Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday welcomed UN chief Antonio Guterres statement, asking India being a member state of the world body to protect civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.
“UN Secretary General @antonioguterres statement of concern over the killings in #Kashmir is welcome but of little consolation to the people facing brutal oppression and eagerly waiting for the UN to intervene and impress on Govt of India to stop the genocide & address the dispute,” Mirwaiz said in a tweet.
UN chief Antonio Guterres is “very concerned” over the situation in J&K and wants all member states including India to protect civilians, his spokesperson has said.
“The Secretary-General is, indeed, very concerned about the situation that we’ve seen in Jammu and Kashmir. He reminds that Member States are responsible under international humanitarian law to protect civilians,” Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, told reporters at his daily press briefing yesterday.
He said the Secretary-General reiterated his call on nations to find ways to address disputes in a peaceful manner.
He added that civilians need to be protected wherever they are, “whether it’s in Gaza, whether it’s in Jammu and Kashmir, or whether it’s in Yemen. It’s a basic principle of this organisation.”
When asked if the Secretary General is calling for an investigation into the matter, Dujarric said “any loss of civilians needs to be investigated wherever they occur”.
His remarks came after government forces on Sunday killed 13 militants in gunfights and four civilians in clashes that ensued after the encounters in Anantnag and Shopian districts of south Kashmir. More than 200 civilians were also injured, nearly half of them with pellets and bullets.
