Pakistan condemns extra-judicial killings of five more Kashmiris in IIOJK

Pakistan on Sunday has strongly condemned the reported extra-judicial killings of five Kashmiris in Pulwama and Budgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), reiterating its call for international accountability of Indian forces.

“We also reiterate our call to the international community, including the United Nations, to hold India accountable for its gross and systematic human rights violations and crimes against humanity in IIOJK, without further delay,” the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a press release.

The spokesperson stated that in their unabated reign of terror, the Indian occupation forces had martyred at least 23 Kashmiris in “fake encounters” and so-called cordon-and-search operations in January alone.

He said that Indian forces were relentlessly targeting Kashmiris, especially the youth, in the occupied territory and were driven by the far-right extremist Hindutva ideology that provoked and condoned genocide of Muslims.

“The international community must act to stop this wanton oppression and persecution of the besieged Kashmiris under illegal occupation. We also reject and condemn the Indian officials’ lies insinuating the killing of an alleged “Pakistani” resistance fighter,” the spokesperson added.

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He maintained that the Indian occupation forces were known to kill innocent Kashmiris, claiming that they were “alleged militants”, in efforts of getting monetary rewards or ‘gallantry’ medals.

The FO spokesperson further said that Pakistan saluted the resilience of the Kashmiri people who continued to stand firm in their “just and peaceful struggle” for their legitimate right to self-determination as pledged to them by relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

According to media reports, Indian troops martyred four young people during a cordon and search operation in the Naira area of Pulwama district, and one youth was martyred during an operation in the Chrar-i-Sharief area of Budgam.

The Indian occupational forces were involved in extrajudicial killings of innocent Kashmiris in IIOJK with impunity.

The Indian forces have intensified arbitrary detentions, night raids, coercion, harassment and humiliation of Kashmiris, along with extra-judicial killings in staged encounters and cordon-and-search operations that are continuing unabated.