MASOOD WELCOMES UN REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN IIOJK

ISLAMABAD, Apr 18 (DNA): While welcoming a letter written by the UN
human rights experts to Indian government regarding human rights
situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK), AJK President
Sardar Masood Khan said that the situation is far worse than the human
rights violations mentioned in the letter.

He said that the UN rapporteurs have confined their report to mentioning
only the violation of some of the rights of Muslims and other
minorities, while we believe that the Modi government of India is
engaged in hatching conspiracies against the very existence of Muslims
in Jammu and Kashmir. They want to turn the Muslim majority into a
minority and make the territory of Kashmir a complete Hindu state.

“India is trying to reduce the occupied state of Jammu and Kashmir to a
political nonentity, reinforce religious and colonial othering of its
people and finally strip off their defences. Well, Kashmiris will never
cease defending themselves,” the president said.

Five United Nations human rights experts, through a letter to the Indian
government, have voiced their concern over India’s decision to revoke
Kashmir’s special status and enact laws that could curtail the political
participation of Muslims and other minorities.

The special rapporteurs were for minority issues, promotion, and
protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression; the rights
to freedom of peaceful assembly and association; contemporary forms of
racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; and
the special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief.

President Masood strongly condemned the latest restrictions imposed by
the Indian government on Kashmir based journalists for reporting facts
about the incidents of violence in IOJK, he  appealed to the global
journalist’s bodies to raise their voice against the unjustified
restrictions on journalists and media outlets in IOJK.

“Voices for freedom won’t be muzzled; staged encounters won’t be masked
by cutting off information. Truth is out; will be out. Don’t coerce
media persons into not reporting on these crimes. Such restrictions
betray insecurity and panic,” Khan said.

He said restrictions on independent reporting by journalists as an
attempt by the Delhi government to infringe on human rights and freedom
of expression. Sardar Masood added that journalists in Occupied Kashmir
would never accept and endorse the Indian government’s illegal
activities.

Sardar Masood Khan further said that now the situation in IOJK had
reached the point that Indian military and para-military troops
stationed in Kashmir have started disobeying the illegal orders. The
latest example of which is the female police officer who said that this
is my Kashmir and I cannot be a part of the persecution against the
people here. The female police officer’s bold statement cost lost her
job.

“The day is not far when cops and soldiers in Kashmir will start asking
themselves how they would redeem their souls if they continue to be part
of  these killing sprees at the behest of fascists of a distant, foreign
land,” the state President concluded. DNA

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