UN
Human Rights Day & Kashmir by Sajjad Shaukat (JR96SS06)
Each year, Human
Rights Day is observed all over the world, especially by the oppressed nations
on December 10, as on this very day in 1948, the United Nations General
Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It reflected the
conviction that human dignity is at the heart of our societies and that respect
for human rights is essential to the prevention of conflict and the promotion
of human development.
Sadly, the
international community has often fallen short of its commitment to human
rights. Several crises have shaken humanity in the last 70 years. Conflicts,
inequality, violence, discrimination and exclusion continuously wreak havoc on
individuals and societies throughout the world. Too often human rights are
ignored when addressing these crises.
December 10 is
also celebrated in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) where protests,
demonstrations, seminars and conferences marked the international Human Rights
Day, as gross human rights violations have continued unabated by the Indian
security forces.
This time, this
very day has come at time when the people of Kashmir have accelerated their
legitimate struggle in the aftermath of the martyrdom of the young Kashmir
leader Burhan Wani by the Indian security forces in the Indian Held Kashmir in
wake of continued sieges, prolonged curfews, arrests and detentions of the
Kashmiri leaders. Since July 8, 2016, Indian forces have martyred more than 600
innocent persons who have been protesting against the martyrdom of Burhan Wani.
Some online
authentic sources suggest that recent wave of Kashmiri intifada has witnessed
repression of Indian armed forces; large numbers of the dead and injured have
been youngsters. The pellet guns used by security forces have damaged the faces
of 1600 people and more than 1100 people have partially or wholly lost their
eyesight making 2016 as the year of dead eyes.
Last year, reports
also disclosed that Indian security forces have
also used chemical weapons against the Kashmiri civilians in violation of
international law and
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Due to mounting causalities in IOK, Indian security forces
have started giving collective punishment to Kashmiri civilians. In a development
on 4 July 2017, the Indian Army had destroyed houses in Pulwama and killed 3 Kashmiri
civilians. Upon recovery of the bodies, it was discovered that they were burnt
beyond recognition.
Sources report that Indian Army is emulating Israeli tactics
by using white phosphorus bombs to destroy houses of Kashmiris suspected of
harboring Mujahideen. The same tactics was used by Israel during its attacks on
Gaza and it seems that these weapons have been provided by Israel to India for
use in IOK.
It is notable
that an Indian journalist Sagarika Ghose in her piece in “Times of India”
admitted that India has become a “de facto Hindu country” and “the boiling
situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir is a sign of triumph for Muhammad Ali
Jinnah’s Two-Nation theory”—also admitted that “Today Kashmir is a cantonment,
patrolled by lakhs of security forces.”
Another Indian
journalist Santosh Bhartiya in an open letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has published on ‘Rising Kashmir’ has claimed that although “the land of
Kashmir is with us, the people of Kashmir are not with us.” New York Times
editorial “Cruelty and Cowardice in Kashmir” also has the same shade commenting
on an incident on the current situation in the valley. Former chief of RAW,
Dulat felt that “the ongoing unarmed uprising has worsened under the current
government due to alienation and the anger of youth; young Kashmiri minds have
gone out of control…There is a sense of hopelessness. They aren’t afraid to
die. Villagers, students and even girls are coming out on the streets. This has
never happened in the past.”
While, by
manipulating the false flag terror attacks at a military base in Uri and
Baramulla, the BJP-led Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has intensified
war-hysteria against Pakistan. After deployment of heavy arms and weapons at
the Line of Control (LoC), Indian forces have increased troops and continue
shelling in Pakistani side of Azad Kashmir. New Delhi’s main aim is to deflect
the attention of the international community from the new phase of Kashmiri
Intifada, while in this regard; pressure has been mounting on the Modi
government both domestically and internationally to resolve the dispute of
Kashmir with Pakistan.
Notably, during
the partition of the Sub-continent, the people of the state of Jammu and
Kashmir (J&K) which comprised Muslim majority decided to join Pakistan
according to the British-led formula. But, Dogra Raja, Sir Hari Singh, a Hindu
who was ruling over the J&K, in connivance with the Indian Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru and Governor General Lord Mountbatten joined India.
The design to
forcibly wrest Kashmir began to unfold on August 16, 1947, with the
announcement of the Radcliffe Boundary Award. It gave the Gurdaspur District—a
majority Muslim area to India to provide a land route to the Indian armed
forces to move into Kashmir. There was a rebellion in the state forces, which
revolted against the Maharaja and were joined by Pathan tribesmen. Lord
Mountbatten ordered armed forces to land in Srinagar.
When Pakistan
responded militarily against the Indian aggression, on December 31, 1947, India
made an appeal to the UN Security Council to intervene and a ceasefire
ultimately came into effect on January 01, 1949, following UN resolutions
calling for a plebiscite in Kashmir to enable the people of Jammu and Kashmir
to determine whether they wish to join Pakistan or India. On February 5, 1964,
India backed out of its promise of holding plebiscite. Instead, in March 1965, the
Indian Parliament passed a bill, declaring Kashmir a province of India-an
integral part of the Indian union.
The very tragedy
of Kashmiris had started after 1947 when they were denied their genuine right
of self-determination. They organized themselves against the injustices of
India and launched a war of liberation which New Delhi tried to crush through
various forms of brutalities.
It is
mentionable that since 1947, in order to maintain its illegal control, India
has continued its repressive regime in the Occupied Kashmir through various
machinations.
