Pakistan condemns award to Major Gogoi for tying Kashmiri man to jeep

Major Gogoi tied a Kashmiri to the Army Jeep to ward off stone pelters

Pakistan on Thursday condemned the Indian Army chief's Commendation Card to an officer involved in tying up a Kashmiri man to a jeep as a human shield.

"Awarding Major Leetul Gogoi, who brazenly used a Kashmiri youth as a human shield, is condemnable. It is a crime and an insult to humanity," Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria told media during the weekly briefing.

The Commendation Card for Major Gogoi of 53 Rashtriya Rifles was given for his "sustained efforts" in counter-insurgency operations, the Indian Army had said.

Zakaria said that it was not the first time that the Indian forces have displayed such "cowardice and inhumanity".

Accusing the Indian forces of being involved in acts of "grave violence against civilians", Zakaria also urged the international community, particularly the UN, to take cognizance of the act.

A video, shot on April 9 during the Srinagar by-poll held amid violence, showed a man, later identified as Farooq Ahmad Dar, tied to an Indian Army jeep's bonnet in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir, to ward off stone pelters. The Jammu and Kashmir police have filed a case against Gogoi, which is still on.