ISLAMABAD: President of the Azad Kashmir chapter of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Barri­ster Sultan Mah­mood Cha­u­dhry has urged United Nations Secre­tary General António Guterres to immediately set up an inqu­iry commission to probe blatant human rights violations in occupied Kashmir.

Talking to reporters here on Thursday, he said the UN must implement recommendations of the Office of the Unit­ed Nations High Comm­is­sioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) made in its 2018 and 2019 annual reports and help bring a halt to human rights violations in India-held Kashmir.

Drawing attention of the UN chief to the worsening situation in the disputed regi­on, he said that during the global pandemic, when world was spending its resou­rces and energy to protect its citizens and provide them access to healthcare, India continued to commit heinous war crimes in held Kashmir and even set ablaze houses of Kashmiris.

Barrister Sultan Mahm­ood said the Indian government had even detained 68 children in the region, accor­ding to a UN report released a few weeks ago.

He lauded the UN chief for making a call for a global cea­s­efire in view of the current pandemic, but lamented that India-held Kashmir had seen a high number of casualties because of violence rather than the pandemic.

Condemning the spike in acts of state-sponsored terrorism and human rights violations in occupied Kashmir, he said that 102 freedom fighters had rendered the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of freedom over the last few months.

He said the last seven decades stood as a testimony to the fact that Kashmiris were determined to achieve freedom from Indian occupation and no degree of violence or torture could break their will.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2020