UNITED NATIONS, Pakistan has called for reinforcing the concept of protection of civilians and accountability in all situations of armed conflict, including in Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir, saying there should be no impunity for violators of international law.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe goal of protection of civilians is best served by preventing the outbreak of an armed conflict in the first place,\u201d Ambassador Munir Akram said in a statement submitted to the United Nations Security Council which held an open debate on Tuesday on keeping civilians free from harm in an armed conflict situation.<\/p>\n
In this regard, the Pakistani envoy urged the 15-member Council, the world body\u2019s power centre, to address the root causes of emerging and long-standing conflicts, including Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir, and promote just and peaceful solutions.<\/p>\n
He said India\u2019s illegal actions since August 5, 2019 to impose what its leaders have called a \u201cfinal solution\u201d for occupied Kashmir constitute grave violations of Security Council resolutions and international law.<\/p>\n
These actions include: \u201ccordon and search\u201d operations and fake \u201cencounters\u201d to extra-judicially kill Kashmiri youth; indiscriminate use of live ammunition against peaceful protestors, including \u201cpellet guns\u201d; collective punishments to destroy entire Kashmiri neighborhoods; arbitrary detention of Kashmiri political leaders, and thousands of young boys on trumped up charges; targeting of civilians in ceasefire violations along the Line of Control in Kashmir, and forcible seizure of Kashmiri land and efforts to change the demography of the disputed state and transform it from Muslim-majority State to a Hindu-majority territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose responsible for such grave and consistent breaches of human rights and international humanitarian laws in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) must be held accountable,\u201d Ambassador Akram said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnfortunately,\u201d he said, \u201cneither the resolutions of the Security Council, nor the UN\u2019s Counter-Terrorism Strategy, provide credible means of offering either protection or justice to civilian victims of terrorism or state terrorism.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pakistan has been a principal victim of externally sponsored terrorism, having lost nearly 80,000 civilians and security forces in the fight against the menace. terrorism. Pakistan, he added, conducted well planned campaigns to root out terrorists operating from its soil, but still continue to face cross-border terrorism sponsored by adversaries.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Security Council resolutions on counter terrorism do not authorize the use of force on the territory of other states without the express authorization of the Security Council,\u201d the Pakistani envoy said, adding: \u201cNor do they justify compromising the requirement for proportionality in the use of force.\u201d<\/p>\n
He called for accountability for civilian casualties caused as \u201ccollateral damage\u201d by indiscriminate use of force.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs an occupying power, Israel has no right of self-defense under international law,\u201d he said, adding that its use force against the occupied and besieged Palestinians was illegal. \u201cOn the contrary,\u201d, the Pakistani envoy added, \u201cit is the Palestinian people who have the right to struggle \u2018by all possible means\u2019 to secure freedom from foreign occupation\u201d.<\/p>\n
False equivalence between the occupier and the occupied is morally and legally untenable, he said, noting that it had given Israel the sense of impunity to use indiscriminate and disproportionate force, including the aerial bombing of Gaza, resulting in the death of over 200 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch attacks amount to \u2018collective punishment\u2019 of civilians and constitute grave violations of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere should be no impunity for such violations,\u201d Ambassador Akram added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, Pakistan has called for reinforcing the concept of protection of civilians and accountability in all situations of armed conflict, including in Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir, saying there should be no impunity for violators of international law. \u201cThe goal of protection of civilians […]<\/p>\n
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