KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly through a resolution on Monday asked the government to approach the international community to urge India to stop the ongoing human rights (HR) violations in occupied Kashmir and get implemented the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

The resolution condemning the illegal occupation of Kashmir by the Indian forces was presented by Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon and fully supported by all opposition parties, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and Jamaat-i-Islami (JI).

Speaking on the resolution, Sharjeel Memon said Kashmiris had endured decades of oppression by India as their right to self-determination had been denied. “Since Modi became the prime minister, the rule of law has been disregarded in occupied Kashmir, and Kashmiris have been stripped of their basic rights,” he added.

Mr Memon said that every government and prime minister of Pakistan had raised their voice at the UN in support of Kashmir because the Indian government had been violating the fundamental rights of Kashmiris.

Following Kashmir Black Day, lawmakers unanimously pass resolution to condemn India

“We want to make it clear to the world that the violation of Kashmiris’ basic rights is unacceptable under any circumstances,” he said, calling upon the international community to take action to end Indian brutality and aggression in Kashmir.

The resolution said: “Whereas Oct 27 is observed as ‘Kashmir Black Day’ in Pakistan to condemn the illegal occupation of Kashmir by the India forces in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

“Whereas, the human rights situation in the India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir has severely deteriorated, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, torture and enforced disappearances are reported.

“We stand in complete solidarity with Kashmiris in their struggle for realisaion of their inalienable right to self-determination in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.

“This house resolves and recommends to the Government of Sindh to ask the federal government for approaching the international community to urge India to stop the ongoing human rights violations and get implemented the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.”

JI’s lone member Muhammad Farooq said that India had deployed its forces in Kashmir on Oct 27 to illegally occupy it. He criticised the UN for not getting its resolutions implemented and said that the people of Pakistan showed solidarity with the Kashmiris.

PTI-backed SIC’s parliamentary party leader Shabbir Qureshi also supported the resolution.

‘Scourge of drugs’

Earlier, the senior minister, who also holds the portfolio of the excise, tax and narcotics control department, informed the house that the scourge of drugs was not limited to Sindh, but extended to Punjab, KP and Balochistan.

“Indeed, all of Pakistan is impacted by this crisis,” he said, calling upon the house members to support the government by providing lists of individuals involved in the heinous crime of drug trade in their respective constituencies.

He said there was an acute shortage of rehabilitation centres for drug addicts across the province as at present there was a capability of treating only 400 of them.

In reply to a call-attention notice, he said that there were over 7,000 applications of drug addicts for rehabilitation pending with the provincial government.

Urging the need of establishing more rehabilitation centres at the district and tehsil level, the excise minister said the provincial government with the collaboration of the Anti-Narcotics Force was setting up centres for rehabilitation of drug addicts.

He said the drug addiction was such a curse that could affect any one at any time and we must work together and cooperate with one other to combat the social evil. “The future of our next generation is at stake and we have to take the issue seriously,” he added.

He said the entire assembly had shown unanimous support to the issue of narcotics when the amended narcotics laws were presented in the house.

The minister said that action against the drug sale and use in educational institutions was already underway. “In the first phase action against drug peddlers in universities is being taken,” he said.

Later, Speaker Awais Shah adjourned the house to Tuesday at 10am.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2024