ANKARA, 12 October 2016: Prime Minister’s
Special Envoys on Jammu & Kashmir, Muhammad Pervez Malik and Mohsin Shah Nawaz
Ranjha, called on Turkish Prime Minister, H.E. Binali Yildirim, on Tuesday and
apprised him of the on-going gross human rights violations perpetrated by the occupied
forces in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOK).
The Special Envoys noted that the
extrajudicial killing of the Kashmiri youth leader, Burhan Wani, on 8 July
2016, triggered the latest phase in the long history of indigenous Kashmiri uprisings
against the illegal occupation, with hundreds
of thousands of Kashmiris taking to the streets, demanding their right to
self-determination.
In blatant contravention of all norms of
international law and international humanitarian laws, the Envoys emphasized, the
Indian Government had responded to peaceful protesters with arbitrary and
excessive use of force, illegal detentions, and extrajudicial killings. So far,
more than 110 innocent Kashmiris had lost their lives and over 12,000 injured. The
Special Envoys, in particular, drew attention towards the use of pellet-guns by
the occupation forces, permanently blinding hundreds of protestors and even bystanders,
including women and children.
The Special Envoys underscored the
importance of the international community and the UN Security Council fulfilling
their moral and political responsibility to urge India to immediately halt indiscriminate
and lethal use of force against unarmed civilians; provide urgent medical help
for the injured, especially those affected by pellet guns; end virtual
imprisonment of all Kashmiris for the past 3 months by lifting the curfew; allow
a UN fact-finding mission to investigate the systematic violations of human
rights in IOK; hold accountable those responsible for such atrocities in the
light of these investigations; abrogate the draconian ‘laws’ in place in IOK to
suppress the inalienable rights of the Kashmiri people; immediately release all
Kashmiri political prisoners and remove travel ban on Kashmiri leaders; grant Kashmiris
their fundamental right to demonstrate peacefully; and, most importantly,
ensure the exercise of the right to self-determination by the people of Jammu &
Kashmir through a free and fair plebiscite held under UN auspices, as enshrined
in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Also briefing on the latest security
situation including escalation of tensions on the Line of Control (LoC), the
Special Envoys emphasized that peace in the region and normalization of ties between
Pakistan and India could not be achieved without the just resolution of the
Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and aspirations
of the Kashmiri people.
The Special Envoys also conveyed gratitude
for Turkey’s unequivocal and consistent support for Pakistan on the issue of Jammu
& Kashmir, as well as its active role as a member of the OIC Contact Group
on Jammu & Kashmir. They also thanked the Turkish Government for its strong
support for sending an OIC fact-finding Mission to IOK to document the
systematic and arbitrary violations of human rights.
Welcoming the Special Envoys to Turkey,
Prime Minister Binali Yildirim conveyed his cordial greetings for the President
and Prime Minister of Pakistan. Noting the special quality and depth of
Turkey-Pakistan relations, he underlined that these ties were based on
brotherhood and sincerity. He also underscored the long-standing tradition of
Turkey and Pakistan always standing by each other. In this context, he
reiterated gratitude for Pakistan’s strong support and solidarity with Turkey in
the face of attempted coup on 15 July 2016.
Expressing deep concern over the
sufferings of innocent Kashmiri people, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim underlined
that Turkey had called for restraint and use of peaceful means to resolve the
issue. He stressed that dialogue between India and Pakistan would help lead the
situation towards a peaceful path. Highlighting Turkey’s role in the OIC
Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Turkey’s
support for a solution of this long-standing dispute in accordance with the
resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The Special Envoys are visiting Turkey on
the instructions of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, with a view to highlighting
the grave human rights situation in occupied Jammu & Kashmir, underlining the
need to urgently ameliorate the continuing sufferings of the Kashmiri people in
the face of brutal repression, and underscoring the imperative of the earliest
solution of this long-standing dispute in accordance with the relevant UN
resolution and the wishes of the Kashmiri people. During their visit, the
Special Envoys have had broad interaction with the Turkish political and
parliamentary leadership as well as representatives of the media and civil
society.
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