Exiled Kashmiris protest in front of UNHRC

Exiled Kashmiris held a demonstration in front of the UN Human Rights Council building in Geneva to show their disapproval of the discrimination practiced in Kashmir for the last 70 years. 

They sought immediate UN intervention into Pakistan's human rights violations, state-backed enforced disappearances of ethnic minorities, and the brazen misuse of draconian laws against the judiciary, social activism, and journalism to muzzle the dissent, reports The Genev Daily. 

The Kashmiris and other activists acknowledged the people who have been wrongfully charged and many more who have been sentenced to prison due to the lack of alignment with the narrative presented by Islamabad. 

Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, exiled chairman of United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) said: "Today's demonstration was held to express solidarity with the independent judges, the lawyers and the journalists who are constantly under attack by Pakistan. While many of them have been forced out of their native places by the establishment, the others have been beaten at their homes for supporting different opinions."

"Some have even been killed. And it (demonstration) was not just to express solidarity but also to urge the United Nations Human Rights Council to urge that it should intervene and pressurize Pakistan to change the undemocratic means to suppress the civil society," he added.

The activists also held a conference to highlight the increasing attacks of judges, lawyers, and journalists. 

They added how Pakistan continues to prevent the dissemination of truth and information. Additionally, they claimed that the murders and torture is never recorded by the ISI.

While they are elected through a democratic exercise, they hardly have any authority to legislate. Everything happens at the instructions of Islamabad and the deep state of the army.

The Kashmiris said, "This behaviour is totally unacceptable in the 21st century. We believe that people should have all rights over their resources. People should have the right to choose their leaders and the leaders they are choosing should have enough authority to work for the peace and development of both their people and the region. And I believe that the entire region is suffering due to the undemocratic posture they have resorted to over the past decades."

Pakistan occupied Kashmir's resources which have been plundered over the years by Pakistan. Its culture has been violated and socio-economic standards have plunged deep towards the bottom.

Although Pakistan's successive Prime Ministers including Imran Khan have made the tall claims of working for the welfare of Kashmiris, the reality speaks of its brute atrocities carried out with impunity since 1947, despite the state acceding to India in 1947 after British India was divided into India and Pakistan.