Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts

Saturday, 9 February 2013

India: Secret Hanging a Major Step Back


“Questions need to be asked why the Indian government executed Afzal Guru now. No one argues that those who engage in serious crimes should not be punished, but the death penalty is brutal and irreversible, and there is no convincing evidence to suggest it serves as a deterrent.”
Under Indian law, the death penalty is supposed to be carried out only in the “rarest of rare” cases.

Afzal Guru was convicted for providing logistical support to those involved in the attack on the Parliament building in New Delhi on December 13, 2001, in which five heavily-armed gunmen entered the complex and opened fire indiscriminately, killing nine, including six security personnel, two parliament guards, and a gardener. All five attackers, later identified as Pakistani nationals, were killed. No member of parliament was hurt.

Four people, including Afzal Guru, were charged with conspiring in the attack and waging war. In December 2002, three people,Syed Abdul Rahman Geelani, Shaukat Hussain Guru, and Afzal Guru, were sentenced to death. The fourth, Afsan Guru, was acquitted. Geelani was acquitted on appeal. In August 2005 the Supreme Court commuted Shaukat Hussain’s sentence to 10 years in prison but confirmed the death sentence of Afzal Guru. An appeal for clemency was filed for Afzal Guru but was rejected by President Pranab Mukherjee on February 3.

Many Indian activists and lawyers have claimed that Azfal Guru did not receive proper legal representation. He did not have a lawyer from the time of his arrest until he confessed in police custody. Azfal Guru claimed that he had been tortured into making his confession, which he later retracted. Several Indian activists and senior lawyers have said that he did not have effective assistance of counsel.

The Indian government has defended the conviction, saying that Azfal Guru was able to appeal his conviction and that his claims were rejected by higher courts.Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as an inherently irreversible, inhumane punishment. In July 2012, 14 retired Supreme Court and High Court judges asked the president to commute the death sentences of 13 inmates they said had been erroneously upheld by the Supreme Court over the past nine years. This followed the court’s admission that some of these death sentences were rendered per incuriam (out of error or ignorance). In November 2012 the Supreme Court ruled that the “rarest of rare” standard for capital punishment had not been applied uniformly over the years and the norms on the death penalty needed “a fresh look.”

“India should end this distressing use of executions as a way to satisfy some public opinion,” said Ganguly. “It should instead join the nations that have chosen to abolish capital punishment.”

Originally Posted at : Human Rights Watch

Wednesday, 4 April 2012

Ohh ! Newshour with Arnab again



Good Evening ! I am Arnab and tonight on Newshour we are talking about the US decision to reward anyone giving out details about Hafiz Saeed. 
With me on the Newshour tonight are: 
Mahroof Raza, the impeccable.
K.C. Singh, the incredible 
Joining me from Pakistan is Mr. Hilali (read as Hillei Lee)
And from Washington DC first time in the history of Indian Media we are joined in by Mrs. Hillary Lewinsky Clinton, O ! I beg your pardon, joining me from Washington DC is Mrs. Hillary Clinton

My first question as usual to Marhoof. Arnab: 
Mahroof ! Now that Washington has realised what I was telling them since all these years and have announced a bounty on the head of Hafiz Saeed, what do you see in this ?
Mahroof: Well ! Pakistan is cornered. It has to take action, if it wants to earn 10 million dollars. I know they will not arrest him because they have a suspicion that US might ditch them and won't pay them the money. India should not sit silent and should cry all the lungs out. If Pakistan does not take action now, then we should send our army in TATRA trucks to Pakistan to spy on him and find out his whereabouts. Then we should reveal the info about him to US and claim the bounty. This will serve us in the long run. We can pay 1 million dollars from the amount to our Gen VK Singh at the time of his retirement. Rest 9 million dollars could be handed over our government for them to decide about the share of each minister, sorry I mean say share of each ministry.

Arnab: My next question to KC.
KC! Is not this the vindictiveness of Indian stand on Pakistan ? Has US now realised that the real power of world is India?
KC: Yes, it is the recognition of our might. We told them that he is a terrorist and they announced the reward on his head. How can US afford to ignore our power? Afterall India is a real super power. World knows it. Pakistan knows that, China perhaps also knows that now. In a recent report by the International Academy for Economic Evaluation of Countries of Grandeur Delusion Club (GDC) , it is clearly stated how powerful India is. As per its report, India has an army which can win any war by using merely 3 % of its arsenal. Rest of the 97 % resource is simply meant to fill in the gaps and pockects. We possess TATRA trucks, we possess BOFORS guns, We possess AGNI. We possess RAJNI. We possess MIGs and PIGs. We possess PRITHVI and AAKASH VANI. We possess NUKES and MMS and last but not the least we possess ARNAB. We are the Power. Pakistan and US fear us and after reading this report I hope China will also start fearing us.

 My next question to Mr Hilali (read Hillei Lee)
Arnab: Mr. Hillei Lee, Do you feel ashmaed of youself today ? Come on, world wants to hear it from you tonight on your channel. Say ! yes, we are ashamed of ourselves for shielding and hiding a terrorist like Hafiz Syed. Say yes, Pakistan is a terrorist country. Come on world is watching you on your channel.

Mr. Hilali : Listen……. Mr. Arnab. This is all non sense (Arnab intervenes) Arnab: That is what India has been telling to the world. To engage with Pakistan is non sense. (Hilali want to speak again) and Arnab, Yes Mr. Hillei Lee we are listening you.
.
Mr. Hilali: You are putting words into my mouth Arnab. (Arnab intervens again)

Arnab: Come on ! Mr. Hillei Lee. You can't say that whatever I said is not true. (Hilali intervenes again) Hilali: Listen you dimwit scoundrel ! If you again talk in between, I will break your denture. You oily rodent. Let me talk. ( Arnab shuts up and looks like a zobie, listening all cooly). Why should Pakistan appologise for something imaginery? You claim that Hafiz Saeed is hiding but let me show you something. Hafiz Saeed is sitting with me here. He is watching your dripping nose and your over oiled hair. (Mr. Hilali asks cameraman to focus on Hafiz Syed) And Hafiz Syed starts speaking.

