FO slams murder of Pakistani prisoner in IIOJK

MoFA summons Indian Charge d’Affaires, lodges protest

ISLAMABAD:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Indian Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad on Friday and lodged a strong protest against the extra-judicial killing of a Pakistani prisoner, Muhammad Ali Hussain, by Indian occupation forces in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Muhammad Ali Hussain had been jailed in Kot Bhalwal Prison in IIOJK since 2006. He was taken to the Toph Arnia area in Jammu and killed in a staged encounter.

According to the press release, the Indian diplomat was told that Hussain’s death under “mysterious circumstances” at a location away from the prison where he was held acts as evidence of Pakistan’s claim that Indian forces in IIOJK routinely carry out choreographed attacks and extrajudicial killings of Pakistani and Kashmiri prisoners.

Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad brought attention to the case of Zia Mustafa - another Pakistani prisoner who was murdered by Indian authorities in a similar fake encounter last year.

Zia Mustafa had been taken out of the Kot Bhalwal jail, brought to the forests in Poonch and subsequently killed by the Indian troops in October 2021. Thus, Muhammad Ali Hussain is the second such extrajudicial killing of a Pakistani civil prisoner.

It was established that the narrative put forward, suggesting that Muhammad Ali Hussain had allegedly attacked the security forces and attempted to escape when he was being taken to a suspected weapons smuggling site, was false and an attempt at deception, said the FO.

The press release stated that the reality of the situation is that Hussain’s death was “nothing but cold-blooded murder.” Pakistan’s serious concerns about the safety, security and well-being of the other Pakistani prisoners in Indian custody in IIOJK were raised.
According to the FO, Pakistan rejected outright the “implausible explanation proffered in the case of Muhammed Ali Hussain.”

Further, Islamabad demanded that the Indian government immediately share details of the incident, including a credible post-mortem report to determine the cause of death, and begin a transparent investigation to hold the individual responsible for Hussain’s murder accountable.

The Indian government has also been called upon to “ensure prompt and expeditious repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased to Pakistan”, in accordance with the wishes of his family.

Pakistan also reiterated its appeal to the international community to “hold India accountable for its gross and systematic violations of international humanitarian law and ensure that Pakistani and Kashmiri prisoners under Indian custody are not expended as cannon fodder in the execution of India’s nefarious designs in the IIOJK,” said the press release.