Pakistan takes exception to Facebook ignoring IOK HR violations

ISLAMABAD: The derogatory policy of Facebook and its owner Mark Zuckerberg who has put monetary gains over human rights in the Indian occupied Kashmir did not go unnoticed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which said that “all options are being considered for dealing with this situation”, and sought the attention of the international social media organisations where their employees from India or other nationals of Indian origin are manipulating and violating the freedom of rights and expression.

“I have seen the regrettable reports (regarding Facebook). This should be an eye-opener for the international social media organisations where their employees from India or other nationals of Indian origin are manipulating and violating the freedom of rights and expression. Facebook, as a neutral social media, should take note of such exploitation and take necessary measures, including punitive action against such elements,” the spokesman at the Foreign Office responded to a query during the weekly media briefing.

He called for more balance and objectivity in the approach of Facebook in dealing with internationally-recognised disputes, and reiterated that continued violation of Kashmiris’ right to live and freedom of expression by the Indian occupation forces in occupied Kashmir (IoK) remains a matter of grave concern to Pakistan.

He pointed out that the international community could not fail to note the presence of around 800,000 Indian troops in the IoK, which is a clear example of forced occupation and imposition of control against the wishes of the Kashmiri people and to terrorise those who have been demanding their fundamental rights and do away with the illegal Indian occupation.

“It is unfortunate that the call for the implementation of UNSC resolutions, which enable their inalienable right to self-determination, is seen by India a sin of the Kashmiri people,” he commented.

Pakistan says the Indian government has been indulging in state-terrorism as a tool to suppress the just struggle of Kashmiris. “We condemn the killings and human rights violations in IoK. We also condemn the detention and house arrest of the Hurriyat leadership and urge the Indian government to release the Hurriyat leaders,” he added.

The spokesman lauded the voices from inside India who have expressed concern over the violation of human rights in Kashmir.

“We have noted the concerns expressed by saner voices from within India over the blatant human rights violations by the Indian forces, calling into question the killing of innocent and unarmed Kashmiris, especially over the serious injuries to eyes of several hundred Kashmiri youth. India should heed to these voices,” he advised.

There are strong possibilities that Pakistan and India on the sidelines of the Saarc meeting in Islamabad next week would push for a bilateral meeting with Indian Minister of Home Affairs Rajnath Singh.

“On such occasions, there is an expectation of meetings on the sidelines. However, I am not aware if there is any between Pakistan and India on the table. Both countries will discuss issues of their concern and work towards solutions, if the meeting on the sidelines takes place,” he added.

Pointing to the now suspended Composite Dialogue, the spokesman said, “In any dialogue with India, Kashmir will be the core issue.”

Pakistan says that it will raise the issue of Kashmir in the UN this year as well.

“This year will be no exception. We always emphasise in our interactions on the implementation of UN resolutions and on the blatant violations of human rights by Indian forces,” said the spokesman.

Finding itself between a rock and a hard place, Pakistan says that as far as the Turkish requests to close down the Turkish schools here, it is aware of Turkish concerns.

“Both the countries’ authorities are in touch with each other to address the Turkish concerns while also remaining cognizant of the importance of avoiding disruption in the academic activities of a sizeable number of students. In essence, in keeping with the cordial relations between the two countries, we are maintaining a close contact with Turkey to address the issue in a manner that fully addresses Turkey’s concerns as also of the students,” he explained.

Commenting on the Pak-Afghan relations to a query, the spokesman said that representatives of Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US had met in Kabul to discuss issues pertaining to border management and security.

“This is the first interaction of DGMOs of the two countries at the technical working level since the setting up of high-level consultation mechanism. The two sides welcomed the creation of the mechanism and agreed for continued engagement,” he said.

He added that the meeting took place because of Pakistan’s concern at cross border movement into Pakistan, which is responsible for the many terrorist attacks in Pakistan.

“Likewise, Afghanistan and the US have concerns regarding cross border movement from this side. Therefore, it was essential to evolve a mechanism to regulate cross border movement,” he said.

—Originally published in The News