 Hafiz Syed: Ye paleet insaan kab sey kuttey ki tarah bhonk raha hai. Sunn ai mardood, Mei yahan hoon kisi gaar me chupa huwa nahee hoon. (This dirty man (Arnab) is barking like a dog. I am here in the open and am not hiding in caves) Arnab starts to shout as the audio line from Paksistan has been snapped.
Arnab: This is first time in the history of any TV channel in that world that a terrorist having a reward on his head has appeared on a live show. We have cornered him and we know his whereabouts. Your channel has done it. It has done it. US owes us the money. We have found them the man they are looking for. I will now get Mrs. Hillary Monica Clinton, O! sorry once again, Hillary Clinton to talk to me.

Arnab: Good evening ! Mrs Clinton Hillary: Actually Good Morning! Arnab: Sorry, Good Morning ! Mrs Clinton. The person you were looking for has been tracked down by this channel on live telecast. Whole world watched how we nailed that man. Now we want our money. 10 million Dollars in CASH. Mrs. Clinton, When shall the US administration invite me to US to hand over me my cheque. I want an honest answer from you Mrs. Clinton tonight on your channel.

Mrs. Clinton: Well ! that is a wisful thinking. You never deserve the bounty. It is clearly written on the Justice Department website that any information which can lead to the arrest of Mr. Hafiz Syed shall be deemed as the winner information and the informant shall be paid the reward of 10 million United States Dollars. Since Mr. Hafiz Syed has not been arrested yet and has perhaps left the studio by now, your claim stands rejected.

Arnab
: This is a new twist. You cannot deny us the money. India has done it again. We informed you about OBL, you duped us then and now this. This is atrocious.
Mrs. Clinton: Good bye ! See you again next time.

Arnab: Yes ! OK. Let me wrap up the debate. Thank you Mahroof, KC, Mr. Hillei Lee and Mrs. Monica Hillary Clinton sorry Mrs Clinton. (Mr. Hafiz Syed is intervening)

Hafiz Syed: Khabees, mei bhi hoon yehaan. Mei bhaga nahi hoon yehan se. (Rascal ! I am still here and have not fled)
Arnab: Sorry, we cant hear you and we are short of time now. From the studios of Times Now, good night ladies and gentlemen.

 Koshur Mazloom (KM) © 2012

Thursday, 8 March 2012

53 Mass rape survivors still wait for justice in Kashmir as India observes 'Women's Day'

Credits : Kashmir Times

Mar 7 (Agencies): Located in the remote northern district of Kupwara, Kunan Poshpora looks like any other village in Indian-administered Kashmir. But on Feb. 23, 1991 something happened here that would change this village forever.That night, villagers say that Indian troops laid siege to their village. The army assembled the men at several locations in the town and then entered homes.

"There were too many of them," says Saleema, a middle-aged woman whose last name was withheld to protect her safety. "Our lawn was filled with the army. They broke lamps, drank alcohol." She says she tried to flee but turned back to rescue one of her children. "I tried to flee, but one of my children was left in the house," she says. "I came back [to] get him, and they caught me. I tried to flee again but couldn't."

She says the soldiers terrorized her and the other women in their homes for nearly 12 hours.
"We were violated," she says. "The army entered our houses at 10 in the evening and left at 9 in the morning. First, they took out the men, and only God knows what they did to us then." She says that no one in the village was spared. "There were screams everywhere - from almost every house in the village," she says.

Despite the high number of women who were raped, she says that many declined to report the incidents because of the stigma suffered by the women who did. "My sister who was unmarried was here," she says. "She was raped, too. I didn't disclose her name, thinking who will marry her then?" Because of this stigma, Saleema is reluctant to go into many more details about the night."Only God knows what happened to us that night," she says. "It is an embarrassment talking about it again and again."


Kashmir, KUNAN POSHPORA MASS RAPE BY INDIAN TROOPS




Twenty years later, the night still haunts the residents. Men narrate tales of physical torture during their detention that night."It was a tragedy for the entire village," Saleema says. "We could hear cries from every house. The men were away, unawares."Villagers say that army soldiers stormed the village two decades ago, torturing the men and raping the women. The army denied the allegations, and the government determined that evidence was insufficient. But international organizations criticize the lack of prompt, thorough and independent investigations into the villagers' claims. Sociologists say the event has had severe socio-cultural effects, with villagers saying that the night destroyed their prospects for education, marriage and relations with other villages. The State Human Rights Commission directed the government to reopen the case toward the end of last year, but villagers are skeptical that justice will be served twenty years later.

Locals say they reported about 30 cases of rape to the police during the days following the event. But they say that the actual number of victims was much higher as many women chose not to disclose it because of the stigma it would bring. Human Rights Law Network, a collective of lawyers and social activists dedicated to the use of the legal system to advance human rights in India and the subcontinent, and Act Now for Harmony and Democracy, an Indian socio-cultural organization, heard the testimonies of various human rights violations in Kashmir in 2010. Their report deemed the incident in Kunan Poshpora "the worst of the human rights violations." The men of Kunan Poshpora say that the soldiers took them out of their homes to different places in the village. They say that they beat and tortured them throughout the night.

Abel Dar, an elderly resident, pulls up his shirt sleeve to show the scars on his arm from the night."All men were taken out of their homes, except little boys," he says. "We were all mercilessly beaten. They asked no questions - just beat us all night."But Dar says that what he found out at his home when he returned the next day. was much worse. His elderly mother, wife, two sisters-in-law, daughter-in-law, aunts and cousins had all been raped. His mother was in her 80s, and his daughter-in-law was just 18.

"My daughter-in-law was very beautiful," he says. "They took her along and released her next day around 1 p.m. My wife had to be operated upon after that incident. I had to spend a lot on her treatment."His daughter-in-law, a newlywed, was the last of the women in the family to be released. "It was the 11th day of my marriage," says Dar's daughter-in-law who requested anonymity to protect her family. "I was still a bride."

She says the soldiers broke in during the night."We were in our rooms," she says. "They broke doors and windows. They broke the door of the cattle shed to get into our house. We, the three women of the house, huddled in a single room." She says they had already taken the men away earlier in the evening."The men were taken out in the evening, and we had locked the doors then," she says. "Then there was chaos. There was no light, and we could only hear cries."
Then, they took her from her home. "They took me along to another village, and I was raped again and again. They left me three villages away at around 1 p.m. the next day."

Another victim, Saja, whose last name was also withheld, says her daughter needed surgery after the siege. "My daughter was stepped over in the dark by the security forces," she says. "Her legs were broken, and then she was kept in cold in the snow. I had to sell my land to get her operated upon."

