Aamir Latif
02 June 2020•Update: 02 June 2020
KARACHI, Pakistan
Pakistan on Tuesday condemned the "extra-judicial killing" of 13 Kashmiris in a single day in a military operation in Indian-administered Kashmir.
"Pakistan is deeply concerned over unabated extra-judicial killings of Kashmiri youth in fake encounters and so-called 'anti-infiltration' operations. While the international community is pre-occupied with fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, India is busy intensifying its brutalization of the Kashmiri people," said a Foreign Ministry statement.
Islamabad's criticism coincides with a series of military operations against suspected Kashmiri militants in different parts of the disputed Himalayan valley, killing 21 suspected militants in May alone.
On Monday, citing army officials, Indian media reported 10 suspected militants were killed in a security operation in Poonch district, whereas another three were killed in Rajouri district.
"The fact that 13 Kashmiris were extra-judicially killed in a single day speaks volumes about Indian government’s continuing crimes against humanity," the statement said.
Accusing New Delhi of using "unsubstantiated" allegations of training and infiltration of militants "to hide these crimes," Islamabad said "the RSS-BJP combine stands exposed before the world for its illegal and inhuman actions and extremist Hindutva agenda."
"India must realize that neither can its brutalization break the will of the Kashmiri people nor can its anti-Pakistan propaganda divert attention from India’s state-terrorism and egregious violations of human rights in IOJ&K [Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir]," the statement went on to say.
“The martyrdom of each Kashmiri will further fortify the Kashmiris’ resolve for freedom from Indian occupation,” it added.
"Kashmiris will never give up their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Security Council resolutions and the leadership and people of Pakistan will never flinch in their commitment of full support for the Kashmiris towards that end."
Islamabad urged the international community to take immediate steps to stop India from committing "serious crimes" against the Kashmiri people and hold it accountable under international law and relevant human rights conventions.
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.
The two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- since they were partitioned in 1947, two of which were fought over Kashmir.
Several 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.
The disputed valley has been reeling from a severe blockade with key Kashmiri leaders imprisoned or put under house arrest since last August.
