New Delhi: The European Parliament has come down heavily on Pakistan's repeated failure to protect human rights in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit and Baltistan and asked Islamabad to close down militant camps operating from that country.
It asked militants to declare a ceasefire followed by demobilisation and reintegration process and recognised that without an end to terrorism, there can be no real progress towards a political solution to Kashmir issue or in improving the economic condition of the people in J&K.
Adopting with overwhelming majority a report on Kashmir of Baroness Emma Nicholoson at Strasbourg on Thursday evening, European Parliament asked the militants to declare a ceasefire and said Governments of Pakistan and India should facilitate such a truce.
Nicholoson's report was adopted by 522 votes in favour and nine against it.
It also urged Pakistan to close militant websites and magazines and suggested Pakistani and Indian governments consider introducing a law against hate speech.
While asking New Delhi to put an end to alleged practices of extra-judicial killings, "disappearances", torture and arbitrary detentions in J&K, the EU was appreciative of Indian stand on J&K.
It is "pleased to see recent moves in J&K to strengthen democracy (as evidenced by the 75 per cent turnout in recent local elections), and the moves by Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) to reopen dialogue" with separatists, the resolution said.
The report noted that there has been a "steady decline" in the number of victims of terrorist attacks over the past five years.
Coming down heavily on Pakistan for "documented human rights violations" in Gilgit and Baltistan, it asked Islamabad to revisit its concepts of the fundamental rights of freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of religious practice in PoK and Gilgit and Baltistan.
It drew attention to the fact that India is the world's largest secular democracy and has devolved democratic structures at all levels, whereas Pakistan still lacks full implementation of democracy in PoK and is yet to take steps towards democracy in Gilgit and Baltistan.
The resolution regretted the "continuing ambivalence" of the Pakistani government with regard to the ethnic identity of Gilgit and Baltistan as statements made by Musharraf are "contradicted" by official communications.
It strongly recommended that Islamabad endorses and implements the judgment of Pakistan Supreme Court of May 28, 1999 which validates the Kashmiri heritage of the people of Gilgit and Baltistan and states that the government should implement their fundamental human rights, democratic freedom and access to justice.
It impressed on the two neighbours to transform the ceasefire in place in Siachen since 2003 into a lasting peace agreement, given that on the highest battlefield in the world, more soldiers die every year for reasons of climate than of armed conflict.
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