Pakistan’s Defence Day narrative challenged in Paris, Army slammed for human-rights abuses

Paris [France] September 7 (ANI): An international gathering in Paris on Pakistan’s Defence Day challenged the country’s official narrative of military valour, with participants accusing the Pakistan Army of human-rights abuses and policies that they said have contributed to prolonged instability in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), Afghanistan and Pakistan itself.
The event was organised by the Dissident Club, founded by exiled Pakistani journalist Taha Siddiqui, and was held outside the Pakistan Embassy in Paris. Representatives and participants from 12 countries, including France, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Switzerland and the United States, took part in the gathering.
The organisers said the event was deliberately scheduled for September 6, when Pakistan commemorates Defence Day in remembrance of the 1965 war and honours its armed forces.
Speakers at the Paris gathering presented what organisers described as an alternative account of the military's record, focusing on allegations of enforced disappearances, collective punishment, proxy violence and other human-rights violations.
Afghan and Pakistani participants spoke about military operations and policies they said had contributed to insecurity and political instability, while Indian speakers highlighted what they described as the civilian cost of decades of conflict and alleged support for armed groups.
The gathering included testimonies and discussions, with participants calling for independent investigations into allegations involving the Pakistani military. They urged European institutions, the United Nations and international human-rights organisations to scrutinise such allegations with the same seriousness applied to abuses attributed to other state forces.
Participants also drew attention to the situation of journalists, activists and political critics who, according to organisers, have faced pressure and been forced into exile because of their opposition to Pakistan's military establishment.
Organisers further alleged that more than 100 people had been killed by security forces in PoJK and that over 500 civilians had been killed in Afghanistan by the Pakistan Army this year. The claims were presented at the event as part of a wider call for international scrutiny. (ANI)