ISLAMABAD: Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has stressed the need for parliament to play an active role in sensitising the world about the worsening situation in India-held Kashmir.

“The inhuman lockdown of Kashmir and the denial of medicines, food items and violation of fundamental rights by India in Kashmir is condemned. The eyes of the international community must open to the fact that the worst affected in this inhuman clampdown are the children,” Mr Rabbani said while talking to reporters on Friday. He said Pakistan should immediately sensitise all international human rights organisations on the continued curfew, which was resulting in a lack of food items and medical facilities. He said that the flagrant violation of human rights were in total disregard by India of the various international treaties/conventions signed by it with reference to human rights.

He said parliament should immediately move all associations, organisations and forums that work for the protection of the rights of journalists and freedom of information over the lockdown on all forms of communications and access to information in held Kashmir.

Says lockdown in held valley has affected children the most

Mr Rabbani said that parliament should move an ‘Emergency Motion’ in the General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union to be held in Budapest in October.

He urged the same for the participants of the regional meetings of the Inter-Parliament Union to be held in the Maldives in September.

He said that parliament should attempt to convene a special meeting of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and also request for convening a meeting of the Asian Parliamentary Association to discuss the right of self-determination and the gross violation of human rights in India-held Kashmir.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2019