- FO spokesperson expresses concern over arbitrary arrests and detentions after New Delhi blast
- Accuses India of altering demographics and eroding Kashmiri cultural heritage
- Calls for international bodies to ensure accountability and allow impartial assessments
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has voiced serious concern over the worsening human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), condemning arbitrary arrests and detentions of Kashmiri citizens following a recent blast in New Delhi.
Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said in a statement that Pakistan remains “gravely concerned about the persistent and serious human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.”
He noted that prevailing policies, marked by widespread detentions, arbitrary arrests, and severe restrictions on fundamental freedoms, continue to amount to collective punishment of the occupied Kashmiri population. Reports of Kashmiri youth being profiled on the basis of identity and faith, Andrabi added, “further heighten these concerns.”
The spokesperson also highlighted India’s continued efforts to alter the demographic character of the occupied territory and erode the religious, cultural, and social heritage of the Kashmiri people. “These measures appear to form part of a deliberate strategy to suppress the legitimate aspirations of the Kashmiri population,” he said.
Andrabi pointed out that thousands of Kashmiri youths remain missing, while political representatives are still in custody. He stressed that such actions cannot undermine the Kashmiri people’s “enduring commitment to realising their internationally recognised right to self-determination.”
The spokesperson urged the international community—including the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights—to take full cognizance of the grave human rights situation in IIOJK. He called on these bodies to press India to take immediate remedial measures, ensure accountability for documented violations, and allow independent assessments by international human rights organizations.
“A just, peaceful, and lasting resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, remains essential for durable peace and stability in South Asia,” the statement concluded.
