Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has written a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the ‘politically motivated’ conviction of Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Yasin Malik.
The letter, written on May 31, informed the Secretary General of the circumstances of the manifestly dubious and politically motivated case filed by the Indian National Investigation Agency against Yasin, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It also mentioned the chronic illness suffered by the incarcerated Kashmiri leader, as well as the unjust treatment meted out to him while in jail.
The letter highlighted Yasin's sham trial on concocted charges, his malicious conviction and the attempt to portray the legitimate freedom struggle of the Kashmiris as terrorism. The purpose of the letter was also to illustrate India’s blatant disregard of its international legal obligations.
The Foreign Minister underscored that the malicious trial and conviction of Yasin Malik was a part of the Indian government’s ongoing attempts to persecute and repress Kashmiris and their leadership, and to implicate them in fictitious and motivated cases.
He noted that the denial of a fair trial to Yasin and his detention in jail since 2019, puts India in contravention of international human rights law, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
He also cautioned that in line with the well-documented pattern of Indian behaviour, there was credible risk of “custodial murder” in case of Mr. Yasin Malik.
In the letter he also recommended that the UN prevail upon India to repeal draconian laws including UAPA, and accept a UN-supervised investigation into the human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The letter, written on May 31, informed the Secretary General of the circumstances of the manifestly dubious and politically motivated case filed by the Indian National Investigation Agency against Yasin, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It also mentioned the chronic illness suffered by the incarcerated Kashmiri leader, as well as the unjust treatment meted out to him while in jail.
The letter highlighted Yasin's sham trial on concocted charges, his malicious conviction and the attempt to portray the legitimate freedom struggle of the Kashmiris as terrorism. The purpose of the letter was also to illustrate India’s blatant disregard of its international legal obligations.
The Foreign Minister underscored that the malicious trial and conviction of Yasin Malik was a part of the Indian government’s ongoing attempts to persecute and repress Kashmiris and their leadership, and to implicate them in fictitious and motivated cases.
He noted that the denial of a fair trial to Yasin and his detention in jail since 2019, puts India in contravention of international human rights law, in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
He also cautioned that in line with the well-documented pattern of Indian behaviour, there was credible risk of “custodial murder” in case of Mr. Yasin Malik.
In the letter he also recommended that the UN prevail upon India to repeal draconian laws including UAPA, and accept a UN-supervised investigation into the human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.