Page 13 - Pakistan Link - July 2, 2021

PAKISTAN JULY 2, 2021 – PAKISTAN LINK – P13
UN Chief Urges India to End Use of Pellets Pakistan Urges UNSC to Act to

against Children in Occupied Kashmir Protect Children in Held Kashmir

United Nations: UN Sec-
retary General António
Guterres urged India on
Monday to end the use of
pellets against children
in Occupied Jammu and
Kashmir and stop associat-
ing children with the secu-
rity forces in any way.

The UN chief made
these observations in his
latest report on “Children

and Armed Conflict” pre-
sented in the UN Security
Council on Monday for

an open debate. The re-
port does not clarify how
India has been associating
children with the security
forces.

The report revealed “I am alarmed at the detention and torture of children and concerned by the military use of The worsening situation and increased attacks against children in IOJK, as reported in
that last year, grave vio- schools,” said the UN Secretary General while urging the Indian government to “ensure that the latest report of the Secretary General, “calls for Security Council’s intervention by
lations were commit- children are detained as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period” holding India accountable for its grave breaches of international humanitarian law
ted against some 19,300
youngsters, particularly fied perpetrators, injuries worst effects of an armed by the end of 2020. The n By Anwar Iqbal More than 750 Kashmiris were

in war zones, such as Af- resulting from explosives, conflict. United Nations did not critically injured, while 2,770 in-

ghanistan, Syria and the crossfire between unidenti- “I am alarmed at the verify grave violations in United Nations: Pakistan urged the nocent Kashmiris were arbitrarily

Democratic Republic of the fied groups and Indian se- detention and torture of the context of the Naxalite UN Security Council on Tuesday to detained, and 922 houses destroyed

Congo. curity forces, crossfire be- children and concerned by insurgency. act immediately to protect children as part of collective punishment in-

“The disregard for tween unidentified groups, the military use of schools,” The United Nations in conflict zones, particularly in the flicted on the Kashmiri communi-

children’s rights amid war and grenade attacks and said the secretary general also verified the recruit- India-occupied Jammu and Kash- ties.
and upheaval is shock- crossfi re and shelling while urging the Indian ment and use of two boys mir [IOJK] where Indian forces have Pakistan reminded the coun-
ing and heartbreaking,” across the Line of Control. government to “ensure that by unidentified perpe- been deliberately targeting children cil of a gut-wrenching picture of a

Mr Guterres said during “I remain concerned children are detained as a trators and was review- with pellet guns. three-year-old Kashmiri boy sit-
the high-level debate, held by grave violations against measure of last resort and ing reports of the use of “The scale and intensity of ting on the body of his grandfather

virtually. “Schools and hos- children in Jammu and for the shortest appropriate three boys by Indian secu- today’s conflicts is stretching our (Muhammad Bashir) killed by the

pitals [are] constantly at- Kashmir and call upon the period”. rity forces for less than 24 capacity to protect children,” Paki- Indian forces that went viral on the
tacked, looted, destroyed or [Indian] government to He also urged India hours. stan’s UN Ambassador Munir internet, drawing ire from social

used for military purposes, take preventive measures to “prevent all forms of Four children were Akram told the world body. media and civil society. The three-
with girls’ educational and to protect children,” the ill-treatment in detention” detained by Indian security “Nowhere is this grim reality year-old boy was shown sitting on
health facilities targeted UN chief said. He urged and to “ensure the imple- forces in Occupied Jammu starker than in today’s IOJK. More top of his motionless grandfather as
disproportionately”. the Indian government mentation of the Juvenile and Kashmir for alleged than 300 innocent Kashmiris, in- he cried.
The report’s chapter to “end the use of pellets Justice (Care and Protec- association with armed cluding women and children, were “Such inhuman actions are

on India noted that a total against children” and to tion of Children) Act, groups, the report added. killed in fake encounters and staged not only in violation of the UNSC
of 39 children — 33 boys, “ensure that children are 2015, to address the use of Pakistan: One attack cordon-and-search operations,” resolutions on Children and Armed

six girls — were affected not associated in any way children for illegal activi- on a school was reported the ambassador said in his written Conflict but are also in breach of the
by violence in the occupied to security forces”. ties and the situation of de- in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa statement to the Security Council. ‘best interests of the child’ principle

territory last year. Of them, He also urged New tained children”. when unidentified perpe- In a report to the council on under the Convention on the Rights
nine were killed and 30 Delhi to endorse the Safe According to the re- trators placed an impro- Monday, UN Secretary General An- of the Child, to which India is a state
were maimed. Schools Declaration and port, the United Nations vised explosive device. tónio Guterres urged India to end party,” Ambassador Akram said.

