Geneva: At a recent United Nations meeting, the long-standing issue of Kashmir was thrust into the spotlight as a journalist confronted the President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Omar Zniber, over the apparent lack of response to reported human rights violations by Indian forces in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service, during the press briefing, the journalist criticized the Human Rights Council for not addressing the continuing crisis in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), despite substantial evidence of violence and arbitrary detentions documented since the last comprehensive UN report on the region under former High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein.

In his response, Ambassador Zniber outlined the procedural operations within the Council, explaining that the introduction of issues for discussion relies heavily on the initiatives taken by member states and other stakeholders. “It is up to any delegation wishing to advance a subject to take the initiative,” he remarked, emphasizing that the role of the Council is to facilitate dialogue and decision-making among member states based on international obligations and the Council’s foundational purposes.