Pakistan concerned over death of Kashmiri leader Ashraf Sehrai in Indian custody

KashmirPakistan concerned over death of Kashmiri leader Ashraf Sehrai in Indian custody

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Foreign Office has said that the government and the people of Pakistan are deeply grieved at the demise of senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir Chairman Ashraf Sehrai in Indian custody.

The senior Kashmiri leader was arrested last year on trumped-up charges under the draconian Public Safety Act in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

Ashraf Sehrai remained incarcerated in Indian jail under squalid conditions despite the serious deterioration of his health and the prevailing COVID-19 crisis.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Foreign Office Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said that India’s blatant attempts to portray the legitimate Kashmiri struggle as “terrorism”, and to prosecute its leaders through concocted cases, is a clear violation of the UN Charter, UN Security Council, and UN General Assembly resolutions, and international human rights and humanitarian law.

The Spokesperson said that as the COVID-19 situation in India deteriorates, we also remain deeply concerned over the health and safety of the incarcerated Kashmiri leaders as well as other innocent Kashmiris, languishing in jails at undisclosed locations.

Most of these jails are overcrowded and don’t have any provision for precautions against the COVID-19, he said.

Chaudhry said that reportedly, some of the Kashmiri leaders in Indian jails have already contracted Coronavirus. Unfortunately, they are not even provided any medical treatment.

The Foreign Office Spokesperson said that given the worst pandemic situation in India, the Indian government must immediately release the incarcerated Kashmiri leadership and all innocent Kashmiris.

The incarcerated Kashmiri leaders include Aasiya Andrabi, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Syed Shahid Yousuf, Shakeel Ahmed, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Fehmeeda Sofi, Nahida Nasreen, Zahoor Ahmed, and others. Many others are under house arrest including Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

“We once again call upon the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to urge India to drop all fabricated charges against political leaders of IIOJK and provide them complete legal protections, including the right to a free and fair trial,” the Spokesperson said.

The Spokesperson said that for its part, Pakistan will continue to support the Kashmiri people in their rightful struggle against Indian oppression till the realization of their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in the UN Security Council Resolutions.

Must read

Recent News

Moscow says it won’t allow US to silence UNSC on Israeli violence against Palestinians Monitoring Desk: Russian envoy in United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said that the UN Security Council should bring peace, stability and prosperity to the Middle East and Russia would not allow United States to silence UNSC over the issue of Gaza crisis. According to TASS news Agency, Nebenzya said that Moscow will continue to call for an end to violence against Palestinians and will not allow the US to muzzle the UN Security Council as Washington seeks to support Israel's operation in Gaza. "We will continue to stand firmly for ending violence against the Palestinians. Without a shadow of a doubt, we will continue to expose the abuses and sanctimony with which the US is handling the situation. We will not allow the Americans to gag the entire council with their hands in an effort to encourage further continuation of Israel's ruthless operation," he said in a speech at the Security Council.

Moscow won’t allow the US to silence the UNSC on Israeli violence against Palestinians

0
Monitoring Desk: Russian envoy to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said that the UN Security Council should bring peace, stability, and prosperity to the...

From Valdai to Margalla Dialogue —- All roads to Civilisations go through Islamabad

0
By Shazia Anwer CheemaThe emergent realities of global security are fundamentally transforming the frame of references and trajectorial approaches toward them. New security architecture...

12 more men in uniform embraced martyrdom for the motherland in Pakistan

0
Monitoring Desk: 12 more men in uniform embraced martyrdom for the motherland in Pakistan, said Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) of the Pakistan Army.On...
Dr. Attia Anwar

Lifelong learning

0
By Dr. Attia AnwarAs we age, our minds and mental health become more important. We should try to maintain and improve them. Education is...
12th Defense Expo 'Ideas 2024' 'Weapons for Peace' a major step in defense diplomacy

12th Defense Expo ‘Ideas 2024’ ‘Weapons for Peace’ a major step in defense diplomacy

0
By Asghar Ali MubarakIdeas 2024, the global exhibition of defense equipment, will begin today at the Karachi Expo Center on November 19, in which...
Advertisement