rki.news
Altaf Hamid Rao
MIRPUR (AJK), Sept. 21: Senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Mrs. Shamim Shawl is scheduled to attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Kashmir Contact Group meeting on September 22 on the sidelines of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to a message received by APP AJK Correspondent.
Mrs. Shawl arrived in New York from Geneva, where she participated in the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), continuing her international advocacy concerning the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people.
During the OIC Contact Group meeting, Mrs. Shawl is expected to brief member states on what she describes as a deteriorating human rights situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.
According to the statement, her briefing will focus on political repression, including the detention of political leaders and suppression of democratic voices; alleged human rights violations involving arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings; demographic changes linked to land seizures; and the use of laws that the APHC says restrict dissent and political expression.
The statement said Mrs. Shawl would seek to draw attention to what the APHC describes as continuing challenges faced by the Kashmiri population and urge greater international engagement with the issue.
A spokesperson for Mrs. Shawl said the international community should address human rights concerns in Kashmir and called for diplomatic engagement through the OIC Contact Group at the UN General Assembly.
The spokesperson said the objective was to encourage international attention to the Kashmir issue in accordance with international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions.
The APHC has called upon the OIC and the United Nations to take what it described as immediate and concrete action regarding alleged violations and to ensure protection of the Kashmiri people.
The statement also urged international institutions to examine the concerns raised by Kashmiri representatives and support measures aimed at protecting fundamental rights.
The meeting is scheduled to take place in New York on September 22.
