Sunday, April 12, 2020

Kashmir Struggle News Update (weekly) JR212 Volume IV

Kashmir Update 149: Week , Oct ,4, 2021 to Oct,10 ,2021 1 Kashmir Dispute: Challenge to world Conscience: Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai: October 1, 2021: The most pertinent evidence of that conflict is that India has in recent years had as many as 900,000 military and paramilitary forces stationed on a piece of land no larger than the state of Tennessee (USA). By comparison, during the height of the Iraq war, in October 2007, U.S. Troop strength was only a little over 166,000. Iraq compares in size to the state of California. Obviously, the number of troops stationed in Kashmir is highly significant. There is no war taking place there. There is no imminent external threat of a foreign invader, with troops amassed at its border. Why so many troops? India frequently justifies its military presence, first, by asserting that Kashmir is an ‘integral part’ of India, and, second, that Pakistan, just across the border, is a threat. Both are nuclear-armed, and cross-border skirmishes occur periodically among a handful of troops stationed along the UN-established Cease-fire Line. However, to whatever extent such a threat exists, such an enormous volume of troops is well beyond whatever need there might be to resist such incursions. The best way to make sure that there is no such infiltration is to let the United Nations be allowed to monitor the Cease-fire Line. “The barrier itself consists of double-row of fencing and concertina wire eight to twelve feet (2.4–3.7 m) in height and is electrified and connected to a network of motion sensors, thermal imaging devices, lighting systems and alarms. They act as “fast alert signals” to the Indian troops who can be alerted and ambush the infiltrators trying to sneak in. The small stretch of land between the rows of fencing is mined with thousands of landmines.” Wikipedia The truth is that the people of Kashmir themselves have always been hostile to the presence of India’s troops on their soil and have resisted to such oppression, and over hundred thousand Kashmiris have died within the past 30 years alone. Long standing agreements at the United Nations in place have in fact afforded the Kashmiri people the right to determine their own destiny. What we have, then, is a case of a large country bullying a small nation into submission in violation of not only their right to sovereignty but international agreements and two dozen UN resolutions giving them the right to determine their own political fate. The purpose of so many troops stationed in this small country is for no other purpose but blatant oppression. Their presences make Kashmir the largest army concentration anywhere in the world. Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani has written on the subject, “The United Nations has defined the people of Jammu & Kashmir as ‘People of legend, song and story, associated with snow-capped mountains, beautiful valleys and life-giving waters’. Today we associate them with living in a highly militarised zone and locked down inside their homes. We associate them with a habitat where children are recruited to carry out espionage for the Indian Security Forces (a war crime),” Dr. Gilani added. You would think that the international community would be up in arms over such abuse, particularly in view of the fact that the Kashmiris have shown an iron determination to resist tens of thousands of killings, and thousands of rapes, disappearances and torture inflicted upon the population at the hands of these foreign occupiers. In a more idealistic mood President Joe Biden said on February 4, 2021, “We must start with diplomacy rooted in America’s most cherished democratic values: defending freedom, championing opportunity, upholding universal rights, respecting the rule of law, and treating every person with dignity.” And again on September 13, 2021, "I've been clear that human rights will be the center of our foreign policy." Earlier President Barack Obama who choose Joe Biden as his running mate addressed the problem of Kashmir, in one of his rare moments of candor. “We should probably try to facilitate a better understanding between Pakistan and India, “he announced,” and try to resolve the Kashmir crisis.” It wasn’t long after Obama’s newly anointed status, however, that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in New Delhi shuffling cards, engaging in toasts, and making deals on Boeing aircraft. Little more, if anything, was ever said about Kashmir. Trade between India and the U.S. has since become a $100 billion dollar business, with growth estimated in the near term as high as $500 billion. Given such platitudes, while American foreign policy is supposed to be grounded on moral values, democratic ideals and universal principles, it would appear that wherever the crowd of commercial interests get VIP status, such ideals and principles are easily set aside, relegated to the back of the room, where it’s standing room only. Money talks: ideals walk. Situation ethics is the name of the play. It is quite conspicuous that the world powers feel awkward and unequipped to intervene in any international conflict because the country concerned is too powerful and does not listen to morals and ethics when everyone has his wallet on the table. In addition, India’s refusal to accept international mediation or facilitation seems to shut the door on any kind of international dialogue regarding Kashmir. The Kashmiris are shut in, and the outside world out. Doesn’t the world community recognize such double standards? How is international credibility and trust engendered by such behavior? For whom does this bell toll but for last vestiges of all that we hold dear, while the corrupt and cynical become more emboldened, and does it not sow the seeds of hatred and deeper more lasting conflict among those who suffer because of it? “Bigger nations should not be able to bully smaller ones… people should be able to choose their own future,” President Barack Obama said, when