ISLAMABAD: Chairman Institute of Research and Reforms (IRR) Senator A. Rehman Malik has said that Kashmir and Palestine were two places where human rights were being blatantly violated but international community has become silent spectator.
He addressed and chaired a colloquium on International Human Rights Day which was organized by Islamabad Institute of Conflict Resolution (IICR) in collaboration with the Institute of Research & Reforms and the Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK).
He said that United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and Human Rights Day is observed on December 10, every year.
Malik said that the purpose of observing this day is to create awareness among the masses about their social, cultural and physical rights and to raise voice against all kinds of oppression, discriminations, human rights violations and injustices around the world.
He said that from this forum, “We urge the governments across the world to create equal opportunities for everyone without any discrimination and address the issues of inequality, exclusion and discrimination”.
He said that the resolutions passed in favour of the world powers are implemented immediately while the resolutions passed in favour of the smaller nations are ignored and never implemented.
Malik expressed that Heart bleeds to see the oppressed people of Kashmir and Palestine whose voices are going unheard by world powers.
He said that UN Human Rights Commission has itself reported on 14th June, 2018 that alone, since January 1989 till 31st January 2018, 94, 700 Kashmiris killed, 8, 000 killed in custody, 11, 050 women were gang-raped & 7, 485 were injured by pellets.
Malik at the end moved a resolution urging UN to take notice of human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir which unanimously adopted.
The forum appealed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish a UN Inquiry Commission to investigate human rights violations, discriminations and crimes against humanity in Jammu and Kashmir by Indian Forces.
The colloquium was addressed by Justice Chowhan, chairman Legal Forum for Kashmir, Dr. Farzana Bari, human rights activist, Professor Dr. Sumeera, Mukhtar Baba a senior journalist from IIOK, Sheikh Mateen member APHC and Sabah Aslam, Founder and Executive Director IICR and was attended by number of human rights activists, members of civil society and students from various universities.
Ambassador Dr. Haissam Special Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and Mohamed Iftikhar Aziz from Sri Lanka also addressed the seminar via video link. The speakers highlighted the importance of human rights day and urged the governments across the world to provide equal opportunities to all their citizens without any kind of discrimination.
They emphasized that the principle of equality and non-discrimination is basic to human rights. They called on the United Nations and other human rights organizations to break their silence on human rights violations in Kashmir, Palestine and other disputed areas and play their role in rescuing them from oppression.