ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday called on the United States to play a constructive role in urging India to halt human rights abuses in Kashmir and release all political prisoners, as tensions over the disputed region persist.
Speaking at the weekly press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the international community, including Washington, must hold India accountable for what Pakistan describes as systemic human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). He urged the US to press New Delhi to stop abuses and free detainees, including leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference.
The appeal came as Andrabi recalled the martyrdom anniversaries of Kashmiri leaders Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq (1990) and Abdul Gani Lone (2002), both allegedly killed by Indian forces. He claimed 70 Kashmiris were also martyred while carrying Farooq’s coffin. The lack of accountability for such killings, he said, exemplifies the impunity that defines the human rights situation in IIOJK, a region at the heart of a decades-long dispute between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Andrabi also announced that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would begin a four-day official visit to China on Saturday. The trip, which includes stops in Hangzhou and Beijing, aims to strengthen the Pakistan-China all-weather strategic partnership, with a focus on trade, investment, industrial cooperation, and agricultural modernization. Sharif is slated to meet President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang, and will chair a Pakistan-China business-to-business investment conference covering IT, telecom, and energy sectors. The visit marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Responding to a question about US President Donald Trump potentially playing a role in securing the release of Kashmiri prisoners, Andrabi reiterated Pakistan’s deep concern over politically motivated cases, including against APHC leader Muhammad Yasin Malik under India’s Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA). He accused India of misusing its judiciary to pursue a political vendetta against Kashmiri leadership.
Andrabi also raised concerns over India’s alleged involvement in promoting terrorism in Pakistan, calling it well-documented, and expressed alarm over recurring incidents of extraterritorial killings linked to foreign terrorist networks.
The spokesperson urged the United Nations and human rights organizations to intervene and ensure a just solution to the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
Source: ARY News