The spokesperson said,“India must also allow the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR); the United Nations Observers; the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC); international human rights and civil society organizations; and international media to visit IIOJK and assess the situation on ground.” “The international community, including the world leaders, parliamentarian, international human rights organizations as well as the media, who have been unanimous in their condemnation of the ongoing atrocities in IIOJK, must urge India to take genuine steps to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in a peaceful manner in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people,” he maintained.