he spoke to the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 2014. “Too often,” he added, “we have failed to enforce international norms when it’s inconvenient to do so.” It would have been nice if President Obama had mentioned Kashmir in the same breath. However, speeches by a U.S. President on foreign policy usually engage issues that are relative to immediate concerns and objectives, and he seemed much more interested in pointing fingers at Russia for supporting the separatist fight in Ukraine and the need to impose sanctions. So, while the U.S. imposes sanctions on Russia for interfering in stability and peace in a country more than 5,000 miles away which is of no strategic pertinence to American safety or freedoms, it engages in trade with India and says nothing about India’s failure to enforce “international norms” where it is apparently inconvenient to do so. India’s transgressions in Kashmir are clearly far more relevant to the issue of international norms, given their history, than anything now occurring in Eastern Europe. If, in Indian Prime Minister Modi’s address to the same United Nations forum on September 26, 2020, he said that “Within the halls of the United Nations, one has often heard the words ‘the world is one family’. We treat the whole world as one family. It is part of our culture, character and thinking.” A grand statement, to be sure, but it has little credibility in the face of persistent policies by India against the defenseless people of Kashmir. Nevertheless, we accept Prime Minister Modi’s challenge, “The ideals on which the United Nations was founded, and India's own fundamental philosophy has a lot of commonalities. They are not different from each other.” Then Prime Minister Modi should agree that the point of departure for resolving Kashmir dispute has to be the same – to go back, yes, back to the United Nations which has prescribed the resolution of the Kashmir problem through a democratic method of a free and fair plebiscite. And how do the world powers, the U.S. among them, justify the inclusion of India as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and currently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council when all the world sees that it is in violation of the UN’s own charter? This makes the mockery of the international obligations. Mr. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations needs to be applauded for his statement that he made regarding Kashmir on February 18, 2020, "Diplomacy and dialogue remain the only tools that guarantee peace and stability with solutions in accordance with the Charter of United Nations and resolutions of the Security Council.” "I offered my good offices from the beginning. I am ready to help if both countries agree for mediation,” he added. Encouragement to India and Pakistan through numerous resolutions have been taking place for the last 73 years. Perhaps it is time that the authority entrusted to the United Nations be taken a little more seriously. Isn’t it also time that Mr. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations brings the situation in Kashmir to the attention of the Security Council under the provision of the Article 99 of the United Nations Charter? It is here in the region of South Asia that the two nuclear powers have been eyeball to eyeball for the last two years? The Article 99 authorizes the Secretary General to ‘bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security’. Lastly, the world powers and the saner elements in both India and Pakistan need to realize that the participation of Kashmiri leadership in the dialogue process with India and Pakistan is the sine qua non that will help to achieve the lasting peace and tranquility in the region of South Asia. Dr. Fai is the Secretary General, Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435 gnfai2003@yahoo.com 2 UK Protest; Oct 6 2021; Hundreds of protesters marched through Manchester to support the political struggle of both Kashmiris and Palestinians on the occasion of UK’s Conservative Party's annual conference. The march began at Whitworth Park and made its way through the city before finishing at the Manchester Central convention centre. The protesters were chanting slogans “stop arming India”, “stop arming Israel”, “end Indian occupation of Kashmir". The demonstrators also distributed thousands of pamphlets titled “Kashmir under Indian siege knocking at world conscience”. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2323269/hundreds-march-in-uk-to-protest-against-indian-israeli-atrocities 3 United Nations Urged to Help Resolve Kashmir Dispute Washington, DC: October 4, 2021:“The current resistance in Indian illegally occupied Jammu Kashmir (IIOJK) is rooted in the struggle of the people for the exercise of the right of self-determination - the promise which was given to them by the United Nations Security Council in 1948. While the people of IIOJK hold peaceful protests on the streets of Srinagar, Baramulla, Islamabad, Kupwara and elsewhere, Indian army has fired upon these peaceful protestors, killing more than 100,000 innocent civilians, including women and children since 1990,” this was stated by Shehryar Khan Afridi, Chairman, Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir at a reception given by Washington based World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF) at Sapphire Tyson. The hall was packed to its capacity .The Chairman articulated that Pakistan has consistently upheld the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to self-determination in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. These resolutions provide the pathway for the holding of a free and impartial plebiscite for the determination of the future of the State by the people of Jammu and Kashmir. History tells us that attempts to forcibly suppress the legitimate demands of the people of Jammu and Kashmir have resulted in failure. Similarly, threats of use of force have not affected Pakistan’s resolve to maintain its position of principle. One thing is crystal