Enforced disappearances from PoK, secret detentions of people: OHCHR

New Delhi, Sep 3 The human rights violations in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir are of a different magnitude and of a more structural nature than those in Indian-Administered Kashmir, an OHCHR report has said. The OHCHR report claimed it had credible information of enforced disappearances of people from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, including those who were held in secret detention and those whose fate and whereabouts continue to remain unknown. The Human Rights Committee has stated that although the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights does not explicitly use the term "enforced disappearance", the word refers to a unique and integrated series of acts that represent continuing violation of various rights recognised in the Covenant, including right to life and the prohibition of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The Committee welcomed the establishment of Pakistan's Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances and expressed concerns about "the insufficient power and resources allocated to the Commission; the non-compliance with the Commission's orders by the relevant authorities; and the high number of cases brought before the Commission that remain unresolved, with no criminal proceedings brought against perpetrators." The OHCHR has been informed that there are several other cases of enforced or involuntary disappearances in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, but they do not get reported due to the lack of independent media or independent human rights groups working in these areas.