UN rights chief’s statement on IIOJK just tip of iceberg: AJK president

Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan on Saturday welcomed the statement of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet in which she expressed concern over state-sponsored violence against civilians, including the use of pellet guns and changes in domicile rules in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Bachelet, in her inaugural statement at the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, had stated that military and police violence against civilians including use of pellet guns, continues in IIOJK. She maintained that the Indian government’s August 5 moves followed by domicile laws were generating deep anxiety among the people across Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement, the AJK president said what the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has stated was the just tip of the iceberg. The real situation is even worse as the Indian occupation army is not only abusing the rights of Kashmiri people but is also is engaged in carrying out genocide, war crimes and the crimes against humanity.

He called upon the United Nations to intervene to stop the carnage, land grab and illicit transfer of Indian citizen to IIOJK to change the demographic structure of the region and added that the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights should demonstrate leadership by taking measures for establishing an International Commission of Inquiry recommended in the OHCHR’s 2018 Report to hold Indian occupation forces accountable for human rights violations and abuses.

Rejecting unfounded equalization between Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Indian Occupied Kashmir, President Masood said there is an ocean of difference in the situations prevailing in both regions. People in Azad Kashmir enjoy fundamental rights and civil liberties, and neither there are military and paramilitary check posts in the cities and townships of the liberated state nor the civilian are stopped and frisked in the streets. There are no killings and torture while our doors are open to the world to verify our claims, he added.

On the contrary, the rights of people in the IIOJK are violated with impunity, and people are being killed, maimed and blinded. Women are dishonoured and rape of women is used as a weapon of war, he underlined.

Khan said it is an erroneous impression that there is no 3-G, 4-G internet in Azad Kashmir. In fact, infrastructure has been laid to provide internet to the whole population of the liberated territory except some locations close to Line of Control.

"The global community is aware of the Indian atrocities in IIOJK", he said adding that time will come when India would be held accountable for what it has been doing in the occupied territory since 1947.