ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Tuesday urged the world to intervene over killings and human rights abuses in occupied Kashmir by Indian forces.

“The international community must 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,” the FO said in a reaction to the killing of 13 Kashmiris.

The 13 Kashmiris lost their lives in two separate incidents in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district and Mendhar in Poonch district on Monday. Indian troops describe the use of force against Kashmiri fighters as “anti-infiltration operations” which they say were launched on May 28.

“Pakistan is deeply concerned over unabated extra-judicial killings of Kashmiri youth in fake encounters and so-called ‘anti-infiltration’ operations,” the FO statement said, adding that killing of 13 Kashmiris in a single day spoke about Indian cruelties in the valley.

It deplored that India was benefiting from the international community’s pre-occupation with the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and brutalising the Kashmiris.

India accuses Pakistan of training Kashmiri freedom fighters and cross-LoC infiltration to cover up its troops’ barbarity in held Kashmir. The FO said that these oft-repeated allegations were “unsubstantiated” and Indian “malicious propaganda” had lost credibility with the international community.

“The RSS-BJP combine stands exposed before the world for its illegal and inhuman actions and extremist ‘Hindutva’ agenda,” it said.

The FO said that India must realise that neither its brutal use of force had broken the will of the Kashmiri people nor did its anti-Pakistan propaganda divert world’s attention from its state terrorism and egregious violations of human rights in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

“The martyrdom of each Kashmiri will further fortify the Kashmiris’ resolve for freedom from Indian occupation. The Kashmiris will never give up their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the UNSC Resolutions and the leadership and people of Pakistan will never flinch in their commitment of full support for the Kashmiris towards that end,” it said.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2020