Over 50 countries in the UN, including Turkey, as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), on Tuesday called on India to end human rights violations in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.
“The worsening human rights and humanitarian situation in Indian Administered Jammu & Kashmir, especially following decisions taken on August 5, 2019, requires urgent attention by the Human Rights Council and human rights mechanisms,” the countries said in a joint statement.
The statement came after Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Pakistan’s foreign minister demanded on Tuesday that the UN launch an international investigation into the situation in India-administered Kashmir, warning that a “genocide” could be looming in the Muslim-majority region.
UN also called for the immediate lifting of the curfew, ending the communications shutdown, and the release of political prisoners in Jammu and Kashmir.
Also demanded an immediate halt to the excessive use of force, especially the use of pellet guns, and unhindered access of human rights groups and the international media.
They also asked for implementation of the recommendations of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights’ (OHCHR) Kashmir reports, including establishment of a UN commission of inquiry to investigate “egregious human rights violations.”
Shah Mehmood Qureshi also accused India of having arrested more than 6,000 people without due process. Many had been “shipped to jails all over India,” he said, citing reports that Indian troops had “shamelessly tortured people in public.
