The Diplomat
The Pakistani ambassador to Spain, Shujjat Ali Rathore, during his visit to Logroño yesterday called on Spain to “get involved” so that human rights in Kashmir are put before trade relations with India.
Ali Rathore’s visit is part of an awareness campaign by the Pakistani Association of La Rioja to publicise the “unjust” situation, in the words of the ambassador, of the people of Kashmir and how the “human rights of these people” are being “violated”.
According to him, on 5 August 2019, the Indian government revoked Article 370 of the Indian Constitution which gave special status to the Kashmir region. Since then, he explained, the Indian armed forces occupying this region have increased pressure against freedom of expression and against citizens’ freedoms.
“The European Union, he said, “talks about human rights” and in Kashmir there is “a real problem” because these human rights are being “violated”. He also called on Spanish citizens to put pressure on political leaders to “choose the right path” which is to “respect and ensure respect for human rights”.
What is most urgent, he added, is to stop the extrajudicial killings of young people, as well as illegal detentions in a region where freedom of the press is not allowed and where there are laws that allow the Indian Armed Forces to make arrests without a judicial decision.
