Pakistan says joint statement to UN on Kashmir backed by over 50 nations

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, center, arrives for a statement during the 42nd session of the Human Rights Council at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019. ( AP photo)

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi leaves after addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council on September 10, 2019 in Geneva. - AFP

• Situation in Kashmir warrants urgent attention from Human Rights Council, Foreign Office says
• Foreign Minister Qureshi urges the UN to launch an international probe into the matter

ISLAMABAD: On behalf of more than 50 countries from across the world, Pakistan on Tuesday delivered a joint statement to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR) to bring attention to the worsening humanitarian situation in Indian-administered Kashmir, the Foreign Office said in a statement released on Wednesday.
“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,” excerpts from the joint statement said.
The Foreign Office said that Pakistan shared the concerns of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet “regarding the impact of recent actions on the human rights of Kashmiris” and appreciated the joint call for the removal of restrictions and the protection of the Kashmiri people.
It also pushed for actions based on the findings of the UN’s Kashmir reports, and for the peaceful resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute by implementating the UN Security Council’s recommendations.
On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi demanded that the UN launch an international investigation into the situation in Kashmir. “I shudder to mention the word genocide here, but I must,” he said in his address to the UNHCR in Geneva.
The issue follows an announcement on August 5 by the Indian government to revoke Kashmir’s special status, following which the entire valley has been under a state of curfew.
The disputed Himalayan region has also seen thousands of additional troops being deployed in the area which experts say is India’s attempt to silence the Kashmiris’ right to protest.
The issue has become a flashpoint for the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors with Pakistan appealing to the UN to interject and resolve the matter.