Pak minister pens letter to UN, alleges human rights violations by Indi

Pakistan Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari has written a detailed letter to 18 UN Special Rapporteurs alleging massive human rights violations by India in Jammu and Kashmir after revoking Article 370 that granted a special status to the state She also termed the centrersquos decision as an annexation by force and therefore an illegal actIn a sevenpage letter Mazari mentioned an Indian Cultural Forum went on a factfinding mission to Jammu and Kashmir between August 913 and highlighted serious shortages of medicine and other basic necessities after the lockdown that began on August 5 The team also highlighted incidences of targetting of civilians with pellet guns and cited the case of a graphic designer who reportedly received 172 pellet injuriesThe Pakistani minister also cited several specific cases of genderbased violence as a weapon of war where she mentioned a video of BJP MLA Vikram Saini on August 6 The video shows him saying that Muslim party workers should rejoice at revoking of Kashmirs special status as now they can marry the whiteskinned women of KashmirThe letter also reportedly mentioned Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattarrsquos August 10 comment where he said that with Kashmir now open brides will be brought from there to here Although he clarified that it was a joke Mazari also listed how Google saw a surge in searches on how to marry a Kashmiri womanThe Pakistani minister also drew a parallel with earlier reports by UN rapporteurs alleging genderbased violations against Dalit women and girls in India saying What should be of particular concern is the capacity for increased threats of genderbased violence against Kashmiri women taking into consideration the impunity for largescale violations of this nature against Dalit womenShe also mentioned the shutdown of telecom facilities in Jammu and Kashmir since August 5 and termed it the blackout as a collective punishment of the people of Jammu and Kashmir without even a pretext of a precipitating offenceShe attacked the curfew imposed since August 4 night on Jammu and Kashmir saying it was a violation of the right to religious freedom of MuslimsShe also attacked the arbitrary arrests and detentions including arrests of political leaders citing former CM Mehbooba Mufti who termed the revocation of special status as the darkest day in Indian democracyMazari alleged that at least 2300 people have been detained in Kashmir She termed the revocation of Article 370 and 35A that gave special status to Kashmir as infringing on the freedom of thought conscience and religion of the Kashmiri people and that restrictions prevented the people from celebrating Eid by congregating for prayersShe also cited reports alleging violent repression of peaceful protests after Friday prayers in Srinagar prior to Eid prayers and videos showing excessive use of force by Indian security forces which fired live bullets at protesters en masse in their attempt at crowd control and dispersalThese and other acts of violence have even been acknowledged by mainstream politicians such as the leader of the Congress party Mr Rahul Gandhi who has noted people dying in Jammu and Kashmir in light of events going very wrong there the letter mentionedMazari also accused the Indian security forces of arresting minor children and also denying them the right to go to school due to the lockdown and that children being the target of pellet gunsWhile the violations discussed above represent only a fraction of the total horrifying violations being committed by the state of India against the Kashmiri people they are an apt illustration of the intensity of the conflict and gravity of rights violations currently going on in the regionRecently Mr Rahul Gandhi president of the Congress party and several other Indian opposition leaders were forcibly returned from Srinagar airport to New Delhi This further nullifies claims by the Indian government that the situation is normalShe therefore requested the UN Special Procedures Mechanisms to intervene with the Indian government to reverse its illegal annexation of Jammu and Kashmir end the communications shutdown ensure compliance with international human rights obligations among other suggestionsAlso inputs from IANSCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates