Establish inquiry commission to probe human rights violations in PoK: Activist urges UNHRC
Jul 16, 2020
Geneva [Switzerland], July 16 : Activist Sajjad Raja on Thursday urged the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to establish a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Gilgit-Baltistan and hold their perpetrators accountable.
"I have demanded UNHRC to establish a Commission of Inquiry to conduct an investigation into human rights violations and abuses, to identify the perpetrators and to formulate recommendations for PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan so that authors of these violations are held accountable," said Raja, Chairman of the National Equality Party JKGBL, speaking at a session of the UNHRC.
On July 9, while speaking at 44th session of the UNHRC, Raja earlier highlighted that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) carries out extensive surveillance operations on the press and pro-independence groups.
Raja said that the Pakistan government and the military have carried out arbitrary arrests in which people have been tortured and several killed.
"According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, ISI carries out extensive surveillance operations on the press and pro-independence groups. They have carried out arbitrary arrests in which people have been tortured and several have died," he said.
"I request this august council, that the Pakistani government be put on notice on specific cases of extrajudicial killings and summary executions such as Arif Shahid, Sayed Haider Shah Rizvi, Ali Murtaza, Sher Khan, Qazi Khushal and Raja Nazim to name a few," he added.
Pakistan has a long history of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, many of which have targetted human rights and minority defenders critical of the government and the military, as well as persons suspected or accused of involvement in the opposition.
The experts stressed that there can be no justification for the Pakistan government's failure to end enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings and that any such violation must be investigated, prosecuted and punished.
