New Delhi: India on Tuesday came down hard on Islamabad for its “brutality” against people in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK) and called on the international community to hold that country accountable for its “abuses”.
India’s reaction came as over 20 people were reportedly killed in police action on protesters in several parts of PoK.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, slamming Pakistan, said there have been “desperate” attempts by Islamabad to cover up its “failings” and deflect attention away from its alleged human rights abuses.
“We continue to see in this context, a pattern of fake news and videos emanating from Pakistan. It is a desperate attempt by Pakistan to cover-up its own failings and deflect attention away from its human rights abuses,” he said.
“There are reports of severe police brutality in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir in which several protestors have been killed and many injured. We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds and abuses,” Jaiswal added.
He was responding to a question at a media briefing.
India’s reaction came a day after Pakistan’s human rights body said that it is “deeply alarmed” by the ongoing violence in PoK during violent clashes.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also expressed serious concerns about the so-called regional government’s decision to proscribe the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) under anti-terrorism legislation.
The JAAC has long been demanding the abolition of 12 “refugee seats” in the so-called Legislative Assembly in PoK.
The seats are reserved for refugees from Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after 1947. JAAC alleges that these seats were often used by mainstream Pakistani political parties to influence the formation of governments in Muzaffarabad.
India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over the recent elections, maintaining that PoK has been “illegally and forcibly” occupied by Pakistan.
