Pakistan urges world to hold India accountable for crimes in IIOJK

Pakistan on Sunday urged the international community on Sunday to take cognisance of the sexual crimes against the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and hold the perpetrators of these condemnable acts.
In a message on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said rape is employed as a tool of suppression and means of collective punishment in IIOJK.
The women, girls and children of IIOJK have witnessed the most egregious forms of sexual violence of recent times, he said, adding that since August 5, 2019, when India changed IIOJK status, illegally, violence against all genders, including children, had drastically increased.
The spokesperson pointed out that the Indian state machinery had perpetrated sexual violence with full impunity to silence the people of IIOJK and stop them from demanding their legitimate right to self-determination, pledged by the UN Security Council resolutions.
The Foreign Office spokesperson recalled that the horrendous mass rape of the Kashmiri women in Kunan Poshpura villages of IIOJK on February 23, 1991 continued to haunt the victims, who still await justice.
He said all international calls for prosecution of perpetrators had been blatantly rejected by India and there remained a pervasive culture of impunity through connivance between the Indian state machinery, judiciary and the media.
“India must be urged to respect its international obligations, especially those related to the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, 4th Geneva Convention and its Additional Protocol 1,” the spokesperson noted.
“It is incumbent upon the international community to rise above geo-political and economic interests and show its commitment to the UN Charter and international law in providing protection to the victims and in holding the perpetrators of sexual violence accountable.”
On this International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, the spokesperson said, “we reaffirm our commitment to the universality of all human rights and their equal application in conflict areas and occupied territories”.
“Pakistan joins the international community in commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, which signifies our common resolve to end all forms of violence, exploitation and human rights violations in the conflict zones,” he said.