ANKARA, 12 October 2016: Prime Minister’s Special Envoys on Jammu & Kashmir, Muhammad Pervez Malik and Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha, called on Turkish Prime Minister, H.E. Binali Yildirim, on Tuesday and apprised him of the on-going gross human rights violations perpetrated by the occupied forces in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOK).
The Special Envoys noted that the extrajudicial killing of the Kashmiri youth leader, Burhan Wani, on 8 July 2016, triggered the latest phase in the long history of indigenous Kashmiri uprisings against the illegal occupation, with hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris taking to the streets, demanding their right to self-determination.
In blatant contravention of all norms of international law and international humanitarian laws, the Envoys emphasized, the Indian Government had responded to peaceful protesters with arbitrary and excessive use of force, illegal detentions, and extrajudicial killings. So far, more than 110 innocent Kashmiris had lost their lives and over 12,000 injured. The Special Envoys, in particular, drew attention towards the use of pellet-guns by the occupation forces, permanently blinding hundreds of protestors and even bystanders, including women and children.
The Special Envoys underscored the importance of the international community and the UN Security Council fulfilling their moral and political responsibility to urge India to immediately halt indiscriminate and lethal use of force against unarmed civilians; provide urgent medical help for the injured, especially those affected by pellet guns; end virtual imprisonment of all Kashmiris for the past 3 months by lifting the curfew; allow a UN fact-finding mission to investigate the systematic violations of human rights in IOK; hold accountable those responsible for such atrocities in the light of these investigations; abrogate the draconian ‘laws’ in place in IOK to suppress the inalienable rights of the Kashmiri people; immediately release all Kashmiri political prisoners and remove travel ban on Kashmiri leaders; grant Kashmiris their fundamental right to demonstrate peacefully; and, most importantly, ensure the exercise of the right to self-determination by the people of Jammu & Kashmir through a free and fair plebiscite held under UN auspices, as enshrined in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Also briefing on the latest security situation including escalation of tensions on the Line of Control (LoC), the Special Envoys emphasized that peace in the region and normalization of ties between Pakistan and India could not be achieved without the just resolution of the Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiri people.
The Special Envoys also conveyed gratitude for Turkey’s unequivocal and consistent support for Pakistan on the issue of Jammu & Kashmir, as well as its active role as a member of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir. They also thanked the Turkish Government for its strong support for sending an OIC fact-finding Mission to IOK to document the systematic and arbitrary violations of human rights.
Welcoming the Special Envoys to Turkey, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim conveyed his cordial greetings for the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan. Noting the special quality and depth of Turkey-Pakistan relations, he underlined that these ties were based on brotherhood and sincerity. He also underscored the long-standing tradition of Turkey and Pakistan always standing by each other. In this context, he reiterated gratitude for Pakistan’s strong support and solidarity with Turkey in the face of attempted coup on 15 July 2016.
Expressing deep concern over the sufferings of innocent Kashmiri people, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim underlined that Turkey had called for restraint and use of peaceful means to resolve the issue. He stressed that dialogue between India and Pakistan would help lead the situation towards a peaceful path. Highlighting Turkey’s role in the OIC Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir, the Prime Minister reaffirmed Turkey’s support for a solution of this long-standing dispute in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The Special Envoys are visiting Turkey on the instructions of Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, with a view to highlighting the grave human rights situation in occupied Jammu & Kashmir, underlining the need to urgently ameliorate the continuing sufferings of the Kashmiri people in the face of brutal repression, and underscoring the imperative of the earliest solution of this long-standing dispute in accordance with the relevant UN resolution and the wishes of the Kashmiri people. During their visit, the Special Envoys have had broad interaction with the Turkish political and parliamentary leadership as well as representatives of the media and civil society.