After the rapes were reported the army denied the allegations, but the villagers' protests forced local police to address their complaints. A top district official at the time, S.M. Yasin, wrote in his report to the government that the armed forces had "behaved like beasts."
But even such admissions from government officials failed to secure justice for the victims. The army asked the Press Council of India, which aims to preserve the freedom of the press, to investigate the incident. The council's investigation deemed the allegations "baseless" and the medical evidence "worthless."

A report by Asia Watch, a division of Human Rights Watch, questions the investigation, though, stating that it served more to deflect domestic and international criticism than uncover the truth."The alacrity with which Indian military and government authorities in Kashmir discredited the allegations of rape and their failure to follow through with procedures that would provide critical evidence for any prosecution - in particular prompt independent medical examinations of the alleged rape victims - undermined the integrity of the investigation and indicates that the Indian authorities have been far more interested in shielding government forces from charges of abuse," the report states.

Multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions recognize sexual violence in conflict as a matter of international peace and security. They also call on member states for effective steps to prevent and respond to acts of sexual violence. In February 2012, an Amnesty International statement declared that members of the Indian army must stand trial when facing charges of serious human rights violations instead of hiding behind the controversial Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. Amnesty International further that the government repeal the act, which exempts security personnel from being prosecuted for human rights violations unless approved by the central government.

Bashir Ahmad Dabla, a sociology professor at the University of Kashmir, says there is bound to be abuses where there is heavy militarization and legislation that removes accountability.
"When the military is put above the law with acts like.

Twelve years on, the villagers of Kunan Poshpora still await justice.Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, AFSPA, there are bound to be cases of molestation, harassment, rape, sexual abuse," he says. "It has happened in all parts of the world: Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan."
The act was extended to Jammu and Kashmir state in 1990. Dabla says such abuse inevitably leaves a strong socio-cultural impact."The rapes of the women at Kunan Poshpora played havoc on the collective psyche of people," he says. "There were many cases of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicides and other psychological disease."

From education to marriage to health, villagers of Kunan Poshpora say that night changed everything - not only for the affected women but also for the entire population. They say this is because of the social stigma attached to rape, which is considered a blot on their honor. "The incident affected the education, relationships and every other aspect of our lives," Dar says. "Our children were taunted in schools and colleges, making them leave their education. We could only marry within the village. No marriage has taken place outside the village. Our social relations with other villages also changed."

Hajra, a woman whose last name was also withheld to protect her safety, says that she and her daughter were raped during the attack. In addition to the trauma it caused them, the sexual violence also destroyed her three sons' desires to gain an education.
"Who can tolerate if someone says anything about your mother or sister in school?" she asks. "They stopped going."

Saleema's children reported the same discouragement from gaining an education."Not only did we suffer, our children also became victims," she says. "They couldn't get education as they were taunted in schools. They would come home running, saying they won't go to school. With no education, they are unemployed now."

Ghulam Mohammad Dar, who is not related to Abel Dar, was 7 at the time of the incident. Many of his female relatives were raped, including his grandmother, who jumped out a window and hid in the grass but was caught and raped anyway. He says he dropped out of college because of the unwanted attention of the event that had made his village infamous and the trauma of having to relive it every time someone asked about it."We were taunted in schools and colleges," he says. "On the first day of college, I was asked to give introduction. When they heard I was from Kunan Poshpora, they asked me can I tell what happened and what was it all about. That was it. I didn't go back to college."

He says that many other girls and boys from the village also dropped out of school because of this stigma."It is better to die than listen to the taunts," he says.He says that the decline in education has led to an increase in unemployment and poverty. He says marriage was also affected. "The victims are still reluctant to talk as it brings a bad name," he says. "Since that incident we marry within the village only."He says it also affected pregnancies. His cousin was nine months pregnant when she was gang raped that night. The baby was born with a fractured arm.

"There are so many women among them who never had children," he says. "There were some who could never get married."

In October 2011, the State Human Rights Commission gave directions for reopening the case after hearing pleas from the victims from the village. It recommended the formation of a special investigation team, monetary compensation of around $4,000 to victims and prosecution of the head prosecutor who had ordered the case closed. The state government is not bound to follow the commission's directive. It has been four months, and the government has not made any announcements regarding the case.

But Shamim Firdous, a member of the Legistlative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir, says the government is working on it. "The government has already taken up the matter and is very particular to solve the issue," she says.Firdous, who is also the chairwoman of the State Commission for Women, says that the women's commission has already recommended an investigation into the incident to the state government. But she says it's difficult when victims don't want to come forward. "Not all women have come out, and we wanted them to do so and also grant them compensation," she says.

Villagers say they aren't interested in money. They just want accountability.
"We won't sell our honor for those 2 lakhs," Abel Dar says. "The perpetrators should be punished according to the Indian law, and we want to see those men punished with our eyes. The law applies on them as well."Saleema says they want justice - for the guilty to be punished.
"They are saying they will give us the money, but we don't want that," Saleema says.
Hajra agrees that justice has not been served.

"Twenty years of giving statements have given us nothing," Hajra says, almost shouting with anger. "What have we gained out of it? I was telling the men not to talk to anyone anymore."
Hajra laments the the compromises and suffering the victims have had to make. She says she had to marry her daughter to a poor man because of the stigma of being a rape survivor.
"I married my daughter, but to whom?" she asks. "The family doesn't even have enough food. What could I have done? Is this justice?" Instead of justice, the villagers accuse the government of being partial to them since the incident.

"They are punishing us since we decided to raise our voice," Ghulam Mohammad Dar says.
Saleema and her fellow villagers say raising their voices does no good, expressing resent toward talking to the media and other agencies."We have been giving statements for the last 20, 22 years," Saleema says. "But nothing happens. I am asking you why nothing comes out of it?"

Friday, 13 January 2012

Police firing in India: Human lives not worth the monkeys



The killing of Altaf Ahmad Sood, a class XII student on 2 January 2012 at the NHPC premises at Boniyar village under Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir in the firing by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel has exposed illegal direction issued by the CISF Directorate for the use of fire-arms to protect the installations. Altaf Ahmad was part of a mob of 400 villagers who took to the streets and later gathered near the local power station to protest against long hours of power outages.



On 30 September 2011, the CISF Deputy Inspector General, Shikha Goel reportedly issued a circular stating that the CISF Directorate had noted that some units were "failing to take proactive action" in protecting and securing the undertakings and that the CISF personnel should effectively protect the installations against mob violence, particularly where there is a delay in arrival of the local police or the magistrate.


