NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Permanent Representative in the United Nations Amd Munir Akram emphasized the plight of children living under “foreign occupation” in regions like Kashmir and Palestine during a Security Council debate on Wednesday, highlighting their vulnerability to violence and abuses.
The open debate, based on the 2024 Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict launched by the UN Secretary-General, underscored a disturbing increase in violence against children in conflict zones worldwide. The report called for urgent international action to safeguard children in these environments and urged all parties to more actively cooperate with the UN to implement measures aimed at curtailing violations of children’s rights.
Ambassador Akram criticized the report for its perceived shortcomings in addressing the challenges faced by children in Palestine and Indian-administered Kashmir, despite ongoing suffering in these regions. The Pakistan mission at the UN noted in a social media post, “Expressing deep concern about the 32,990 verified grave violations against children detailed in the UNSG’s report, Pakistan has stated that children living under foreign occupation, such as those in IIOJK [Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir] & Palestine, are particularly vulnerable to violence & human rights abuses.”
The statement continued, “Amb Akram said while more than 14,000 children have died in Gaza, generations of Kashmiri children have grown up in an environment of violence, repression & fear, stating that humanitarian crisis for Kashmiri children deteriorated after India’s unilateral actions of August 2019,” referring to New Delhi’s decision to revoke the special constitutional status of the only Muslim-majority state under its rule and integrate it with the rest of the Indian union.
India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed neighbors, have engaged in three wars, two of which were over control of the disputed Kashmir region in the Himalayas. While each nation administers parts of Kashmir, both claim it in its entirety.
The Pakistani diplomat also called upon the UN to investigate and report on the status and well-being of 13,000 Kashmiri youth reportedly detained by Indian forces since August 2019. Despite a 2016 request, New Delhi denied the UN access to Indian-administered Kashmir to monitor and report on human rights conditions.
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