KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
The government has disallowed the civil liberty activists from Kashmir from flying to Geneva for a UNHCR meet, a statement issued by the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) said.
Early on Wednesday morning, Khurram Parvez was prevented from leaving Delhi at the Indira Gandhi International airport Delhi. He was leaving to visit Geneva, Switzerland to attend the ongoing UN Human Rights Council session.
Despite having invitation, valid visa and other necessary documents, Khurram Parvez was detained for one and a half hours, and subsequently told that due to orders from the Intelligence Bureau, he cannot travel to Geneva, the statement said.
Despite repeatedly asking for written orders, he was not provided. Nor was he given reasons, grounds or the basis for the decision to disallow his travel, the statement added. He was only orally informed that immigration officers had instructions that he was not to be ‘arrested’, but that he should not be allowed to leave the country.
Khurram Parvez alongwith Mary Aileen Diez Bacalso, Adv. Parvez Imroz, Adv. Kartik Murukutla and Ron de Vera were part of the AFAD & JKCCS delegation which is visiting Geneva from 14th to 24th September to attend the 33rd UN Human Rights Council session.
The Kashmiri members of the delegation, besides attending the UNHRC session are scheduled to brief UN bodies including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights regarding the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, particularly over the last two months. JKCCS was also to participate in India’s Universal Periodic Review [a four year review process of UN States by the Human Rights Council] to be held in April/May 2017. JKCCS has already submitted a report on the role of the Indian State in Jammu and Kashmir as a part of that review process.
Preventing the civil liberty activists from flying out came a month after Delhi decided against permitting a UN team to visit Kashmir.