The CISF circular is blatantly illegal. Section 129 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) provides that if protestors of an unlawful assembly do not disperse, they, if necessary, are to be arrested and confined. If it is still not possible to disperse, the CrPC further provides that the law enforcement personnel should use “as little force, and as little injury to person and property, as may be consistent with dispersing the assembly and arresting and detaining such persons”, with the authorisation by the Magistrate.


In clear violation of the CrPC, the first thing security personnel do is to use lethal weapon while dealing with protests which may turn violent. In most cases, police shoot without authorization of the Magistrate. Even when the police are authorised by the Magistrate, they usually shoot above the waist level to cause maximum damage i.e. loss of life or impairment for life. The Indian practice is in sharp contrast to the practice of the Britain which designed its bullets to be fired at the ground so that they would bounce up and hit the legs of demonstrators. In 1989, the British government further replaced its rubber bullets with the plastic ones for dealing with the protests in the Northern Ireland as the rubber bullets were considered too dangerous.


Each year the right to life of many citizens of India is violated in the disproportionate use of fire-arms by the law enforcement personnel. According to the statistics of the National Crime Records Bureau, in the last five years a total of 1,462 civilians were killed in police firing i.e. 472 in 2006, 250 in 2007, 317 in 2008, 184 in 2009 and 239 in 2010. In 2010, about 50.8% of all police firing cases were necessitated for ‘riot control'.


The patterns of police firing in India do not also meet the United Nations standards on the use of fire-arms. Rule 9 of the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials of 1990 states that “Law enforcement officials shall not use firearms against persons except in self-defence or defence of others against the imminent threat of death or serious injury, to prevent the perpetration of a particularly serious crime involving grave threat to life, to arrest a person presenting such a danger and resisting their authority, or to prevent his or her escape, and only when less extreme means are insufficient to achieve these objectives. In any event, intentional lethal use of firearms may only be made when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.” Further, Article 3(c) of the United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials provides that “The use of firearms is considered an extreme measure. Every effort should be made to exclude the use of firearms, especially against children.”


Human life is too precious to be taken away by the trigger happy law enforcement personnel. The governments which are concerned about the right to life of their citizens have been using rubber and plastic bullets to reduce death and serious injuries.


Even the rubber bullets have been found dangerous. A study by the British medical doctors on the effects of rubber-coated bullets used by the Israeli police force during riots by Israeli-Arabs in northern and central Israel in early October 2000 found that Israeli Police often fire from too close range and aim poorly. The study published in The Lancet, a medical journal, in March 2002 concluded that “Resistance of the body surface at the site of impact (elastic limit) is the important factor that ascertains whether a blunt or penetrating injury is inflicted and its severity. Inaccuracy of rubber bullets and improper aiming and range of use resulted in severe injury and death in a substantial number of people. This ammunition should therefore not be considered a safe method of crowd control”.


In India, the use of rubber bullets is an exception while the use of live bullets is the norm. The State governments usually order inquiries to placate the situation once some protestors were killed. However, the use of force is often justified on the ground of mob violence. Since it is impossible to prove dis-proportionality of the use of fire-arms in case of violent protest, the inquiries often end up in exonerating the police personnel even if they simply aim to kill. The police firing on the protestors of land acquisition in Pune on 9 August 2011 captured on camera showed that the police fired to kill and not to control the crowd.


In the aftermath of Sharpeville massacre on 21 March 1960, even then Apartheid regime of South Africa started using the rubber bullets. If India is committed to ensure the right to life of its citizens, it must issue a circular to make it mandatory to use plastic coated bullets before the use of live bullets. After the Himachal Pradesh High Court disapproved of the use of live bullets to tackle the monkey menace in January 2011, the Himachal Pradesh State Wildlife Department started using the rubber bullets since May 2011. There is no reason as to why the guarantees to ensure the right to life of the monkeys cannot be extended to human beings.

Thursday, 12 January 2012

How New Delhi failed in JK?


Guest Post By: Zahir-ud-Din

Did New Delhi fail in winning the people of Jammu Kashmir over these years? Or, was the sentiment so strong that it could not uproot it in six decades?

During last year’s budget session, a legislator made a laughing stock of himself by saying: “If AFSPA is repealed, how can we move about?” Well said the legislator. At least he had the courage to admit the truth. In the garb of upholding democracy, they want a draconian legislation like AFSPA to `reach’ the public. In the same session, the members of the legislative assembly uttered the truth about Jammu Kashmir.


Responding to the memorandum of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) resolution seeking revocation of armed forces special powers act (AFSPA), the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members said: “We are in this house because the army is there to protect us.”


