UN official declares situation in Kashmir a serious concern

Geneva, March 12, 2018 (PPI-OT): A top UN official during a conversation with a Kashmiri representative in the presence of more than 500 representatives of major international human rights organizations has declared the situation in Kashmir a serious concern.

The unprecedented conversation occurred when Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, held a rare meeting with over 500 representatives of the civil society across the globe, on the sidelines of the 37th session of Human Rights Council, which will continue until March 23.

Kashmiri representative, Kashmiri representative Syed Faiz Naqshbandi addressing the important event discussed extra-judicial killings, fake encounters, enactment of draconian laws, indiscriminate use of pellet guns and denial of right to travel for Hurriyat leaders.

This is a significant development because Zeid Al-Hussein holds the distinction of breaking the United Nations half-century of silence on Kashmir when he added Kashmir to a formal list of urgent humanitarian crises, along with disputes like Syria and Myanmar, in his policy statement in September 2016.

Al-Hussein did this after the extrajudicial murder of Kashmiri youth activist, Burhan Wani. The High Commissioner created a second history when he sustained the focus on Kashmir throughout 2017, culminating with his announcement this month that the UN will be launching a major repot on the situation in Kashmir in June 2018. The UNHRC will hold its next session in June.

Syed Faiz Naqshbandi stood in a packed hall, with over 500 global NGO representatives, and addressed the High Commissioner on the situation in occupied Kashmir. “We seek the appointment of a Special UN Representative on the Situation in Kashmir,” Naqshbandi demanded.

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