India failed to address key HR concerns despite intel. pressure: Speakers.

ISLAMABAD -- Speakers at a webinar while expressing serious concerns over India's noncompliance with the recommendations agreed during UPR's 3rd cycle, have said that despite strong protests from human rights organizations including the United Nations and the OIC, the Indian Government has failed to address the key human rights concerns expressed during third Universal Periodic Review.

The webinar organized by the Kashmir Institute of International Relations in collaboration with the World Muslim Congress, IMWU, and IAPSD was attended and addressed by prominent human rights activists, law experts, academicians, and diplomats hailing from different parts of the world including Dr. Imtiaz Khan, Marry Scully, Cecilia Jastrzembska, Robert Fantina, Gurpreet Singh, Prof Dr. Mehmet Sukru Guzel, Ms. Sheni Hamid, Mariana Zucca, Dr. Farhan Mujahid Chak, Ms. Farzana Yaqoob, Advocate Nasir Qadri Dr. Saira Shah, Laura Schamaz, Prof. Amna Mehmood, Advocate Parvez Ahmed Shah.

The event was moderated by noted rights activist and Chairman Kashmir Institute of International relations Altaf Hussain Wani.

'Given the scale of human rights challenges that Kashmiris face, it is extremely disappointing to see that India's repressive regime led by Hindu supremacists has been brazenly flaunting the UPR recommendations and commitments regarding the improvement of the human rights situation in the Indian-held territory of Jammu and Kashmir', the speakers said.

They said that the international community, in particular, the rights watchdogs should join their hands to hold the Indian government accountable and ask the government to address key human rights issues that have been neglected for too long.

Terming India's 5th August 2019 decision as an outrageous attack on Kashmiris' national identity, the speakers on the occasion, called upon Indian government to reverse 5TH August action, which they said was against the spirit of the Geneva conventions and UNSC resolutions on Kashmir.

Voicing their concern over the continued bloodshed and violence in the disputed territory, they observed that the draconian laws enforced in the state were the main cause of human rights violations in the region. 'Colonial-era tactics such as criminalizing freedom of expression and opinion, reprisals against human rights defenders and civil society activists are being used as a tool to suppress the voices of dissent in Kashmir', the speakers said, adding that misusing anti-terror laws by the...