So during all these years, nothing has changed in the state. The BJP members admitted that the presence of army was necessary for holding Jammu Kashmir. If the army goes, India loses Jammu Kashmir. What a bold admission? The constituent assembly ratified Jammu Kashmir’s accession to India on February 6, 1954. Most of the members were loyal to the then Prime Minister, Bakshi Ghulam Muhammad and behaved accordingly. Little resistance was offered to the motion. It was unanimously passed by all the members the only honourable exception being Abdul Gani Goni who had the courage to talk about izzat aur aabiroo ka muqam (honour and dignity) for the people of the state. However, his resistance got drowned in the deafening applause of the members of the constituent assembly. Goni had to walk out of the house.
Here an attempt is not being made to glorify Goni. But, his speech in the constituent assembly helps one understand the situation that prevailed then in its right perspectives. It can also go a long way in making people understand the situation that has emerged now. Has anything changed in Jammu Kashmir since February 6, 1954?
Realising that the members of the constituent assembly mocked at him while he was speaking, Goni said: “Let us withdraw the Indian army for five days and see whom the house represents.”
This particular remark evoked severe reaction from the members but Goni had succeeded in putting across his message in very strong terms. During an exclusive interview with me during Amarnath land row in 2008 Goni said with authority that the motion could not be defeated for want of resources. He urged me not to divulge vital details of the interview during his life time. “I do not want to embarrass some people”, he urged. I have kept the promise.
On that day Goni conveyed to the house that they did not represent the people of Jammu Kashmir. He made them aware that they were delivering fiery speeches in favour of accession only because a huge army had strangulated the genuine aspirations of the people.
The BJP legislators are not the only ones to admit this harsh reality. Omar Abdullah promised repeal of AFSPA the day he assumed office of the chief minister. He also promised a debate on AFSPA in the legislative assembly. But New Delhi told him to behave like a good boy and he obeyed. He, however, could not tell the people about his failure to repeal the draconian legislation. His law minister, Ali Muhammad Sagar did it for him. He shocked the people by stating that AFSPA could not be repealed. “It has to remain there for some time”, he said. On behalf of National Conference and the coalition government he too admitted that the situation in Jammu Kashmir was not as rosy as it was being projected by the state information department.
Former Director General of Police (DGP), Gopal Sharma recently said, “Even as police were well equipped and trained to take on militants in Jammu Kashmir, army should not be withdrawn completely from there.
Though police have learnt a lot in the past 20 years of turmoil in the state in combating terrorism and have now been better equipped to fight insurgency, still army should not be withdrawn completely from there.” The former DGP made this observation while speaking in a panel discussion organised by the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) at the India International Center (IIC).
“I think army’s complete withdrawal from Jammu Kashmir is just not possible and great caution should be taken while thinking about the same,” Sharma added.
Now let us have a look on what government of India and its stooges in Jammu Kashmir did to win the people for New Delhi. Corruption in all its forms and manifestations was introduced and encouraged in the state. The media were gagged. Political activists were exiled. Some of them were jailed under defence of India rules (DIR), leadership was blackmailed, draconian laws were extended to the state, and the special status was diluted through legislative and administrative means. But the sentiment for freedom did not die down. It remained there though in a dormant phase for most of the time. But when the suppressed volcano made its way in 1987, New Delhi was surprised and shocked as well. The outside world was forced to focus attention once again on Jammu Kashmir.
Did New Delhi fail in winning the people of Jammu Kashmir over these years? Or, was the sentiment so strong that New Delhi could not uproot it in six decades? The questions merit special consideration.
For the past three years, the heads of various security agencies operating in the conflict ridden state have been giving details about number of militants, their modus operandi and the damage they have suffered from time to time. In one such statement, it was stated that 750 militants were active in the entire state. And according to the incumbent DGP, 20% of the militants had no guns. Does New Delhi need around half a million regular troops and an equal number of para-military forces and police personnel to fight 750 militants of whom 20% are without guns? The Indian army has been fighting insurgency since 1947. It is experienced enough to fight Jammu Kashmir insurgency effectively. And, it has now been established that Jammu Kashmir insurgency lacks the sting required to fight one of the biggest armies of the world. The US led allied troops on the other hand are fighting Afghans. The valiant people of Afghanistan have time and again proved their worth. Nobody has enslaved them to this day. Notwithstanding this, the number of allied troops in Afghanistan is not more than one hundred thousand. The massive concentration of troops in Jammu Kashmir cannot be justified by any means especially when there are a handful of militants around. What is the Indian army, therefore, fighting in Jammu Kashmir? A mindset or the militants?
The army is fighting a mindset. Or to put it plainly the sentiment is too strong to be uprooted or crushed by use of force. It has survived more than six decades of suppression. This is the reality of contemporary Kashmir. And this always has been Kashmir’s reality.

Saturday, 17 December 2011

Bhagavad Gita Faces Legal Ban In Russia

Bhagavad Gita, one of the holiest Hindu scriptures, is facing a legal ban and the prospect of being branded as "an extremist" literature across Russia. A court in Siberia's Tomsk city is set to deliver its final verdict Monday in a case filed by state prosecutors.

The final pronouncement in the case will come two days after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his Dec 15-17 official visit for a bilateral summit with Russian President Dmitry Medvdev consolidated bilateral trade and strategic ties and personal friendship.

The case, which has been going on in Tomsk court since June, seeks ban on a Russian translation of "Bhagavad Gita As It Is" written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

It also wants the Hindu religious text banned in Russia and declared as a literature spreading "social discord", its distribution on Russian soil rendered illegal.

In view of the case, Indians settled in Moscow, numbering about 15,000, and followers of the ISKCON religious movement here have appealed to Manmohan Singh and his government to intervene diplomatically to resolve the issue in favour of the scripture, an important part of Indian epic Mahabharata written by sage Ved Vyas.

The ISKCON followers in Russia have also written a letter to the Prime Minister's Office in New Delhi, calling for immediate intervention, lest the religious freedom of Hindus living here be compromised.

"The case is coming up for a final verdict on Monday in Tomsk court. We want all efforts from the Indian government to protect the religious rights of Hindus in Russia," Sadhu Priya Das of ISKCON and a devotee of a 40-year-old Krishna temple in central Moscow, told IANS.

The court, which took up the case filed by the state prosecutors, had referred the book to the Tomsk State University for "an expert" examination Oct 25.

But Hindu groups in Russia, particularly followers of ISKCON, say the university was not qualified as it lacked Indologists who study the history and cultures, languages, and literature of the Indian subcontinent.

The Hindus pleaded with the court that the case was inspired by religious bias and intolerance from a "majority religious group in Russia", and have sought that their rights to practice their religious beliefs be upheld.

The prosecutor's case also seeks to ban the preachings of Prabhupada and ISKCON's religious beliefs, claiming these were "extremist" in nature and preached "hatred" of other religious beliefs.

"They have not just tried to get the Bhagavad Gita banned, but also brand our religious beliefs and preachings as extremist," Das said.

The ISKCON devotees have taken up the matter with the Indian embassy in Moscow too for an early diplomatic intervention before things get worse and the court passes an adverse verdict banning the Bhagavad Gita and Krishna consciousness teachings.

In the Nov 1 letter addressed to Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Pulok Chatterji, ISKCON's New Delhi branch Governing Body Commissioner Gopal Krishna Goswami, said the prosecutor's affidavit claims Lord Krishna "is evil and not conforming to Christian religious view".

Goswami also urged Manmohan Singh to accord priority to the matter during his Moscow stay and take it up with the Russian authorities.

Indian diplomatic corps officials at the embassy here, who were unwilling to be named, told IANS that they have been following up the case since the time it was brought to their notice earlier this year.

They had also taken up the matter at the appropriate levels in the Russian government to get the case either withdrawn or get the defence to fight the case to obtain a favourable verdict.

Officials at the Indian Prime Minister's Office, who were part of the Indian delegation accompanying Manmohan Singh, confirmed to IANS the case and the letter they received from ISKCON in this regard.

