The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, presented an oral update on human rights situations around the world.
With reference to Kashmir, she made the following points:
“It has been more than a year since my last report …... In Indian-administered Kashmir, incidents of military and police violence against civilians continue, including use of pellet guns, as well as incidents related to militancy. Major legal changes – including to the Constitution and domicile rules – are generating deep anxiety, but the space for political debate and public participation continues to be severely restricted, particularly since new media rules have prohibited vaguely defined “anti-national” reporting.
While I welcome the release of some political and community leaders hundreds of people remain in arbitrary detention, with many habeus corpus petitions still pending – including those of many of Jammu and Kashmir’s political leaders. I welcome the initiatives to extend services to remote areas, and the recent conditional restoration of full Internet connectivity in two districts which should be applied promptly to the rest of Jammu and Kashmir.”
On the overall engagement of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights with Pakistan and India, with reference to upholding the rights of Kashmiris, she said the following:
“My Office is committed to continuing its engagement with both India and Pakistan, to uphold the rights of the Kashmiri people – which is the best way to prevent further tensions and conflict.”
The High Commissioner’s remarks today reinforce the serious concerns that have been repeatedly expressed by Pakistan, international media and global human rights organizations.
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