Demographic composition of held territory as war crime: Mizari

ISLAMABAD ((2 News) – Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen Mazari said Indian attempts to change the status of Occupied Kashmir are not only illegal, but they also defy the Geneva Convention which attributes any change in demographic composition of held territory as war crime. Addressing a joint parliament session on current situation of Occupied Kashmir, the minister said with the revocation of Articles 370 and 35-A India has violated the Shimla Accord, the decisions of its superior courts and all international norms. “Even the Supreme Court of India gave a ruling in 2016 that central government cannot change these articles without the approval of state government,” she added. The federal minister said the atrocities perpetrated by Indian security forces on innocent Kashmiris are tantamount to genocide of native population and we must make efforts to persuade international community to take action and stop India from these acts. She said it is responsibility of the international community to intervene when there is a serious risk of genocide and ethnic cleansing. Referring to Indian use of cluster bombs on innocent population in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK), she said both Pakistan and India are signatories to Convention on Cluster Munitions and India has violated this international agreement. She said our government has written a letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and apprised of these violations of human rights. Shireen Mazari said government will use all international forums to highlight the gravity of the situation and will also make efforts for calling a special meeting of the UN Security Council. She said we have to inform the world community that Pakistan will not remain silent if any misadventure is done against us. On the occasion, PML-N stalwart Khawaja Asif said that that everything that was said yesterday during the first day of the joint session was in total contradiction with what Imran Khan had said over the past year. “It is not enough to read history, you should learn a lesson from history. "Don't tell us about the past, we know it. Tell us what is to happen in the future,” he said. Khawaja Asif said that over the past year, there had been no response from India to Pakistan's efforts. “We gave them a lot of sweetener, yet no response came from them.” The PML-N leader added that Prime Minister Imran had said that if Prime Minister Narendra Modi was re-elected a solution to Kashmir was possible. "Even four months ago, he had hopes from Modi." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaJlK1J6b2w Leader of Opposition in Senate Raja Zafarul Haq said India had been preparing for this step for long and already paved the way for domestic and international public opinion in its favor. “Pakistan needs to mobilize the international public opinion against this step as Kashmiris are suffering immense human rights abuses by an occupying force,” he explained. He said the UN Charters binds its members to avoid such steps that are discriminatory to native populations. Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Siraj ul Haq said India cannot suppress the right to self-determination of Kashmiris by use of brute force. He said India planned well ahead to carry out its plan of changing the demographic composition of Kashmir to annex the land. He warned that if a strong response is not given to India now, it can claim Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan in the next phase. Sirajul Haq said the lives and death of Kashmiris are with Pakistan and they see their future with us. He said it seems India revoked the articles granting special status to Kashmir in connivance with the US and other world powers. He urged the government to organize an international conference in Islamabad to effectively highlight the issue of Kashmir to the world delegates.