"This matter is receiving the highest attention and the Indian embassy officials in Moscow have been instructed to follow up the case with the Russian authorities," they said

Tuesday, 15 November 2011

FIR & Chronology of Attacks on Syed Ali Shah Geelani


FIR & Chronology of Attacks on Syed Ali Shah Geelani

To

The Station House Officer,
Police Station Sopore.

Subject: Registration of an FIR.

In a peaceful rally of Syed Ali Geelani in Iqbal Market Sopore on 11-11-2011 a suspicious person was caught hold by the people. By the Intervention of Syed Geelani he was handed over to the police with a hope that matter will be probed into thoroughly. Instead of probing the matter, the SP Sopore as per news report of Greater Kashmir dated 12-11-2011 had stated that the gunman belonged to army intelligence wing and he had gone to rally to record Geelani’s Speech and that he has been admitted in a hospital.

Today i.e. on 13th of November 2011 the daily Greater Kashmir has reported that as per army Naik Kamlesh Kumar Mishra was a member of a covert team of Army and State Police and had been sent to Sopore to gather information of the presence of terrorists in the public rally. The news paper has however further reported that as per police they were not a part of any joint intelligence operation at Sopore during Geelani’s rally and that intelligence operations are not carried out by the police jointly with the army.

From the aforesaid sequence of events it’s fully established that Naik Kumlesh Kumar Mishra and army personnel had gone to Mr. Geelani’s rally on 11-11-2011 with a pistol and he was not part of any covert operation. He had been perhaps sent by some agency to target Mr. Geelani, but for the timely intervention of the people he couldn’t succeed in his nefarious design. He has been a part of some deep rooted conspiracy hatched by the army intelligence to eliminate Mr. Geelani and it is with that objective that he had come all the way from Srinagar or from elsewhere to attend the rally. The claim of Army that he was a part of a covert team of army and police having been rejected by the police the matter appears to be very grave and serious.
You are accordingly requested to register an FIR in the matter so that the conspiracy hatched to eliminate Mr. Syed Ali Geelani is unearthed and the conspirators as well as the perpetrators of crime are brought to book.
Yours Faithfully

Ayaz Akbar
Spokesman
All Parties Hurriyat Conference Jammu and Kashmir

Copies news items of Greater Kashmir are enclosed herewith.

Greater Kashmir dated 12-11-2011 on page 10

YOUTH NABBED WITH PISTOL

An unidentified youth allegedly carrying a pistol was beaten to pulp by people on the suspicion of being personnel of some government agency during Syed Ali Shah Geelani’s rally in Sopore on Friday.
Soon after Geelani concluded his speech, an unidentified youth was caught by the people and severely thrashed.

The spokesperson of Tehreek-i-Hurriyat, Ayaz Akbar, said the youth was from some government agency and a pistol was also found in his possession. He said it was only after Geelani’s intervention that the youth was set free. He condemned the presence of an armed personal during public gathering that too with a weapon.

“The person could have made attempt on the life of Geelani sahib or intended to disrupt the public gathering,” Ayaz Akbar said.

Greater Kashmir dated 13-11-2011

Army confirms soldier’s presence in Geelani rally

PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

Srinagar, Nov 12: The Army has said the man who was beaten up by mob on suspicion that he had made an assassination bid on Hurriyat (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani during a rally here was actually a member of its "covert team".

"An army man was beaten up by mob due to mistaken identity (in the public rally addressed by Geelani yesterday). His service pistol, identity card and mobile were snatched by them," a defence spokesman said here in a statement.

A "covert team" of army and state police was sent to Sopore, 55 kms from here, to gather information on the presence of "terrorists" in the public rally, he said.
Hurriyat (G) had yesterday claimed an assassination attempt was made on Geelani by a man carrying a pistol who was nabbed by people at the rally.
"The man was nabbed when he was asked to show his identity card at the rally...Why would a man come to a rally with a pistol. It could possibly have been an attempt to target Geelani," Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz Akbar had said.

The defence spokesperson said, "The man, seriously injured, was rescued by his colleagues, and admitted to the army hospital...A case has been lodged by the army against the miscreants."

GKNN ADDS: Meanwhile, police claimed that they were not part of any joint intelligence operation in Sopore town during Geelani’s rally to nab militants.

Highly placed sources in Jammu and Kashmir Police said that intelligence operations are not carried out jointly.

They said an FIR lodged by army in Sopore police station doesn’t mention the role of police anywhere.

Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani rebutted the Army claim, saying the MI personnel was released by youth on his intervention.
“These are concocted and baseless claims. They first claimed that the MI personnel was present in the rally for gathering reports and now they say he was there to nab a militant. This shows how much truth is in their claims,” he said.

He said after the Friday prayers his rally passed off peacefully as he had changed the venue to avoid clashes of youth with CRPF men at Main Chowk.
“When I was leaving the rally venue, some youth told me that they had caught an Army personnel. I asked them to release him and they promptly acted upon my advice,” Geelani added.

=================================================

Here is brief chronology of the attacks on the life of Syed Ali Geelani, Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference and Tahreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu Kashmir.

In less than 36 hours on May 1996, two attacks were made on the life of Syed Ali Geelani, Senior leader of Jammu and Kashmir Mr. Geelani was targeted eight times by the Indian Forces and India backed renegade militants with the aim to eliminate him from the political scene of Jammu and Kashmir. There have been several attempts on the lives of other All Parties Hurriyat Conference leaders (APHC) too.

1.Oct. 30, 1995: A powerful attack on official residence at Hyderpora.
The attack severely damaged the outer wall and the ground floor of the
building, first floor catching fire. The windowpane of the houses in
an area of about one-kilometer was shattered.

2.Dec. 31, 1995: Indian Regular Forces along with some renegade
militants barged into the residence at Hyderpora with the aim to kill
the leader. Mr. Gee1ani along with his family members remained locked
in a room. The neighbors informed the police and other people. After
an hour they left before they were heard of saying that the mission
was exposed.

3.Dec 10, 1995: The houses of the two brothers of Syed A1i Shah
Gee1ani namely Syed Mirak Shah and Syed Wali Muhammad Shah of Dooru
Sopore were set on fire in broad daylight by the army and their agents
working in the area. The residential house of Syed A1i Shah Geelani
was also partially damaged.

4.Dec 18, 1995: The same house of Syed Ali Shah Geelani was blasted
and raised to the ground.

