ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday, while urging India to engage in a “sincere and meaningful dialogue”, said it felt vindicated as the UN experts’ findings on human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) reaffirmed Pakistan’s longstanding concerns regarding state-sponsored persecution of Kashmiri Muslims and discrimination against minorities across India.
It called upon India to cease its coercive measures and unconditionally release all those arbitrarily detained in IIOJK while also urging it to halt its repressive policies, reverse demographic and legal changes, restore fundamental freedoms and engage sincerely in meaningful dialogue.
“Pakistan notes with alarm the experts’ observations that India’s actions have caused the extensive arbitrary arrest and detention of nearly 2,800 individuals, including journalists, students and human rights advocates. The continued use of draconian laws, including the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has enabled prolonged and unjustifiable detentions,” said the Foreign Office when the UN findings were circulated in all major capitals.
Pakistan deplored what it described as “deeply troubling” cases of torture, custodial deaths, incommunicado detention, denial of due legal process and family contact, punitive demolitions and forced evictions, recurring communication shutdowns, and suppression of press freedom — including the blocking of 8,000 social media accounts — as well as the rise in hate speech, lynching and harassment targeting Kashmiris and Muslim communities across India.
“Pakistan notes with grave concern the latest findings by the United Nations Special Procedures experts regarding India’s illegal measures in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The report, issued on November 24, 2025, again highlights the severe and systematic human rights violations faced by the Kashmiri people under Indian rule,” added the Foreign Office.
Expressing support for all religious minorities in India, particularly Muslims and Christians, Pakistan urged India to take concrete measures to end the persecution of all religious communities.
“Pakistan reiterates its commitment to a peaceful, just and lasting resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, in line with the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has been re-elected to the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for the 2026-2028 term. The elections were held during the 30th Session of the Conference of States Parties (CSP-30), taking place in The Hague on November 24-28, 2025.
“The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction (CWC) — with 193 States Parties — is the most successful disarmament treaty, having eliminated an entire class of weapons of mass destruction,” said the Foreign Office while announcing the results.
