New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) India on Tuesday once again slammed Pakistan over the human rights violations committed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and other parts of the country while urging the international community to hold Islamabad accountable for its repeated abuses and misdeeds.
Addressing a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that 90 people have been killed and several others injured in PoK as the Pakistani authorities have responded to public discontent in the occupied territory with bullets, blackouts, oppression and repression.
When asked about Pakistan committing atrocities in Balochistan, a province celebrating Independence Day on Tuesday, Jaiswal said, “We continue to follow developments across the world. At the same time, I would like to highlight that we have seen the kind of human rights violations that were committed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and other parts of the country. We call upon the international community to hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds, for its abuses and for its flagrant violations of human rights.”
Balochistan is observing the 79th Independence Day on Tuesday, continuing an annual tradition that defies what Baloch human rights groups call Pakistan’s “illegal occupation” of the region.
During the media briefing, the MEA spokesperson was also asked about ‘Americans of Kashmiri heritage’ requesting UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to intervene and stop the ongoing bloodbath in PoK.
“In the last several months, we have seen that during the elections and before that also, large scale protests were held in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Public discontent were answered with bullets and blackouts and repression and oppression and many people have been killed, infact, more than 90 people have been killed and many more have been injured,” the spokesperson responded.
“This has made news across the world. There have been mass violations, grave violation of human rights and I think it is time that the international community take note of what’s happening there and hold that country responsible for its atrocities,” he added.
PoK is currently witnessing the most extensive confrontation between the local population and the Pakistani state in decades, with deadly violence, suspension of internet, and allegations of police brutality amid local elections. The protests, which initially began over increasing prices of electricity and essential commodities, have transformed into a movement calling for political reforms, greater accountability, and representative government.
In recent weeks, several videos posted on various social media handles, including that of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), have showed the brutality of Pakistani forces in PoK. Several videos shared on social media also showed women protesters running desperately to save their lives as local police unleashed terror and opened fire on a peaceful protest rally in PoK’s Kotli.
–IANS
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