Canada | Canada based Pakistani Islamist Zafar Bangash on Tuesday revealed that Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, was in constant touch with him while preparing the Human Rights report on Kashmir.
“I can say it to you, and I say it with all humility, but with great pride that we ‘The Friends of Kashmir’ also have a role in the production of this report. In fact, I had personal correspondence with the High Commissioner for Human Rights, e-mail correspondence in which he responded to my personal letter and e-mail saying that he would like to have access to both sides of Line of Control, that means in Azad Kashmir and Indian occupied Kashmir,” said Zafar Bangash while speaking at the conference on Kashmir in Mississauga.
#WATCH: Zafar Bangash, Imam at Islamic Society of York Region’s Mosque & a Pakistani Canadian, claims he had a role in producing UN Report on J&K; says ‘We, the friends of Kashmir, also have a role in the production of this report.’ #Canada pic.twitter.com/43i88ZD9ap
— ANI (@ANI) July 10, 2018
The Imam at the Islamic Society of York Region’s Mosque, Bangash further confessed about lobbying and consultation with officials in Islamabad. Bangash said,”I responded to him (Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein) after speaking to the Foreign Office spokesperson in Pakistan, Mr. Nafees Zakaria, who used to be the Consul General in Toronto and he assured that Pakistan would welcome the UN High Commissioner and their representatives to Pakistan and they will facilitate their visit to Azad Kashmir.”
President of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) Sardar Masood Khan who was also present at the event said, “We must take steps towards averting a war between India and Pakistan on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir which has been called a long-festering problem.” Threatening India to not engage in nuclear war with Pakistan, Masood said, We should avoid the war, because if there is a nuclear war in South Asia, it would be an end of civilization.”
In a released statement the Ministry of External Affairs criticised the report saying, “The report violates India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The entire state of Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India. Pakistan is in the illegal and forcible occupation of a part of the Indian state through aggression. We have repeatedly called upon Pakistan to vacate the occupied territories. The incorrect description of Indian territory in the report is mischievous, misleading and unacceptable. There are no entities such as “Azad Jammu and Kashmir” and “Gilgit-Baltistan.”
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