Report: ANI
GENEVA: Professor Dr. Shagufta Ashraf has called for sustained international monitoring, effective scrutiny and accountability regarding the human rights situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the 63rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, she said human rights violations should not merely be documented in reports but must be followed by practical measures to protect victims.
She referred to the 2018 and 2019 reports of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), saying concerns regarding fundamental freedoms, accountability and access to justice in Jammu and Kashmir required continued international attention and action.
Dr. Shagufta Ashraf said repression was increasingly affecting institutional and civic life, with the dismissal of government employees without transparent due process raising concerns over arbitrary deprivation of livelihood, discrimination and political interference.
She urged the Human Rights Council to ensure unhindered access to Jammu and Kashmir, strengthen independent monitoring mechanisms, engage with victims and civil society, and issue a comprehensive third OHCHR report on the situation.
She said the credibility of the Human Rights Council would be measured not only by documenting concerns but also by ensuring that injustices faced by victims were not ignored.
