The petition regarding intermittent cross border shelling at Line of Actual Control (LAC) has now reached the United Nations Organisation (UNO) office after the Government of India denied information to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the rise in cross border shelling.
Petitioner MM Shuja, who is the chairperson of Centre for peace and protection of human rights, had written to the NHRC about the rise in the cross border shelling incidents at LAC. The commission accordingly sought a report from the defence ministry. The ministry was supposed to submit report eight weeks after the petition was filed but it didn’t submit any report to the commission.
The petitioner has now approached the UNO and described in detail the loss of life and the damage to the properties of civilians at the LAC. “It is known to the world body that heavy and intermittent firing on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and Pakistan is going on for quite some time. Many civilians and armed forces have been killed on both sides of borders, and property worth millions has been damaged and the hostilities between the two countries are aggravating day by day,” the petitioner states, further adding, “the world body had, right in 1951 planted group of United Nations Observers on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to promote peace and to control cease fire violations. The said group of United Nations Observers has established its office both in Srinagar (J&K) and in Rawalpindi (Pakistan) and both the countries are providing all amenities and diplomatic facilities to the group by debit to their respective budgets.”
“That the role of United Nations Group of Observers becomes dominant when the hostilities between the two countries (India and Pakistan) aggravate. However such role becomes redundant when the group does not discharge the functions assigned to it as far as United Nations Group of Observers at Srinagar is concerned, they have created a separate kingdoms in their premises, not allowing anyone to interact or not opening their mouth about what is happening on the Line of Actual Control (LAC),” reads the petition.
The petitioner also informs the UNO that the website of the United Nations Group of Observers “does not at all make proactive disclosure of all the information available with it.”
The petitioner also urged the UNO to have a vibrant staff at the United Nations Group of Observers office in Srinagar “because the world body has a responsibility to settle the dispute between member countries India and Pakistan and make all diplomatic efforts to restore peace and order on the borders.”
“Till date they are watching as mute spectators on both sides of borders, watching shelling and firing on borders between India and Pakistan, counting dead bodies of innocent civilians on both sides of borders,” the petitioner added.