Members of a key European Union Parliamentary Committee have backed the United Nations’ indictment of New Delhi for flagrant violation of human rights in the disputed Kashmir region and called for investigation into the atrocities.
The parliamentarians’ call came in the midst of ongoing violence against Kashmiris living in the occupied territory as well as Indian cities in the aftermath of Pulwama attack that killed more than 40 Indian security forces.
New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for the attack and provocative statements by the BJP ruling party are seen as instigating violence against the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The tow countries have been trading allegations since them. Jammu and Kashmir is a UN-accepted disputed territory in the Himalayan region and both Pakistan and India – that govern parts of it – claim it in its entirety.
In Europe, the sub-committee on Human Rights of European Parliament met to look at the human rights in Kashmir. In their deliberations, thee MEPs also highlighted the need for peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue through dialogue between Pakistan and India, and with full participation of Kashmiri people, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said.
In the first public debate on Kashmir since 2007, the Chair of the Sub-Committee Panzeri reiterated EU’s commitment to uphold and protect human rights throughout the world,
According to a Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement, Panzeri said the EU had never shied away from discussing human rights, even when it involved complex political issues. He pointed out that the Jammu and Kashmir was the longest unresolved issue on the agenda of United Nations.
The EU believed that dialogue among nations was necessary to resolve such issues. He, however, pointed out that the event was focused on human rights situation in Kashmir and the plight of Kashmiris.
The MEP’s discussion focused on a damning June 2018 report of the United Nations’ Office of High Commissioner on Human Rights (OHCHR) on Kashmir.
Ms. Christine Chung, one of the authors of the report was especially invited for the occasion by the sub-committee.
In her comments, she highlighted the dire human rights situation in the Indian-occupied Kashmir and reiterated the OHCHR’s recommendations for establishing a commission of inquiry to conduct a comprehensive and independent international investigation of human rights violations in Kashmir.
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