ISLAMABAD, JUNE 19 (DNA) – On the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, we draw the world’s attention to the plight of Kashmiri women in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K),who have been frequent targets of sexual violence by Indian occupation forces.

In the past three decades, more than 11,000 women have been victims of rape or gang-rape at the hands of Indian occupation forces in occupied Jammu & Kashmir. We reaffirm our complete solidarity with these Kashmiri women and their families.

Women in IOJ&K have frequently been targets of violence and aggression as a means to punishing their families and communities for standing up against illegal and forcible Indian occupation. Abduction and molestation of young women during so-called “cordon-and-search operations”has been used as a punitive tool by Indian occupation forces to punish entire communities.

These repugnant acts of violence against women are enabled through a pervasive culture of impunity, reinforced by draconian laws such as Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that shield the Indian security forces from prosecution from their crimes of sexual violence.

India’s resort to sexual violence in the conflict situation of IOJ&K has been documented by the two reports of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as well as global media and civil society organizations.

The horrific mass rape of Kashmiri women in Kunan Poshpura villages of IOJ&K on 23 February 1991 is one of many evidences of systematic use of rape by Indian occupation forces to terrorize the entire population.

Lack of accountability of perpetrators and absence of justice for victims of rape of this and other incidents in the occupied region continue to define India’s deliberate disregard of rule of law and human rights.

Pakistan condemns India’s use of rape as an instrument of state policy to subjugate the Kashmiri people in the occupied territory. The world must wake up to these war tactics in IOJ&K, in violation of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law as well as applicable UN Security Council Resolutions.

The UN Security Council, OHCHR, the UN human rights mechanisms, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict must take cognizance of these crimes and hold Indian state actors to account who abet and partake in acts of sexual violence against women in IOJ&K.

ISLAMABAD, JUNE 19 (DNA)  – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has joined hands with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women to launch a series of webinars on Gender and Shadow Pandemic as part of a joint Virtual Advocacy Campaign (VAC) on COVID-19 mitigation measures.

The first webinar of the series was curated on 18 June 2020 with support from the stakeholders of the Criminal Justice Institutions through a virtual exchange on “Reporting and Underreporting of Sexual and Gender Based Violence: Gender Responsive Policing” in collaboration with the provincial Police Departments.

Inaugurating the webinar, Jeremy Milsom, Country Representative, UNODC Pakistan emphasized on the ominous nature of the ‘shadow pandemic’ that intensifies gender-based violence and said “UNODC is committed to support, strengthen and implement gender responsive policing reforms to address the magnified nature of Gender Based Violence in Pakistan.” Ms. Lina Mousa, Country Representative, UNFPA Pakistan remarked “Pre-existing vulnerabilities that subject women and girls to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence are further exacerbated during a pandemic. In this regard, UNFPA has been actively supporting the government departments and the NDMA, with a specific focus on vulnerable segments of the society such as women, children and people living with disabilities.” Aisha Mukhtar, Country Representative a.i., UN Women Pakistan highlighted, “Vulnerable populations experience the COVID-19 outbreak differently, which is likely to reinforce their marginalized position in society. Their experience of discrimination, violence and stigma further limits their access to essential support and services and increases their risk of experiencing violence. Our collective efforts will ensure that no-one is left behind in the response to COVID-19.”

The webinar brought together a diverse mix of eminent speakers and stakeholders, including legal policy, human rights, gender and empowerment experts. Barrister Benazir Jatoi and Gender Expert Nazish Brohi highlighted the trends in the reporting of GBV crimes influenced by the societal power structures, traditional mindsets and challenges of pre-trial reporting on violence against women to seek justice from the criminal justice institutions.

Senior leadership from provincial police departments included Abdul Khalique Shaikh, Additional Inspector General of Police, Sindh; Muhammad Ali Babakhel, Deputy Inspector General of Police; Tariq Abbas Qureshi, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Punjab; Dr. Farhan Zahid, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Balochistan. Taking stock of the issues surrounding gender responsive policing, it was mutually agreed by all among other recommendations that partnerships with civil society, evidence-based initiatives informed by the relevant data, institutional reforms, awareness raising and sensitization, targeting the public, particularly women educating them on their rights as well as capacity building of the police as front-line responders, including induction of women police at all levels will act as a force multiplier to tackle the unprecedented nature of the pandemic. Ms. Jouhaida Hanano, Criminal Justice Advisor extended a note of thanks to all on the successful conclusion of the webinar, reinforcing the commitment of UNODC and its partner agencies, UNFPA and UN Women towards supporting stakeholders to minimize the GBV risks of the shadow pandemic.

DNA

NAIROBI, JUNE 19 : Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has refused to rule out the possibility that the position of Prime Minister may be created in an upcoming referendum as a way to see him retain power past the mandated two-term presidential limit.

In a streamed interview with Financial Times journalist Katrina Manson, Mr Kenyatta refused to comment on “non-existent positions”.

He however was categorical that he would not stay on as president beyond two terms, saying the constitution and the people of Kenya were very clear about that.

“Kenyans are very clear about the two term limit since 2002, when it came into effect. No president has broken that. And I have no intention of being the first,” he said.

The president said Kenya would hold a referendum soon to, according to him, “change parts of the constitution that would periodically need amendments, a fact that even its creators acknowledged”.

He also addressed concerns about the free trade deal being negotiated between Kenya and the US, saying it would be a negotiation of equals despite the different economic and political power of the two countries.

