Friday 15 March 2019

Human Right situation in Pakistani Administered Jammu and Kashmir. Presentation of Dr Shabir Choudhry in a Seminar held during UN Human Rights Council 40th Regular Session on 13 March 2019.


Human Right situation in Pakistani  Administered Jammu and Kashmir.
Presentation of Dr Shabir Choudhry in a Seminar held during UN Human Rights Council 40th Regular Session on 13 March 2019, Palais des Nations, Geneva.

Mr Chairman, Friends and colleague, peace and blessings on all of you.

Situation of human rights in Pakistani Administered Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan has got from bad to worse. Whereas, Pakistan has banned extremist and terrorist groups in Pakistan, but sadly these proscribed groups are allowed to roam free, and intimidate people of Gilgit Baltistan and Pakistani Administered Kashmir.

Government of Pakistan under section 11-B of Anti - Terrorism Act has a right to declare any organisation as a Proscribed Organisation, if it believes that the concerned organisation is involved in promotion of terrorism.

The National Counter Terrorism Authority in its notification of 05 March 2019, added Hafiz Saeed-led Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation in the proscribed list.

To surprise of many, on 26 Feb 2019, Balawaristan National Front (Abdul Hameed Khan Group) was also added to this list.

So far, Pakistan has declared 70 organisations as Proscribed organisations. It is interesting that many of these organisations change their names and continue with their work until such time that under international pressure Pakistan ban them again.

For example, Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation was added to the proscribed organisations list on 05 March 2019; and on 06 March 2019, after one day, its leaders established a new organisation with a new name – Al Anfaal Trust.

In other words, international community and people are fooled with the imposition of the ban, but in reality, almost all the leaders, aims and objectives, constitution, infrastructure stays the same. The old name is replaced with the new name, and the new organisation continues the job where its predecessor left it.

Aljazeera in its report on politics of Pakistani Administered Kashmir said, and I quote:
‘Political parties seeking independence for the entire disputed territory of Kashmir from both Indian and Pakistani control are facing a fresh round of intimidation and legal action in the Pakistan-administered portion of the region.’  1 Unquote
A bitter reality is that electoral politics in so called Azad Kashmir is now dominated by Pakistani political parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
This means local political parties have lost political space. The nationalist parties are deeply divided, and do not have electoral support because of various reasons, however, politically they are relevant and dominate the political scene in Pakistani Administered Kashmir.
Pakistan apparently is very interested in fundamental rights of people  of Kashmir Valley living under the Indian administration; however, they seem to have a little interest about fundamental rights of people of Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistani Administered Kashmir.
Afzal Sulehria, President of Kashmir National Party was sent to jail three times and faced court cases for the last 16 years for having advocated for an independent Jammu and Kashmir, he said, and I quote:
"We are citizens of this state, we have lived here for thousands of years, generations of our family have lived here, but the resources of this land, they are apparently not for us. We are not citizens of Pakistan, as per the Pakistani constitution, as per the United Nations resolution and as per our own laws. But despite this, we have been arrested for treason and rebellion [against Pakistan]." 2 Unquote
Afzal Sulehria and other political activists of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan are charged with "treason" or "sedition". Crime of these political activists is that they love their motherland and want to see it free of occupiers and oppressors.
Tariq Farooq, a senior minister in the Pakistan Administered Kashmir government said:
"Anybody can do anything, claim anything, discuss anything in this area. In our government, everybody has full fundamental rights to speak anything which is related with human rights", he told Al Jazeera.
When he was asked if this right of freedom extended to parties advocating for Pakistani forces to leave Kashmir, Tariq Farooq said: "They can't say that". 3
Reality is that political parties are allowed to hold rallies, but authorities threaten people to keep away to ensure that the attendance is low.
Waqar Hussain Kazmi, Chief Organiser for the United Kashmir Peoples National Party, said Pakistan's treatment of pro-freedom activists mirrored that of neighbouring India. He further said:
"We are the sons of this soil, but over here, we are accused of being [Indian intelligence] agents. And on their side, we are accused of being [Pakistani intelligence] agents."
One Azad Kashmiri journalist and political activist hit the nail on its head, and said: Only freedom we have in Azad Kashmir is that we can praise Pakistan; and use foul language against India and ridicule them.
Mr Chairman, I thank you.
Writer is a renowned writer and author of many books. He is also President Foreign Affairs Committee of UKPNP; and Chairman South Asia Watch, London.
Email: Drshabirchoudhry@gmail.com       Twitter:  @Drshabir

Reference:
2.   Ibid
3.   Ibid

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