At least 11 were the Vancouver Principles verified the use of seven Th e Global Polio the use of pellets against children in The worsening situation and

wounded by pellet guns. — an inter-governmental schools by Indian security Eradication Initiative re- Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and increased attacks against children in

The report includes inci- commitment to protect forces for four months last ported 127 incidents by stop associating children with the IOJK, as reported in the latest re-

dents of torture by secu- students, teachers, schools, year. unidentified armed ele- security forces in any way. port of the Secretary General, “calls
rity forces and unidenti- and universities from the Schools were vacated ments. In its written statement, Paki- for Security Council’s intervention
‘Situation Dangerous, Pakistan Could Face Blowback’ stan reminded the Security Council by holding India accountable for its
grave breaches of international hu-
that during 2020, some of the worst
atrocities and state terrorism took manitarian law and war crimes in
Islamabad: PPP co-chairperson some fleeing across the frontier. The place in IOJK: IOJK,” he added... Dawn

Asif Ali Zardari termed the situation seizure of Shir Khan Bandar, in the
in Afghanistan “dangerous” on Tues- far north of Afghanistan, about 50 TikTok Ban: ‘Judicial Activism’ Has
day, saying that Pakistan could face kilometers from Kunduz city, was the
its “blowback”. most significant gain for the Taliban Cost Pakistan Billions of Dollars

Speaking to Dawn.com prior since the US began the final stage of

to the budget session in parliament, its troop withdrawal in May. Islamabad: Federal Minister for In- undertakings and assurances” given by
he stressed the need for Pakistan to Israel visit: Zardari was also formation and Broadcasting Fawad it before various courts and the PTA to
“keep an eye” on the situation in Af- asked about reports of former spe- Chaudhry on Wednesday stressed the block accounts spreading vulgarity.
ghanistan and mull and deliberate on cial assistant to the prime minister need for judicial reforms and slammed In March, the Peshawar High

the matter. on overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari recent high court decisions banning Court had imposed a similar ban on

He expressed the hope that rel- travelling to Israel covertly. He re- the social media app TikTok as well the video-sharing application. The ban
evant officials and authorities would sponded by advising the government as setting aside the appointment of was later lifted in April.

be monitoring the situation in the to take parliament into confidence the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) In October last year, the PTA had

neighboring country and take deci- on the matter. president. banned TikTok for the first time over
sions accordingly. An Israeli publication had al- In a tweet, the minister said the complaints regarding indecent and im-
In recent days, concerns have Imran Khan pointed out that if there leged on Monday that Bukhari had country would never be able to come moral content.

been raised over a security vacuum was a further civil war in Afghani- paid a secret visit to Tel Aviv as a out of an economic crisis unless judi- The ban was lifted 10 days later

in Afghanistan amid the US pullout stan instead of a political settlement, messenger of Pakistani leaders — a cial reforms were implemented. “after assurance from management

as the already dim prospects of suc- the number of refugees in Pakistan claim that was instantly denied by “My head is spinning after read- that they will block all accounts repeat-
cessful reconciliation between the would increase thereby “further im- the government and personally by ing about the decision to ban TikTok edly involved in spreading obscenity
Afghan government and the Taliban poverishing the frontier areas on our Bukhari. and remove the NBP president. What and immorality”.

are growing dimmer with every pass- border”. Such reports first surfaced in are our courts doing? The country has IHC sets asides appointments:
ing day. These fears are further fueled by December according to which an already suffered losses worth billons Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court

Pakistani authorities fear a fur- rising violence in the war-torn coun- unnamed adviser of the prime min- of dollars due to judicial activism,” the on Tuesday set aside the appointments

ther intensification of the civil war in try in the wake of the US drawdown. ister, possessing a British passport, minister said. of NBP President Arif Usmani and

Afghanistan following the comple- Since early May, the Taliban have had toured Israel to convey an offi- Earlier this week, the Sindh High Chairman of its Board of Directors,

tion of the pullout in the absence of launched major offensives targeting cial message proposing the normal- Court had ordered the Pakistan Tele- Zubair Soomro.

a political settlement. This, they ap- government forces across the rugged ization of ties between Pakistan and communication Authority (PTA) to According to the petitioner, the

prehend, can have a spillover effect countryside. On June 22, the Taliban Israel in return for an improvement suspend access to TikTok in the coun- appointments had been made in vio-
pushing refugees into Pakistan. captured Afghanistan’s main border in ties with Gulf states and support try until July 8. lation of the constitutional rights that

In a recent opinion piece for The crossing with Tajikistan, with securi- for Islamabad’s position on several The court in its order stated that ensured equal opportunity for every
Washington Post, Prime Minister ty forces abandoning their posts and other issues. TikTok had not abided by “the constant citizen.
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