In letter to UN, Qureshi highlights arrest of Kashmiri activist Khurram Parvez

ISLAMABAD: In a letter to the United Nations, the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday highlighted the arrest of Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez by India on “trumped-up charges”.

The Foreign Office (FO) said that Qureshi has written a letter to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) president and UN Secretary General to brief them on the “continuing grave situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)”.

“In his letter, the foreign minister has underscored the deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in IIOJK and the persistent threat to international peace and security posed by India’s provocative and irresponsible rhetoric as well as its track record of orchestrating ‘false flag’ operations,” said the FO.

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Pakistan top diplomat once again reiterated that the “Jammu and Kashmir dispute” should be settled under the relevant UNSC resolutions. The recent spate of extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions in IIOJK, were also highlighted in the letter.

Qureshi informed the UN that its human rights machinery, independent NGOs and international media have regularly reported and expressed concerns about the increasing intimidation, harassment and reprisal attacks by Indian occupation forces against Kashmiri human rights defenders, journalists and civil society actors.

“The Foreign Minister has highlighted, in particular, the recent arrest on trumped-up charges of a renowned Kashmiri human rights activist Khurram Parvez, in complete disregard for basic human rights principles, norms and international law,” said the FO.

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Pakistan’s top diplomat reiterated that Islamabad is willing to engage with India to halt the “oppression in IIOJK”. He, however, clarified that the “onus” was on “India to create an environment conducive for engagement”.

He shared that the environment could be created if New Delhi reverses the “unilateral and illegal measures instituted in IIOJK since August 5 2019”; stops its “oppression and human rights violations against the people of Jammu and Kashmir”; and halts and reverses the illegal demographic changes in the occupied territory.

The FO said that the “latest letter” was in continuation of Pakistan’s regular communications since August 2019 to keep the global body informed about the situation in IIOJK.