6 hrs ago
Kashmiri Activist Accuses Pakistan of Crackdown in PoK at UN
Tasleema Akhtar is an activist from Baramulla who spoke about Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at a United Nations meeting.
She said people there had been protesting for better governance and economic conditions.
According to her, Pakistani authorities responded by arresting activists and shutting down the internet.
She also said security forces fired on peaceful protesters.
Akhtar said dozens of people died in the clashes.
She asked for an independent investigation into every reported killing.
She argued that people in the region should not be called free if they are punished for asking for basic rights.
She also said people from PoK were not directly represented at the meeting.
She urged the United Nations to help restore communications and civic space.
Tasleema Akhtar raised concerns about alleged human rights abuses in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir at the 63rd UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva.
She accused Pakistani security forces of firing on civilians demanding basic rights and called for independent investigations into each killing.
Akhtar said recent protests over governance and economic issues were met with arrests, internet shutdowns and violent clashes.
She described Pakistan’s use of “Azad Kashmir” for PoK as misleading and said the region lacked genuine civic space.
Akhtar urged the UN Human Rights Council to help restore communications and protect civilians in the region.
- Who
- Tasleema Akhtar, a socio-political activist associated with the Association of Terror Victims in Kashmir, spoke about conditions in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
- What
- She accused Pakistani authorities of suppressing protests, harming civilians and restricting civic space, and called for independent investigations.
- Where
- At a United Nations human rights meeting in Geneva; the article also refers to a related UN General Assembly appearance in New York.
- When
- During the 63rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council; the article does not provide a date.
- Why
- She said she wanted to challenge Pakistan’s account of the region and draw international attention to alleged abuses and protest-related deaths.
Key facts
- Speaker
- Tasleema Akhtar
- Affiliation
- Association of Terror Victims in Kashmir
- Forum
- 63rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council
- Location
- Geneva
- Region discussed
- Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)
- Reported response to protests
- Arrests, detentions, an internet shutdown and violent clashes
- Main demand
- Independent inquiries into each killing and restoration of civic space and communications
Quotes
Tasleema Akhtar
Kashmiri socio-political activist associated with the Association of Terror Victims in Kashmir
“There is no civic space in PoK. Large-scale reprisals and killing of innocent civilians by Pakistani forces must be stopped at once. Civic space and communications must be restored, and there should be an independent inquiry into each killing”
NDTV
“First they tried to convert J&K into a graveyard by pushing terrorists, and now they have turned PoJK into a graveyard by killing innocent unarmed protestors”
NDTV
Sources
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