Pakistan laments omission of Kashmiri children's plight in UN report

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has expressed concern over the omission of the situation of children in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from a recent United Nations report, stressing that children living under foreign occupation are especially vulnerable to human rights abuses and violence.

Speaking at the UN Security Council’s Arria-Formula meeting, Pakistani delegate Zulfiqar Ali said, “In Occupied Palestinian Territory, both in Gaza and the West Bank, countless children have been killed or scarred for life.” He noted that while such cases in Palestine were highlighted, the worsening situation of children in Indian-administered Kashmir was absent from the report.

Zulfiqar Ali, first secretary at Pakistan’s mission to the UN, said the omission was particularly alarming given the illegal and unilateral measures taken by India on 5 August 2019, when it annexed Jammu and Kashmir. “This selective omission risks obscuring the full scale of violations affecting children in situations of foreign occupation,” he added.

The Pakistani delegate also referenced the May conflict between India and Pakistan, highlighting deliberate targeting of civilian areas that resulted in the deaths of 15 children among other casualties.

Zulfiqar Ali reminded the Council that international law safeguards children in armed conflict, including their right to education and protection of schools. He cited the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UN Security Council Resolution 1998 on attacks against schools, and UN General Assembly Resolution 64/290 on the right to education in emergencies.

He added that Pakistan is committed to these protections, noting, “We have also signed a roadmap with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and are working diligently to implement it, further strengthening child protection in line with our national priorities and international commitments.”

Arria-Formula meetings, named after former Venezuelan Ambassador to the UN Diego Arria, allow Security Council members to engage in frank and informal discussions on issues of concern.