Geneva [Switzerland], March 18 : In an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Fazal ur Rehman Afridi, a Pashtun human rights defender, accused Pakistan of committing "war crimes and crimes against humanity" in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan.
"Pakistan should be held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity... they have started airstrikes in Afghanistan and are targeting civilians instead of military installations," Afridi said. He further alleged that a recent strike in Kabul hit a hospital, killing around 400 civilians and injuring many others. "It is a violation of international law, and we want the UN to ensure accountability," he added.
Afridi stated that Pakistan has conducted thousands of military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, and that recent tensions with the Taliban have escalated the situation along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. He claimed that these operations have increasingly impacted civilians. "In most cases, innocent civilians are being targeted, which is really concerning for us," he said.
He also highlighted what he described as a sharp rise in enforced disappearances among Pashtun and Baloch communities. "We have received an alarming increase in enforced disappearances... I have personally submitted more than 15 confirmed cases, and the actual number is in the hundreds," Afridi said. He further alleged that many detainees are subjected to torture in interrogation centres and that some are killed.
Calling for international intervention, Afridi stressed the need for accountability. "It is important that those institutions, particularly the Pakistani army, are held accountable... otherwise these human rights violations will continue with impunity," he said. He also criticised legal provisions such as the "Action in Aid of Civil Power" ordinance, stating that they grant excessive powers to security forces and undermine fundamental rights.
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