PR No. 151 Islamabad: November 27, 2018

Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen M Mazari has said that beyond rhetoric we should move forward and suggest concrete measures and need to engage the world for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. She urged keep demanding UN resolution implementation on Kashmir and said that we should keep reiterating implementing United Nations resolutions. Speaking at a seminar on "Remember the invasion of Kashmir: How youth can help end war", arranged by Youth Forum for Kashmir held in Islamabad on Tuesday, Dr Mazari presented a concrete and comprehensive proposal aimed at taking the Kashmir case to the world on the basis of implementable steps. Addressing the seminar, Dr Mazari said Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report on Kashmir came out earlier this year and we need to move proactively on this report adding that the report is excellent but UN should have done this before. She said Pakistan should not adopt the policy of India regarding Kashmir; it was a big mistake not to allow UN team. She said Pakistan should also demand the international investigation in IOK as the UN report does. “We need to draw attention of the international community on world’s legal and other forums about the human rights abuses of India. We should approach international NGOs working on women in conflict. The UN Report is fresh now, we should continue emphasizing on implementation”, she added. Dr Mazari suggested in her conflict resolution model that Pakistan should propose a solution of the Kashmir problem resembling the Irish Peace Accord. Human Rights Minister, Shireen Mazari said Pakistan should press the Kashmir case on the lines of the East Timor independence based on the concept of self determination. She further stated that Pakistan should ask the United Nations to document all the Kashmiris in IOK and also of the Kashmiri Diaspora across the world who qualified to vote in the referendum based on the UN resolutions adding that such documentation needed to be done. Citizens of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) were already documented, she added. While condemning the worst human rights violations and brutalities in IOK by India, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari said that the time has come to move beyond rhetoric for the support for Kashmiris, struggling for their right to self-determination and take concrete steps that put India on the defensive. She said Pakistan’s legitimacy in Kashmir conflict is based on UN resolutions, so we should not deviate from UN resolutions. India had itself took Kashmir issue to UN. She criticized previous government for not raising the Kashmir issue in letter and spirit. Talking about report of The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, she said India is denying international investigative teams and media to visit Indian Occupied Kashmir that’s why the human rights violations come into knowledge of the world lately, world should raise the voice that India does not allowing international media in IOK, she stated. Dr Mazari said we are also opening the Kartarpur border as it is humanitarian issue. The seminar was also addressed by Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Muhammad Faisal, Shaista Safi from IOK, Exective Director and Youth Forum for Kashmir, Ahmed Qureshi. Large number of Kashmiri youth attended the seminar.

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