International Human Rights Day: Calls for Global Action Against Human Rights Violations in IIOJK

By Dr Ansab Ali — Lahore, Pakistan

LAHORE: On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, a seminar organized by Kashmir Center Lahore highlighted ongoing human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK), urging international organizations to intervene and raise their voices against these abuses.

The seminar was presided over by senior PPP leader Ghulam Abbas Mir, with Advocate Ishtiaq Chaudhry, President of the Legal Council Human Rights Society of Pakistan, as the chief guest. Key speakers included In-charge Center Inam-ul-Hassan, Kashmiri leader Maulana Shafi Josh, PTI AJK Central Joint Secretary Mirza Sadiq Jarral, PML-N AJK Lahore Division Vice President Chaudhry Muhammad Saddique, Secretary General HRSP A.M. Shakoori, human rights activist Ms. Amna Naseer, senior journalist Naseer-ul-Haq Hashmi, and several scholars and civil society members.

Advocate Ishtiaq Chaudhry stated that the worst human rights violations in Jammu & Kashmir have persisted for over half a century, representing a failure of the so-called civilized world. He criticized the United Nations and other global institutions for failing to stop India from committing serious war crimes, noting that the Treaty of Amritsar (1846) laid the foundation for Kashmir’s current predicament. He added that, despite UN resolutions, Kashmiris have faced oppression, forcing youth to take up arms in 1988, and that India’s abrogation of Jammu & Kashmir’s special status in 2019 gave New Delhi free rein to act without accountability.

He condemned the double standards of the international community, pointing out that while the West shows concern for the rights of animals, human rights abuses in Kashmir and Palestine go largely ignored. He emphasized that it is the Kashmiri youth who continue to keep the movement alive, and warned India that it can never succeed in fully subjugating Kashmir.

The seminar concluded with a call to the international community to take meaningful action to safeguard the rights and identity of Kashmiris and hold India accountable for ongoing violations.