LAHORE, FEB 5 (DNA) – The Pakistan Industrial and Traders Association Front (PIAF) Chairman Mian Nauman Kabir has raised serious concerns over continuing human rights abuses and curfew like atmosphere in Indian Held Kashmir for a long time, saying successive ceasefire violations along the Line of Control by the Indian Forces is a serious threat to regional trade and economic prosperity.

In a joint statement with vice chairman Javed Siddiqi, issued here on Friday to mark the Kashmir Solidarity Day, he urged the United Nations to accord serious attention to blatant violation of human rights in IHK, constituting a high powered human rights committee to visit the valley to see and report the facts. These egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to bilateral trade and regional peace. He added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the Working Boundary, India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian held Jammu and Kashmir.

Mian Nauman Kabir said that the international community must hold India accountable for its human rights abuses in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He appreciated the government to register strong protests over the ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control, killing and seriously injuring several innocent civilians.

Expressing solidarity with the armed forces, struggling against terrorism, he said that operations of Pak Army and security forces against terrorism have made the situation stable in the country.

Mian Nauman Kabir lauded the efforts of the law enforcement agencies and paid tributes to security personnel who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty.

“The PIAF pays tribute to the security forces, who laid down their lives to thwart all kinds of terrorist attacks and the whole trade and industry is proud of its security personnel, who bravely fought off militants to avert massive casualties.”

The leader of trade body said that the whole Pakistani nation was supporting the Pak army in their struggle against terrorism so that terrorism was fully extirpated from the soil. He said that when there was peace in the region, socio-economic development and prosperity would automatically come.

He said the atrocities by Indian occupation forces were well documented by the United Nations, human rights organizations as well as international media. And a continuing silence in the face of such blatant abuse is against international human rights and humanitarian laws and must be unacceptable, he remarked.

PIAF, on behalf of the whole business community of Pakistan, calls on the international community to hold India accountable for its human rights abuses in IoJK where women, men and children have faced pellet guns, sexual assault, electrocution, and physical & mental torture, he added.

PIAF vice chairman Javed Siddiqi said that the Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary had continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons.

Last year, India had committed 1490 ceasefire violations resulting in 15 Shahadats and serious injuries to 116 innocent civilians, he said.

Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, Javed Siddiqi underscored that such senseless acts were in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and are also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct.

Unfortunately, soon after formal identification of India as a violator of Human Rights in IHK, in an act of gross disregard, intimidated the UN and the world, revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 in August 2019 and instantly poured in thousands of State Security Forces troops who imposed an instant Curfew, closed down telecommunications and internet services, and indiscriminately arrested innocent political leaders and activists.=DNA

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