ISLAMABAD: Mushaal Hussein Mullick, the Pakistan prime minister’s aide on human rights, on Saturday demanded New Delhi give international observers access to Indian-administered Kashmir to investigate alleged rights abuses against the Kashmiri people, Pakistani state media reported.
The statement came a day ahead of the Kashmir Solidarity Day, which Pakistan observes every year on February 5 to express solidarity with the people of Indian-administered Kashmir.
The Muslim-majority Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint between Pakistan and India since their independence from the British rule in 1947. Both Pakistan and India rule parts of the Himalayan territory, but claim it in full and have fought three wars over the disputed region.
Mallick once again called for an early resolution of the Kashmir dispute and said the situation in Indian-administered Kashmir had reached a “crucial point,” the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“India is trying its best to execute Hurriyat leaders and then build some farcical narrative on it ahead of general elections [in September],” Mullick, wife of prominent Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik who is jailed in India since 2019, was quoted as saying.
“A Commission of Inquiry be made to probe India’s violations in the IIOJK (Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) and the territory be made accessible to international observers so that ground realities can be brought before the world.”
In December last year, India’s Supreme Court upheld a 2019 decision by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to revoke special autonomous status for Indian-administered Kashmir and set a deadline of Sept 30 next year for state polls to be held.
The Modi government’s repealing of Article 370 of the constitution in 2019 allowed people from the rest of the country to have the right to acquire property in Indian-administered Kashmir and settle there permanently.
Kashmiris, rights groups and critics of the Indian government had termed the move an attempt to dilute the demographics of the only Muslim-majority Indian state.
In connection with the Kashmir Solidarity Day, a walk is scheduled to be held in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Monday, which would be participated in by cabinet members, parliamentarians and people from different walks of life, according to Radio Pakistan.
Various other events would be held across Pakistan to express solidarity with the Kashmiri people.
Pakistan PM’s aide calls for access to international observers in Indian-administered Kashmir
https://arab.news/5rfhg
Pakistan PM’s aide calls for access to international observers in Indian-administered Kashmir
- The statement by Mushaal Hussein Mullick comes ahead of the Kashmir Solidarity Day on Feb. 5
- The disputed region has been a flashpoint between Pakistan and India since their independence
Curfew extended in Gilgit-Baltistan, probe ordered after deadly Khamenei protests
- At least 15 people were killed in clashes with law enforcement agencies over the weekend in Gilgit-Baltistan
- Government also announces a de-weaponization campaign, crackdown on hate speech and cybercrime in region
ISLAMABAD: The government in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region on Tuesday extended a curfew in Gilgit district and ordered a judicial probe into violent protests over the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli strikes last week, an official said.
At least 15 people were killed in clashes with law enforcement agencies over the weekend in GB, where protesters torched and vandalized several buildings, including United Nations regional offices, an army-run school, software technology park and a local charity building.
The violence prompted regional authorities to impose curfew in Gilgit and Skardu districts on March 2-4 as officials urged people to stay indoors and cooperate with law enforcers, amid widespread anger in Pakistan, particularly among members of the Shiite minority, over Khamenei’s killing.
On Tuesday, the GB government convened to review the situation and announced the extension of curfew in Gilgit among a number of security measures as well as ordered the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate the weekend violence in the region.
“The government has made it clear that the law will strictly take its course against elements involved in vandalism at government institutions, private properties and incidents of vandalism in Gilgit and Skardu and no kind of mischief will be tolerated,” Shabbir Mir, a GB government spokesperson, said in a statement.
“In view of the security situation, curfew will remain in force in Gilgit, while the decision to extend the curfew in Skardu will be taken keeping the ground realities and the changing situation in view.”
The statement did not specify how long the curfew will remain in place in Gilgit.
Besides the formation of the judicial commission to investigate the violent clashes, the government also decided to launch a large-scale de-weaponization campaign in the entire Gilgit district, for which relevant institutions have been directed to immediately complete all necessary arrangements, according to Mir.
In addition, a crackdown has been ordered on hate speech, spread of fake news and cybercrime.
“The aim of these decisions is to ensure the rule of law, protect the lives and property of citizens and crack down on miscreants,” he said. “Approval has also been given to immediately survey the affected infrastructure and start their restoration work on priority basis.”
Demonstrators in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi also stormed the US Consulate on Sunday, smashing windows and attempting to burn the building. Police responded with batons, tear gas, and gunfire, leaving 10 people dead and more than 50 injured.
Pakistani authorities have since beefed up security at US diplomatic missions across the country, including around the US consulate building in Peshawar, to avoid any further violence.