Nonetheless,
various forms of state terrorism have been part of a deliberate campaign by the
Indian army and paramilitary forces against Muslim Kashmiris, especially since
1989. It has been manifested in brutal tactics like crackdowns, curfews,
illegal detentions, massacre, targeted killings, sieges, burning the houses,
torture, disappearances, rape, breaking the legs, molestation of Muslim women
and killing of persons through fake encounter.
According to a report
on human rights violations in the Indian Occupied Kashmir, since 1989, there
have been deaths of 1,00000 innocent Kashmiris, 7,023 custodial killings,
1,22,771 arrests, 1,05,996 destruction of houses or buildings, 22,776 women
widowed, 1,07,466 children orphaned and 10,086 women gang-raped/molested.
Indian brutal securities forces have continue these atrocities. Now, the
figures have increases, as India state terrorism has continued unabated.
In fact, Indian
forces have employed various draconian laws like the Jammu and Kashmir
Disturbed Areas Act, and the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers
Act and Public Safety Act in killing the Kashmiri people, and for the
arbitrarily arrest of any individual for an indefinite period.
Besides Human Rights
Watch, in its various reports, Amnesty International has also pointed out grave
human rights violations in the Indian controlled Kashmir, indicating, “The
Muslim majority population in the Kashmir Valley suffers from the repressive
tactics of the security forces”.
In its report on July
2, 2015, the Amnesty International has highlighted extrajudicial killings of
the innocent persons at the hands of Indian security forces in the Indian Held
Kashmir. The report points out, “Tens of thousands of security forces are
deployed in Indian-administered Kashmir…the Armed Forces Special Powers Act
allows troops to shoot to kill suspected militants or arrest them without a
warrant…not a single member of the armed forces has been tried in a civilian
court for violating human rights in Kashmir…this lack of accountability has in
turn facilitated other serious abuses…India has martyred one 100,000 people.
More than 8,000 disappeared (while) in the custody of army and state police.”
In this respect,
European Union has passed a resolution about human rights abuses committed by
Indian forces in the Indian held Kashmir.
It is of particular
attention that in 2008, a rights group reported unmarked graves in 55 villages
across the northern regions of the Indian-held Kashmir. Then researchers and
other groups reported finding thousands of mass graves without markers. In this
respect, in August, 2011, Indian Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights
Commission officially acknowledged in its report that innocent civilians killed
in the two-decade conflict have been buried in unmarked graves.
Foreign sources and
human rights organisations have revealed that unnamed graves include those
innocent persons, killed by the Indian military and paramilitary troops in the
fake encounters including those who were tortured to death by the Indian secret
agency RAW. In the recent past, more unmarked graves have been discovered.
It is worth-mentioning
that report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
released on June 14, 2018-“Situation in Kashmir”
is pointed out Indian atrocities in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK). It said: “From July 2016, the High
Commissioner for Human Rights has on numerous occasions requested the
Governments of India and Pakistan that his Office be given unconditional access
to Kashmir to assess the human rights situation. India rejected this request;
while Pakistan offered access…The refusal to allow unhindered access to United
Nations team into Indian-Administered-Kashmir gave rise to an idea of “Remote
Monitoring”. The report was then compiled by doing “remote monitoring” on the
situation of Human Rights in Kashmir. The report by the independent authority
is an eye-opener for many. The focus of the report is on the situation of human
rights in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir from July 2016 to April 2018.
During this period ‘OHCHR’ received reports of allegations of widespread and
serious human rights violations by Indian security forces that led to numerous
civilian casualties.
It is noteworthy that
in his address at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 29, this year,
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood
Qureshi said, “The neighbouring country [India] rejected the Pakistani offer of
resuming peace talks on ‘flimsy grounds…We are ready to talk to India on all
issues but with respect…Kashmir issue is the biggest obstacle to regional
peace…the Indian forces subjecting Kashmiris to atrocities for seven decades.
India should not test Pakistan’s patience…we will respond to Indian
aggression…The latest UN report on the occupied Kashmir has exposed Indian
atrocities on innocent civilians…the meeting between the Pakistani and Indian
foreign ministers would’ve been a great opportunity for dialogue. But, the Modi
government chose politics over dialogue…India would have to bear the brunt of
Pakistan’s retaliation if it makes the mistake of any misadventure on the Line
of Control (LoC)”.
Indian authorities
are not willing to talk with Kashmiri people on political grounds. New Delhi
reached to a conclusion that only bullet is the right way of dealing with
Kashmiris, demanding their right of self-determination. Surprisingly, Indian
successive governments are trying to ignore the dynamics of the freedom
movement of Kashmiris for the sake of their alien rule.
But, New Delhi is
still showing its intransigence in order to resolve Kashmir issue with Pakistan
by neglecting the fact that Kashmir remains a nuclear flashpoint between both
the neighbouring countries.
In this context,
Egbert Jahn in his book, “Kashmir: Flashpoint for a Nuclear War or Even a Third
World War?” has pointed out, “The Kashmir conflict is embedded in the wider
conflict over the incomplete creation of nations and states on the Indian
subcontinent, which during the east-west conflict even threatened at times to
escalate into a nuclear world war between Pakistan and the USA on the one side
and India and the USSR on the other. Until now, there have been three wars
between India and Pakistan over the Jammu and Kashmir: in 1947–49, 1965 and
1999… finally, the Indo-Chinese border war of 1962…after these wars…and could
unexpectedly again lead to a regional and under certain circumstances…even a
major nuclear war or a Third World War.”
Although 10th of
December is observed throughout the world as the Human Rights Day, yet, the
case of Indian Held Kashmir is of special attention, where Indian security
forces have left no stone unturned by violating the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights.
Sajjad Shaukat
writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic
Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International
Relations
Email:
sajjad_logic@yahoo.com
