ISLAMABAD: The PPP Foreign Affairs Committee has demanded that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and a United Nations peacekeeping mission be sent to the Kashmir immediately to protect civilians.

The committee meeting was chaired by PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman and attended by Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, Fozia Habib, Matloob Inqlabi and Haider Zaman Qureshi. PPP Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Chaudhry Latif also jointed the meeting later on.

The participants said the PPP has always stood for Kashmiris’ right to self-determination and will not accept any unilateral move on the inalienable right of the Kashmiri people.

The meeting called on the UN to stand by its obligations to protect the Kashmiri people in an area where the UN charter applies.

The committee called India’s revocation of Article 370 an attempt to annex India-held Kashmir and an attack on the Muslim-majority population, the UN itself and regional peace.

It demanded that the UN Human Rights Commission investigate human rights violations by the Indian state and its security forces in India-held Kashmir, and that the ICRC and a UN peacekeeping mission be sent to Kashmir immediately to protect civilians.

Senator Rehman condemned Indian aggression and shelling on the Line of Control targeting Pakistan’s civilian population and military personnel.

“The government should facilitate people living near the LOC and take all political parties into confidence on its strategy,” she said.

The committee stated: “The government needs to immediately apprise and inform human rights organisations of the crippling curfew in IOK which has crossed its 18th day and has left millions short of food and medicine supplies. Human rights organisations and international media should be freely allowed in IOK to protect citizens and access to international media should also be allowed.”

Ms Rehman said: “The PPP was first to get in touch with the Hurriyat leadership. Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a meeting with Hurriyat leadership before the prime minister did. He also offered Eid prayers in Kashmir to express strength and solidarity with the people.”

The committee said the government should take public representatives into confidence on forward options for Kashmir, and reiterated its full support according to the PPP chairman’s directives on support for Kashmir.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2019