Kashmiri students harassed: Hate crimes bring Kashmir in focus

Senior leader of All Parties Hurriyat Conference detailed description of the plight of the students.

MUZAFFARABAD: A Kashmiri delegation from Azad Kashmir and Indian-occupied Kashmir has kicked off a public diplomacy campaign at the United Nations, says a press release issued on Wednesday. “We see a new activity and a new international interest in Kashmir after a period of dormancy over the last four or five years,” said Altaf Hussain Wani, a senior leader of All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Kashmir Chapter. The senior APHC leaders held meetings with diplomats from several countries, with a meeting with UN Human Rights Council’s special rapporteur on torture Juan Mendez, and with officials from Organization of Islamic Conference in Geneva. During an intervention on the sidelines of the 25th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, Wani’s detailed description of the plight of the students who were thrown out of Indian education institutions drew a lot of interest. APHC leader Ishtiaq Hameed and Executive Director of Youth Forum for Kashmir Ahmed Quraishi met with Dr Abdul Hameed Dashti the president of the Geneva-based International Council Supporting Fair Trial and Human Rights.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 13^th, 2014.