Kashmir is an information black hole for the United Nations: Rapporteur for human rights Michael Forst

freepresskashmir.com
April 16, 2019
“Activists are now prevented to travel or have their passport confiscated or blocked from leaving the country.”
Belgrade, Serbia: Amid India’s ongoing elections and the recent controversial decision to partially ban civilian movement on the highway in Jammu and Kashmir, Michael Forst, UN Rapporteur for human rights has called the region an ‘information black hole’ for the global agency.
Citing various examples, Forst said numerous communications conveyed to both India and Pakistan regarding human rights violations in Kashmir went unanswered.
“We send communications to India and Pakistan and don’t receive replies. So, it’s complicated because it’s sort of a black hole in which there is no real possibility to operate as we do in other countries,” Forst told Free Press Kashmir on the sidelines of International Civil Society Week (ICSW) in Serbia.
On being asked about erstwhile UN military observers office in Srinagar, in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, Forst expressed a desire to engage with the government of India to resolve human rights abuses in the region.
“I am trying for an academic visit to India but it is difficult as I have been prevented from traveling to the region,” Forst added.
Forst also spoke about how Kashmiri groups, individuals who provide inputs on the ground situation and seeking protection feel abandoned by the international community at large owing to numerous restrictions from the Indian government.
Indian-administered Kashmir is the ‘most heavily militarised zone in the world’ with the presence of one soldier for every ten native Kashmiris.
With instances of enforced disappearances, pellet gun violence, and sexual abuse, the region is mired with reports of human rights abuses.
On the arrest of Kashmiri activists, Forst condemned the government for harassing activists and confiscating their passports after they return from UN meetings.
“Activists are now prevented to travel or have their passport confiscated or blocked from leaving the country. That’s a signal on what’s wrong in this part of the world,” Forst said.
As India’s elections are underway in phases and the ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party has used Kashmir as a flashpoint in the backdrop of the Pulwama attack to garner votes, Forst said the trend is similar globally.
“When elections are approaching in any part of the world, we see a lot of pressure put on those who promote free and fair elections, against oppression, or advocating free assembly from public officials.”
Forst also added that despite UN’s negligible presence in Kashmir owing to restrictions, its desk offices in Geneva follow the situation and try engaging with both the countries seeking for a solution.
Highlighting attacks on journalists in the region including photojournalist Kamran Yousuf’s arrest, Forst said the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved if the civil society in the region is repressed.
“Solidarity is the best protection for human rights defenders” he concludes.
Reference:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

India Joins Russia in Voting Against West-Backed Move to Expand Powers of OPCW

The Wire: June 28, 2018 New Delhi: India voted against a UK-backed move that will allow the global chemical weapons watchdog to apportion blame for illegal attacks, criticising the decision to grant “unchecked powers” to the head of the group which could be used for “partisan” purposes. On Wednesday, more than two-thirds of the member states of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) voted to authorise the international body to identify the perpetrators and sponsors of a chemical weapons attack. It also specifically called on the OPCW’s technical secretariat to begin work on identifying the perpetrators behind the use of chemical weapons in Syria. The draft decision, sponsored by 30 countries, was adopted at the fourth special session of the conference of the states parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention at the Hague, with 82 in favour and 24 negative votes. While Europe, the United States and their allies voted ‘yes’, there was strong oppo
Read more

As financial insecurity rises in urban India, so does investment in insurance

Image
Scroll.in March 13, 2020 Urban Indians are becoming less confident about their financial security. Up to 58% of them fret over financial independence post retirement, which is a 4% increase from last year. An equal share of urban Indians worry about meeting their daily medical expenses and sustaining their current lifestyle once they stop working. The findings are part of a survey published by Delhi-based Max Life Insurance in association with London-based consultancy Kantar. The firms surveyed 7,014 respondents in 25 cities, including six metros, nine tier-1 cities, and 10 tier-2 cities, between December 2019 and January 2020. Source: Max Life Insurance via Quartz The trends Source: Max Life Insurance via Quartz Source: Max Life Insurance via Quartz Source: Max Life Insurance via Quartz A significant share of urban Indians also say their families will have no financial support in the event of the breadwinner’s death. In such a scenario, around 57% believe the family sav
Read more

ED tracks Swiss Bank A/Cs of Agusta scamster

The Poineer February 10,2019 Rakesh K Singh The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has tracked a dozen Swiss bank accounts in the name of Rajiv Saxena, who is key accused in the Rs 3,600 crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam. The ED has also found out accounts held by  his family members and associates where the kickbacks in the now scrapped deal were allegedly parked. Two bank accounts are in the name of Rajiv Saxena’s  associates Pankaj Jain and Sumita Jain who are also the authorised signatories. The  third is in the name of another associate Ajit Singh Bubber, but Rajiv and his family members are authorised signatories. The remaining nine accounts are largely owned and operated by Rajiv, his family members and associates. Rajiv Saxena was deported by the UAE authorities on January 30 and the ED formally arrested him the next day and a court later granted his remand to the agency. He is currently undergoing custodial interrogation by the ED. The agency had in 2017 arrested his
Read more