Geneva, Altaf Hussain Wani, a member of the Kashmiri delegation in Geneva, has called for the urgent attention of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) towards the dire human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

According to Kashmir Media Service, during the 55th session of the UNHRC, Wani, speaking on behalf of the World Muslim Congress under agenda item 4 general debate, highlighted the prolonged suffering of the Kashmiri people under military occupation. For over 76 years, and particularly acutely in the past 34 years, the region has been plagued by custodial killings, arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, sexual abuse, property destruction, and widespread torture, all carried out with impunity.

Wani strongly criticized India’s policies in the occupied territory, including the displacement of the local population and the confiscation of property, which contravenes the Hague regulations. He specifically pointed out the recent purchase of land in IIOJK by the Indian state of Maharashtra, an action that not only breaches local state subject laws but also aims to strip indigenous people of their land and rights. This move, Wani argued, violates the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, underscoring the need for immediate action to protect the fundamental freedoms and rights of the Kashmiri people.