ISLAMABAD             -        Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said that the continuing humanitarian nightmare in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir is a test of the world’s conscience. The Prime Minister stated this during a meeting with prominent British human rights lawyer Clive Stafford and American International Law expert Eric Lewis who called on him at his office. During the meeting the worsening human rights violations by the Indian occupation forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir was discussed.

Highlighting the plight of the innocent people of IOJ&K, the Prime Minister reiterated that the international community should act against the illegal annexation of IOJ&K by the Indian occupation forces.  

The Prime Minister reaffirmed that Pakistan will continue to extend moral, political and diplomatic support to the just and legitimate struggle of the people of IOJ&K for the realization of their right to self-determination according to the UN Charter, UNSC Resolutions and in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people. Special Assistant to Prime Minister on accountability Barrister Shahzad Akbar was also present during the meeting. Earlier, Foreign Office blasted India over the controversial citizenship legislation that discriminates Muslims.

Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammed Faisal said that Pakistan “rejects comments by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs” about a tweet of Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding discriminatory citizenship bill passed by the Indian parliament this week. “Many international human rights organizations and neutral observers even from within India have characterized the legislation as discriminatory against Muslims and unconstitutional,” he added.

Dr Faisal said the latest legislation by Indian Lok Sabha offers Indian nationality to the nationals of Pakistan and two other South Asian countries, except Muslims, was premised on a falsehood and was in complete violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international Covenants on elimination of all forms of discrimination based on religion or belief.

“The Lok Sabha legislation is also in complete contravention of various bilateral agreements between Pakistan and India particularly the one concerning security and rights of minorities in the respective countries,” Faisal said.

The latest legislation, he said, was another major step towards the realization of the concept of ‘Hindu Rashtra,’ idealized and “relentlessly pursued by the right-wing Hindu leaders for several decades.”

“It is driven by a toxic mix of an extremist ‘Hindutva’ ideology and hegemonic ambitions in the region. It is also a clear manifestation of interference in the internal matters of neighboring countries based on religion, which we reject completely,” he said in a statement.

Yesterday, clashes erupted between students and the police in New Delhi over the ‘anti-Muslim’ citizenship law.

Thousands of students gathered at the Jamia Millia Islamia university, raising slogans against the government as they marched towards the parliament building.

The Citizenship Amendment Act grants sanctuary to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, but excludes Muslims from the list.

The controversial legislation was cleared by the Indian parliament and approved by India’s President Ram Nath Kovind despite widespread criticism by legal experts.