Pakistan repeats demand for UN intervention in Kashmir

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan on Friday sent another letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), demanding intervention to end the “humanitarian crises” in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in a letter highlighted in detail the context and consequences of India scrapping the special status to Jammu and Kashmir on Aug. 5,” Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

Expressing concerns at the "intensification in human suffering, further breach of the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people," Qureshi’s letter underscored that India’s actions constitute violations of the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions, international law and India’s own solemn commitments.

"The Foreign Minister has underscored the imperative for the world community, including the UN, to call upon India to rescind its unilateral actions, lift the curfew and other draconian measures and restore fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people," the statement added.

Earlier on Aug. 4, Qureshi had written to the UNHCHR Michelle Bachelet and also held a telephonic conversation with her on Aug. 8 on the Kashmir issue, the Foreign Office said.

The letter was also being shared with the members of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly.

- A disputed region

From 1954 until Aug. 5, 2019, Jammu and Kashmir had special status under Indian constitution that allowed it to enact its own laws. The special provisions also protected the region's citizenship law, which barred outsiders from settling in and owning land, to preserve its distinct religious, cultural and ethnic identity.

India and Pakistan both hold Kashmir in parts and claim it in full. China also controls part of the contested region, but it is India and Pakistan who have fought two wars over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights groups, thousands of people have been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.