Killing spree of Kashmiris by Indian Occupation Forces in IIOJK intensifies after sentencing of Yasin Malik: FO Spokesperson

ISLAMABAD, May 30 (SABAH): Pakistan has strongly condemned extra-judicial killing of two more Kashmiri youth in staged “cordon-and-search” operation in Pulwama district of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) on Sunday. The martyrdom of nine Kashmiris in just the last four days, including two in Anantnag, three in Baramulla district, and four in Pulwama districts of IIOJK, is highly condemnable and part of the unabated brutal campaign of oppression against the Kashmiris. More than 609 innocent Kashmiris have so far been martyred by the Indian occupation forces in staged encounters, since India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad in a statement issued on Monday said that the intensified killing spree in IIOJK is a clear manifestation of India using state- terrorism as policy tool against the Kashmiris. Indian Occupation Forces have stepped up extra-judicial killings of Kashmiris, particularly targeting Kashmiri youth, following the malafide conviction and sentencing of Hurriyat leader Muhammad Yasin Malik in a grossly suspicious and contrived case. Indian Occupation Forces continue to operate with complete impunity under draconian laws such as Public Safety Act (PSA), Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

He said that Pakistan reiterates its call on the international community to hold India accountable for its gross and systematic violations of human rights in IIOJK. He said that India must allow independent investigation by a UN Commission of Inquiry as recommended by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in its 2018 and 2019 Kashmir Reports.

Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said that Pakistan also urges the international community to play its role in facilitating a just and peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people, for durable peace and stability in South Asia.