5.Jan 1, 1996: Task Force (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police raided the
official premises and extensively searched the house for two hours.
Nothing incriminating was found. It was believed that they had come to
survey the areas.

6.March 26, 1996: A powerful explosion severely damaged the front wall
of the first floor; the window and doors were shattered.
7.April 9, 1996: A grenade attacks on the western side of the
premises. No damage.

8.May 9, 1996: Firing on the Hurriyat cavalcade at a village near
Sopore by some miscreants belonging to Army backed renegade outfit
Ikhwan-ul-Muslimoon. The Jammu and Kashmir Police accompanied the
leader, caught hold of some renegades and snatched their rifles.

Rashtriya Rifles personnel, the security agency patronizing the
renegades camping nearby were out raged at the police action and
dragged all the leaders out of their cars. The leaders were beaten
severely. Mr. Abdul Gani Lone and Mr. Shabir Ahmad Shah were injured
Abdul Ahad Waza was beaten and injured. He was hospitalized on his
return to Srinagar from Sopore; a bomb was thrown on the car carrying
Syed A1i Shah Geelani at Narbal near Srinagar. The Bomb hit the escort
Car damaging its windscreen. Those traveling by car escaped unhurt.
The police recovered four landmines from the spot.

9.May 9, 1996: 40 gunmen entered into residence of the Syed Ali
Geelani but the guards strongly resisted their entry. Meanwhile the
police reached on spot but allowed these gunmen to leave the area
without questioning their motives.

10.May 16, 1996: Rocket attack on Hyderpora official residence. The
rocket exploded near the main gate. The local police recovered another
unexploded rocket.

11.May 17, 1996: Another grenade attack within less than 36 hours
exploded near the outer wall damaging it. Eyewitness said that they
saw security vehicle in the area minutes before the explosion. No one
was injured.
12.June 8, 1996: Indian Army and their agent’s showered nine grenades
and hundreds of bullets at 11 P.M on the residential house of Syed Ali
Shah Geelani at Hyderpora Srinagar.

13.Oct. 13/14, 1996: The house of Syed Ali Shah Geelani was again
attacked and fired upon from the main airport road. The firing
continued for about thirty minutes. The bullets hit the main gate and
other parts of the outer wall of the building.

14.March 12, 1999: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC)
Chairman, Syed Ali Geelani and his associates were attacked by dozens
of armed youth in a local hotel City Heart Hari Market Jammu late in
the evening. The incident took place at about 9.45 P.M.

15.September 7, 1999: The APHC chairman Syed A1i Geelani and his
associates were attacked by BSF-I72 Btn. Led by Inspector Rajiv
Kumaran main Chowk Kulengam Handwara while addressing election boycottrally.

16.September 8, 1999: On the same day they were subjected to another
attack by STF led by Inspector Sharma at Kulengam Handwara at 8. P.M
he had narrow escape when a bullet hit a near by wall and also the
tier of Geelani’s car.

17.On 30th June, 2000: The Chairman of the Hurriyat Conference Syed Ali Geelani and his associates had a narrow escape when they wereassaulted by the army personnel on their return from Magam Handwara.
The Incident occurred when Hurriyat leaders were proceeding to’
village after addressing a rally at Magam Handwara Kupwara.
This is the brief chronology up to 30th June 2000. If this could
happen with a prominent leader of Jammu and Kashmir one can imagine
the plight of masses over there.

We appeal to the world community to take note of the situation and
attacks on the life and property of the civil and political activists.

Ayaz Akbar
Spokesman
All Parties Hurriyat Conference Jammu and Kashmir

Saturday, 12 November 2011

Lava Of Anger Too Close To Surface



Guest Post By: Hassan Zainagiree


Last year’s spontaneous and massive uprising blew to smithereens the ‘integral part’ rhetoric Indians are hooked to. Instead of respecting the democratic voices of people, Indian political leadership decided to muzzle the voice and curb the dissent through the barrel of the gun. True, for a while, they succeeded in defusing the anger and controlling the situation, yet in the heart of their hearts they are privy to the naked reality that every act of suppression, far from forcing Kashmiris to reconcile to their fate and fall in capitulation before Indian military might, adds to the lava of anger and makes them more furious and determined in their resolve. Dressed in semantics though, the realization is piercing their hearts. Our resistance though they don’t acknowledge as struggle for freedom, nonetheless, in scaling it down to ‘alienation’ they know the brittle nature of relationship. And the close proximity of ‘anger bubble’ ‘close to surface’.
And its intrinsic nature of getting exploded. Anytime. How long they can run away from what Kashmircries for. Call it ‘alienation’, call it Intifadah, the destination point is not far away. And stands all visible.

Recently the Delhi nominated interlocution panel submitted its hundred page report to Home Minister P Chidambaram. The report according to official sources, stressed the need fo r addressing what they say ’sense of victimhood’ and genesis of Kashmir problem. It said:

‘Alienation runs very deep in the valley. Anger bubble is close to the surface and risk of mass protests breaking out again is still present…. The deep rooted alienation of youth was underlined by the unrelenting protests and consequent tragic deaths last year.’
The very acknowledgement of the ‘alienation’ on part of interlocutors gives lie to the Indian propaganda that Kashmiris have reconciled to Indian rule and ‘expressed their faith on Indian democracy’ {the leitmotif we hear after every election amidst the boycott call by Hurayat Conference}. It also is reflective of the indigenous nature of the movement and deflates the Indian balloon that the movement is Pakistan sponsored. The amount of violence in movement too melts down before the assertion of the panelists. It also underlines the factor of deep rooted alienation behind the last year’s summer uprising. In a way the panel headed by eminent Indian journalist Padgoankar turns approver against the political establishment which manufactured violence and resorted to ‘give the dog a bad name and kill it’ strategy to suppress the movement.

Read the “confession” again. As gets outpoured from the interlocutors {sometimes pricks of conscience force you to vomit out you want to hide under proverbial seven covers}, it is the fear of Intifadah breaking out again and holding Kashmir in its thrall that continues to weigh heavily on the minds of rulers in Delhi and their lackeys in Kashmir that Kashmir continues to be ruled through regime of AFSPA and PSAs. The fear is also reflective of the imperialistic hold of Delhi, ‘exposing’ simultaneously, its democratic claim. That is why we see leaders like Geelani being deprived of his right to offer Friday prayer in the Masjid and restricted him from holding peaceful assembly.

