Geneva: Political activists from Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir raised the issue of terrorism in the region and informed the United Nations that Youth in PoK are forced to join banned extremist groups who take up arms training to carry out terror attacks.
In his intervention during the 54th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, Nasir Aziz Khan, central spokesperson of the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) said, “Despite Pakistan’s claim of controlling extremist groups, ongoing atrocities persist, such as the recent abduction of more than 20 teenage boys in Bagh, Azad Kashmir. These boys have been forcibly taken by internationally banned extremist groups for armed training and so-called Jihad”.
“The incident reveals the deep-rooted problem of extremist influence in the region, leaving families and loved ones in anguish due to the unknown whereabouts of their children,” said Nasir.
The political activist said, “Radical jirgas and extremist groups operate with impunity. The deep state acts like a state above the state, making arbitrary decisions and denying justice. Extremist groups disrupt daily life, targeting weddings, funerals and burials, particularly affecting women’s mobility and freedom. Violence against religious minorities and Kashmiris is on the rise.”
He informed that several Kashmiris have been killed in different cities of Pakistan and not a single murder is arrested or punished. Nasir also said that incidents like the torching of churches, ransacking of Christian homes and vandalism of a graveyard I Jaranwala, Faisalabad, on August 16, 2023, allegedly due to blasphemy are deeply concerning.
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