A host of civil society organisations, who maintain that the trade deal will be a disaster for the Kenyan economy, tweeted their opposition under the hashtag #NoToKenyaUSFTA.

Mr Kenyatta also had a message for those holding Black Lives Matter protests in the US and across the world: “All lives matter, but there should not be any targeted oppression of any group in society.”

DNA

BEIJING, June 19 : Chinese scholar Prof. Cheng Xizhong said, India must be aware the consequences of crossing the Line of Control (LOC).

 He said  ” India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, three of the most populous countries in South Asia with a population of 1.7 billion and a very high population density of 450, 256, and 1,265 people per square kilometer respectively mean that the COVID-19 virus will spread faster and broader than anywhere else.

While China is working closely with the international community to fight the pandemic, India, also a major country in the world, should join the efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic.

However, the way that Indians perceive things is very confusing. In this critical time when all mankind faces the pandemic crisis jointly, India on the contrary chooses to be offensive, causing troubles to its neighbors.

 In the west, it provokes military conflicts against Pakistan; in the north, it has encroached on the territory of China and Nepal, stirring unrest in the whole region.

Although the border issue between China and India has not been resolved by far, peace and stability in the border areas have generally been maintained over the past decades thanks to the joint efforts of both sides.

In August last year, India amended its constitution and changed the status of Kashmir. In October, India announced the establishment of ” the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir” and “the Union Territory of Ladakh”.

The so-called ” the Union Territory of Ladakh ” is subject to China’s territory. The Indians, tending to play smart, have always misjudged the situation and encroached on China’s territory when China is in the middle of some troubles, which has resulted in military stand-offs in the border areas from time to time.

Recently, China has sought to resolve some problems on the international arena. Deceiving itself as the righteous one, India has dispatched troops to Galwan Valley in the western section of the Sino-Indian border to carry out illegal activities, and by establishing a bridgehead, intends to move northward and occupy more China’s territory.

The most serious military confrontation between China and India since the 1970s took place on June 15. After the military stand-off in Galwan Valley, which began in early May, China and India held a meeting on June 6 at the level of corps commanders and reached “important consensus”.

I reckon that the meeting basically dispelled people’s concerns about the trend of Sino-Indian relations and the unexpected events along the border.

 However, now it seems India has no intention to solve military confrontation through the military meeting. On the contrary, India seeks to consolidate its illegal occupation in the Galwan Valley through the meeting.

On June 15, Indian troops seriously violated the consensus reached by both sides by illegally crossing the line of actual control and carrying out provocative attacks on Chinese troops, which resulted in a severe physical confrontation between the border forces of both sides.

China has made solemn protests and serious negotiations with India on this issue, and once again demanded that India strictly restrain the front-line forces in accordance with the spirit of the consensus, and not to cross the line of actual control to carry out illegal activities, provoke troubles, and take any unilateral actions that may lead to the complexity of the border situation.

China and India have agreed to continue to resolve relevant issues through dialogue and consultation and make efforts to ease the situation and maintain peace and tranquility in the border area.

Here, I would like to make it clear to India that China will not give up even an inch of its territory. In the early 1960s, even when China was in a very difficult situation both at home and abroad, we were able to fight back against the Indian troops who invaded China’s territory.

Given that China has become the world’s second-largest economy, while India’s national strength is less than 1/5 of that of China, India should better abandon the thought that China could give in on the territorial issue as a result of its tensions with the United States.

 That is sheer wishful thinking. All Chinese people are desperate to defend their territory from invasion.

At present, there is only one way to solve the military confrontation peacefully, which is, the Indian troops go back to where they have come from.

I hope the Indian authorities understand the serious consequences of creating border troubles. We don’t want to see the 1962 border armed conflict happen again. We don’t want to see such physical confrontation again. What we want to see is peace and tranquility in the border area will continue to be maintained”, he added.

DNA

DUSHANBE, JUNE 19 :  Today the third part of the documentary film Treason will be shown on central television channels.

The documentary is about the leadership and members of the banned terrorist and extremist organization of the Islamic Revival Party, who during the years of independence with the support of foreign powers have been working to subvert the Tajik state and nation.

The horrific scenes, the terror experienced by political, cultural and scientific figures, representatives of international organizations, the hostage-taking and destruction of homes in different parts of the country during the 1990s and its aftermath were the main tactics used by its members.

The film shows physical evidence and interviews of witnesses.

The first and second part of the documentary was shown on June 16 and 17. The film is also available on social networks, including YouTube and Facebook.

SRINAGAR : Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred six more Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Pulwama districts of occupied Kashmir on Friday.

During cordon and search operations, the troops martyred four youth at Bandpawa Chitragam in Shopian and two others inside a mosque in Pampore area of Pulwama, today. The troops had martyred one youth each in these areas, yesterday.

Indian police and troops also used brute force and fired teargas shells in Pampore on the demonstrators protesting against the killings. Meanwhile, the troops continued violent military operations in different areas of Pulwama, Shopian, Islamabad, Kulgam, Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipore districts.

On June 8, Pakistan had strongly condemned the extra-judicial killings of nine Kashmiri youth at the hands of Indian forces in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) in fake encounters.

In a message posted by Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui on Twitter, she condemned the extra-judicial killings during so-called cordon and search operation in Shopian area of the occupied territory.