KEY POINTS
- Pakistan expresses grave concern over UN experts’ findings on human rights abuses in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir.
- The UN report cites arbitrary arrests, torture, demolitions, communication blackouts and suppression of journalists.
- UN experts say nearly 2,800 people, including students and rights defenders, have been detained.
- Pakistan urges India to end coercive measures, release detainees and reverse demographic and legal changes.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday voiced deep alarm over a new assessment by United Nations Special Procedures experts, who reported extensive and systematic human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson, the findings, dated 24 November, outline what the experts described as entrenched patterns of repression targeting journalists, students, activists and ordinary Kashmiri civilians.
The Foreign Office, responding to the report, said the UN experts had documented nearly 2,800 arbitrary arrests and detentions, facilitated by India’s continued application of the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
These laws, long criticised by global and local human rights groups, allow prolonged detention without trial.
The UN experts also flagged cases of torture, custodial deaths and incommunicado detentions. They further cited punitive home demolitions, forced evictions, repeated communication shutdowns, and the blocking of an estimated 8,000 social media accounts.
The report linked these measures to a broader clampdown on freedom of expression, press freedom and civic participation.
According to the FO statement, the experts noted rising hate speech, mob violence and harassment directed at Kashmiri Muslims and other minority communities across India — trends that Pakistan says reinforce its longstanding warning of state-enabled discrimination.
The Foreign Office urged New Delhi to immediately cease coercive actions in the occupied territory and to unconditionally release all individuals detained under what it termed draconian laws. It also called on India to end the persecution of Muslims, Christians and other minorities, and to restore fundamental freedoms in the disputed region.
Pakistan reiterated that a durable resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute requires adherence to UN Security Council resolutions and respect for the democratic aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
The FO said Pakistan will continue extending political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiris in their struggle against occupation.
