Kashmiri activist criticizes Pakistan at Human Rights Council for plight of Shia Muslims

The Kashmiri activist Javaid Ahmed Beg highlighted the fierce sectarian conflict that erupted between Sunni Pashtun militants and Shia Bangash tribal men, resulting in the death of over 3000 people.

Beg criticized Pakistan on Friday (March 15) for its arbitrary treatment of minorities while speaking at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Addressing the plight of Shias residing in the Kurram region of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Beg stated that Islamabad treats them “in the most inhumane ways.”

Following his speech, Beg stated in a recorded video, “As a member of the strong Muslim Shia community in Kashmir Valley, India, with a population of 1.5 million, fully aware of the mistreatment of Shia Muslims in Pakistan, I have strongly impacted and raised the voice on the issue of the plight of Shia Muslims in Pakistan by shedding light on the extremely dire situation that Shia Muslims are experiencing in Pakistan.”

He added that “Shia Muslims in Parachinar, located in the Kurram region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, suffer from deprivation and violence,” stressing that “Shias in Kashmir are well aware of the miserable plight of Shia Muslim communities in Parachinar, Hazaras in Balochistan, and Shias in Gilgit-Baltistan occupied by Pakistan.”

He concluded that “it is time for the world to realize the hell that Pakistani Punjab-dominated Muslims have become for Shia Muslims,” adding that “The increasing extremism in Pakistan will make the future even darker for Shias in Parachinar.”