Friday, 4 November 2011

How India alienated Kashmiri people

BY: AIJAZ ZAKA SYED


An unjust law is no law, warned Martin Luther King, the celebrated U.S. human rights icon. The Kashmiris have been living with suchlaws for decades. At least one in every five Kashmiris has at some point or another in his/her life suffered violence, humiliation, torture and old-fashioned abuse at the hands of security forces without any recourse to justice or a distant promise of retribution

Is it any wonder then the Kashmiris today find themselves hopelessly alienated and persecuted even as our politicians never tire of pronouncing the state an “integral and inseparable” part of India?.


The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been a license to abuse, torture and kill the Kashmiris in their own land. A law that confers “special powers” on men in uniform to do as they please and get away with it; a law that the UN says violates “contemporary international human rights standards” and a law that cannot be challenged in any court of law no matter how grave the crime.


Following the division of the subcontinent in 1947 when India and Pakistan actively courted the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, it was promised a “special status” and special treatment by New Delhi. The Article 370 of Indian Constitution was supposed to protect that “special status” of Kashmir. We made a lot of other promises as well that are too familiar to revisit here.

And we have ensured and protected that “special status” of Kashmir by gifting them the AFSPA that offers sweeping powers to the security forces while ensuring their total immunity. This special law has turned the Vale of Kashmir that the Moguls believed was paradise on earth into a beautiful hell.


How did we end up here? Who lost the paradise? The answer is out there and everyone knows it. In our desperation and determination to keep Kashmir with us and away from our neighbor, we have ended up losing the Kashmiri people.

Of course, the role played by Pakistani agencies, not to mention groups such as the one led by Hafiz Saeed, who have made a business enterprise of jihad, in adding to the woes of Kashmiris isn’t in anyway insignificant.

But if an entire generation of Kashmiris has grown up loathing all things Indian it is because of the excessive presence of the security forces in the Valley and their heavy-handed approach to the local population. And if there is one thing that epitomizes all that has go

ne wrong with India’s Kashmir affair, it is the AFSPA. This black law has created a dangerous, ever deepening disconnect and gulf between the Kashmiris and the rest of India. A draconian law that belongs in a police state, not in the world’s largest democracy.

Thanks to these “special powers”, just about anybody could be picked up from anywhere any time, kicked, abused, raped, killed in broad daylight or simply disappeared and no one including the state government can do anything about it.

Security forces are a law unto themselves. And you see their power in full display all across the state including in capital Srinagar. There are more soldiers than tourists or even locals constantly reminding the Kashmiris of the original sin of being born in this land of incredible beauty. Peaceful protests last year saw scores of young people, some of them as young as nine, felled by the bullets of the forces that are supposed to protect them. In the course of fighting terrorists and cross-border infiltrators, we have turned this beautiful land into a permanent war zone and its proud people a hostage in this never-ending conflict with the neighbor. This war has claimed more than a hundred thousand Kashmiris over the past two decades, not to mention the tens of thousands who have gone “missing.”
If the 2,730 unmarked mass graves recently discovered across the state had been found elsewhere they could have shaken the world, as they did in Srebrenica, in Iraq and Rwanda. But they were met with stony silence in the ever-shrill Indian media and its self-righteous Western counterparts.

Human rights groups including the State Human Rights Commission that finally acted on the complaints of thousands of families of “disappeared persons” unearthing graves with hundreds of bullet riddled bodies fear this may be a tip of the iceberg. The dead in Kashmir have finally begun to speak up, as Arundhati Roy so evocatively puts it. But justice may still elude the victims as long as the AFSPA reigns in Jammu and Kashmir. And India’s powerful security and defense establishment, including the army, are determined to retain it. And why wouldn’t they? It’s this law that allows the security forces to rule and treat Kashmir as their fiefdom without anyone, including the elected government, questioning their authority and excesses. Despite being a fine and vibrant democracy with robust democratic institutions and judiciary that we can justifiably be proud of, we are yet to realize that no people can be governed at gunpoint. Not in this age and time. Not with black laws like the AFSPA and not by constantly waving half a million guns that have contributed to the alienation of Kashmiri society and radicalization of its youth. If India is to win Kashmiri hearts and minds, it could do so only with love, compassion, respect and justice.





(The writer is a Middle East-based commentator. This article first appeared in Arab News on Nov. 3, 2011.)

Turabi urges Pak to review decision of declaring India as favourable country


Amir-e-Jamaat-Islami (JI) Azad Jammu and Kashmir Abdur Rasheed Turabi has said trade with India should not be done at the cost of Kashmir cause. Declaring India as the most favoured nation for trade is not only against Pakistan’s national interests but also is mocking Kashmiris’ sacrifices for obtaining their right to self-determination
.

Commenting on Pakistan granting India the Most Favoured Nation status, Abdul Rashid Turabi addressing a public meeting here said granting the most favoured nation status to India for trade by Pakistani government is a matter of great concern for Kashmiri people. He said trade with India should not be carried out unless and until India resolves the longstanding issue of Kashmir peacefully and in accordance with Kashmiris’ aspirations.

Highlighting the situation of Indian Occupied Kashmir, he said the Indian forces have intensified human rights violations in Kashmir. Kashmiris are being killed while rape is used as a weapon of war by Indian forces. Pakistan was a counsel for the Kashmiri people; therefore, it is the responsibility of all Pakistanis to highlight the Kashmir issue at all international forums.

He also urged the Pakistan government, instead of declaring India as the most favoured nation, to highlight the Kashmir issue and the Indian state terrorism unleashed in the Occupied Kashmir at all international forums. He said that the decision was tantamount to rubbing salt on the bleeding wounds of Kashmiri people and a historic blunder. Kashmiri people have rendered tremendous sacrifice during years-long struggle to achieve globally recognised right to self-determination.

He said it is totally unintelligible and inconceivable decision on the part of Government of Pakistan to declare India as the most favoured nation as it is involved in clear violations of international norms of justice and massive human rights violations in Kashmir. The decision would have far-reaching consequences for Kashmiris’ peaceful struggle.

He said the Government of Pakistan should review and revisit its decision keeping in view the prevailing political and human rights situation in Kashmir and devise a policy thereby taking the aspirations and apprehensions of the people of Kashmir into consideration. He called for national unity and diplomatic campaign at international level to highlight the Indian aggression against Pakistan.