United Nations (TDI): Pakistan has urged the international community to ensure the protection of women living under foreign occupation, particularly in Palestine and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, calling for accountability under international law.
The appeal came during the UN Security Council’s annual debate on the Women, Peace and Security agenda, held ahead of the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325.
Addressing the Council, Saima Saleem, Counsellor at Pakistan’s Mission to the UN, described the situation of Palestinian women as “one of the gravest tragedies of our time.” She criticized the UN Secretary-General’s report for failing to mention the suffering of Kashmiri women, who, she said, “have endured decades of occupation marked by sexual violence used as a weapon of war.”
Referring to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Saleem highlighted the bombardment of homes, schools, and maternity wards, the displacement of thousands, and the looming famine facing hundreds of thousands. “These are not unfortunate byproducts of war, they are deliberate crimes that demand accountability,” she asserted.
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She also cited extensive documentation by the UN human rights mechanisms, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Médecins Sans Frontières on the abuses against Kashmiri women, including torture, arbitrary detentions, and harassment of female journalists and activists. “Excluding Kashmiri women from this agenda undermines its universality and legitimacy,” she added, urging the UN to ensure their inclusion in future reports.
Pakistan’s remarks drew a sharp reaction from India’s UN Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish.
Exercising Pakistan’s right of reply, Sarfraz Ahmad Gohar, First Secretary at the Pakistan Mission, dismissed the Indian allegations as an attempt to divert attention from its “appalling record” in occupied Kashmir. “Jammu and Kashmir is not an integral part of India,” he said, noting that UN resolutions recognize it as a disputed territory pending a plebiscite.
Gohar described the situation of women in occupied Kashmir as “painfully relevant” to the Council’s discussion, saying they have long faced rape, harassment, and arbitrary detention at the hands of occupation forces. Responding to India’s 1971 reference, he said that “India’s aggression in East Pakistan was a clear violation of the UN Charter,” accusing New Delhi of distorting history and spreading disinformation.
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He added that “Hindutva ideology has now become state policy in India,” where Muslims, Christians, and Dalits face persecution with impunity. Quoting Genocide Watch, he said there were early warning signs of genocide in Assam and occupied Kashmir. Pakistan, he said, urged India to “look inward, honor Security Council resolutions, and end human rights violations against minorities.”
