ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday briefed his Saudi Arabian counterpart on India’s unilateral actions in Indian controlled Kashmir, which remains under lockdown since August 05 when the Indian government revoked its special status.
In a telephonic conversation with Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, Qureshi shed light on the ongoing atrocities perpetrated by Indian troops against residents of besieged Kashmir, and said India wanted to forcefully change the demographic
composition of the Muslim-majority valley.
The Pakistani foreign minister urged the international community to play its role to stop the human rights violations in stranded Kashmir. He said the world media was continuously bringing to fore the Indian oppression, and human rights organisations around the world had
condemned India’s actions and expressed fears of ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri people.
Qureshi further said the people in besieged Kashmir were facing critical shortage of food and medicines due to the strict curfew. He added that the Indian forces were barging into the houses of civilians and detaining the Kashmiri youth.
The Saudi foreign minister expressed concern on the crisis in Indian held Kashmir, and agreed on the need to continue contact between the two countries for regional peace.
Meanwhile, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has voiced concerns over human rights violations in Indian Jammu and Kashmir.
She expressed the sentiments during her conversation with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi who in a telephonic conversation apprised her about the latest situation in Indian held Kashmir.
The South Korean Foreign Minister said her country is keeping a close eye on developments in the region. She said breach of human rights is a serious issue which needs to be addressed.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the international community will have to play its role to get stopped Indian atrocities in Indian controlled Kashmir. He said the world media is continuously bringing to fore the Indian oppression. He said the human rights organizations have already expressed their fears of massacre of Kashmiri people.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the people in Indian controlled Kashmir are faced with shortages of food and medicines due to curfew. He said the Indian forces barge into the houses and are detaining the Kashmiri youth.
Meanwhile, Shah Mehmood Qureshi lambasted on New Dehli for carrying out ‘gruesome torture’ on innocent Kashmiris at the hands of Indian troops.
Quoting a BBC report on Friday, Qureshi tweeted: “Innocent Kashmiris are facing unprecedented abuse under illegal Indian Occupation. The world should hold India accountable for the gruesome torture of innocent Kashmiris by Indian security forces unmasked by BBC journalist.”
He added: “Protection from torture is a jus cogen international law norm prohibited in absolute terms by Convention Against Torture, Common Article 3 of Geneva Conventions and customary international humanitarian law.”
Earlier, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported the accounts of innocents Kashmiris being mercilessly tortured by Indian troops.
“Security forces in Indian-administered Kashmir have been accused of carrying out beatings and torture in the wake of the government’s decision to strip the region of its autonomy.” The BBC said several villagers told the publication that they were beaten with sticks and cables and given electric shocks.
In the occupied valley, “doctors and health officials are unwilling to speak to journalists about any patients regardless of ailments, but the villagers showed me injuries alleged to have been inflicted by security forces,” wrote the BBC correspondent. – NNI