Asia - Pacific

Pakistan urges UN to monitor ‘hatred’ against Kashmiris

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi writes letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

23.02.2019 - Update : 24.02.2019
Pakistan urges UN to monitor ‘hatred’ against Kashmiris Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi

By Islamuddin Sajid  

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan 

Pakistan has called on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to take notice of “discrimination” against Kashmiris across India, a statement said on Saturday.

According to the statement issued by Pakistan’s Foreign Office, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi wrote a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding “the deteriorating human rights situation” particularly in Jammu and Kashmir.

Tensions between India and Pakistan have risen after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for the Feb. 14 attack in which an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into a paramilitary bus in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing at least 40 Indian troops.

Islamabad denied the accusation, offering to open investigation if "actionable evidence" is provided by New Delhi.

“Given the active nature of armed conflict in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, it is imperative to impress upon India to faithfully adhere to its obligations under the Conventions to which it is a party,” Qureshi said in the letter.

Meanwhile, Indian media have reported that scores of Kashmiri students have reportedly been suspended from various colleges in India, with few collages clearly stating that they would deny admission to Kashmiris.

However, the Indian government denied there were any attacks on Kashmiris in the aftermath of last week's bombing.  

India has launched “a concerted campaign to whip up hatred and violence against Kashmiris and discrimination against them across India,” the Pakistani foreign minister said.  

"I welcome the concerns expressed by you on 19 February on the use of Pulwama attack by such elements as justification for threats and violence against Kashmiris and Muslims in various parts of India," Qureshi said in his letter.

“We would request you to continue monitoring of the situation and call for protecting people from all forms of harm on account of their identity and ethnicity,” he added. 

Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.

Also, in Siachen glacier in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A cease-fire came into effect in 2003.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.