clear that without an active interest of big powers to come to the rescue of Kashmiris, India will not agree to any meaningful talks on Kashmir. He urged the world powers to break their silence and help the people of Jammu & Kashmir as the situation there was brewing with anger, and it may erupt anytime due to uninterrupted and prolonged atrocities being committed on the Kashmiris by fascist Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Chairman added that his purpose of coming to America is to increase awareness in the corridors of power in Washington about the Kashmir issue. His sole purpose was to mobilize world opinion in support of the cause of right of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir as well as the principle stand of Pakistan;. The Chairman praised Prime Minister Imran Khan who pleaded the case of the people of Jammu & Kashmir at all international fora including the United Nations that Pakistan supports initiatives and efforts aimed to achieve a just and durable settlement of the Kashmir problem, in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Afridi Sahib expressed his resolve to interact with the elected representatives, civil society, members of think-tanks, academia to pursue forward the vision of his prime minister, Imran Khan Sahib. He expressed his unconditional moral, political, and diplomatic support to the people of Kashmir for a just and peaceful solution to the long-standing dispute. He said that we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Kashmiri brethren. Ambassador Dr. Asad Majeed Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador toe United States presented historical perspective of the dispute and underscored the efforts made by the current Government towards resolution of the Kashmir dispute. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Khan said that Prime Minster Imran Khan has termed himself as the Ambassador for Kashmiri people and has been effectively pleading the case for Kashmir at all international forums including the United Nations. He briefed the audience on the recent visit by the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to attend the 76th Session of the UNGA in New York. During the visit, Foreign Minister along with President Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Chairman Pakistan Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir sensitized the international community on the plight of Kashmiri people and urged them to play their role in resolution of the Kashmir dispute as envisaged in the UNSC Resolutions and in accordance with wishes of the Kashmiri people. Ambassador Khan highlighted that India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5th August 2019 were in contravention to its international obligations, commitments to the United Nations and bilateral agreements and understandings between the two countries. He also drew attention of the audience to the grave peace and security threat posed by these Indian actions in South Asia and called for the international community to urge India to end its human rights violations in IIOJK and rescind illegal and unilateral actions taken on August 5, 2019 Ambassador Khan also lauded the role played by the Pakistani and Kashmiri American community in highlighting the gross human rights violations in IIOJK and echoing the voice of innocent Kashmiris in the corridors of U.S. Congress. He stressed upon them to continue sensitizing the respective Congressman and members of civil society on this grave issue. Ambassador Khan reiterated Government of Pakistan’s continued moral, political and diplomatic support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their struggle for right to self-determination. Dr. Ghulam N. Mir, President, WKAF said Kashmiris cherish the moral and political support of the brotherly people of Azad Kashmir and Pakistan in fighting off the oppression unleashed by the Indian regime. We are grateful to the indomitable prime minister Imran khan for forcefully advocating the cause of Indian Occupied Kashmir at all international platforms, including his powerful speeches at the 76th United Nations General Assembly session on September 24, 2021. He continues to support our principled position that Kashmir conflict must be resolved according to the UNSC resolutions passed as far back as 1948. Kashmir remains one of the most important unfinished business items United Nations’ agenda. Dr. Mir voiced his optimism that the political resistance in Kashmir is alive, despite the brutal tactics of Indian occupation forces. He emphasized that Kashmiri diaspora need to pursue the goal of right of self-determination as a united front. United we stand but divided we fall, Mir added. Dr. Mir appealed to the world powers in general and the United Nations in particular to bring immense moral and political influence to bear on initiating a peace process which will lead to a speedy, just and honorable settlement of the dispute and restore to the people of Kashmir their inalienable right to self-determination. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, WKAF said that the United Nations bears a special responsibility to bring peace to Kashmir because it was in its chamber more than 74 years ago that India made a pledge to the world body in general and to the people of Kashmir in particular that they would be enabled to decide their future under an impartially supervised plebiscite on the basis of their unfettered right of self-determination. That promise has not been kept and in fact, has been repudiated in cynical violation of the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations. “No consideration of the Kashmir dispute which is designed to arrive at a peaceful settlement will yield any result unless the Kashmiri viewpoint is fully taken into account,” Fai emphasized. Dr. Fai said that Kashmir conflict has many dimensions: Political, diplomatic, humanitarian, etc. But the goal of all these dimensions is just one: to have a greater understanding of world powers, including the United States to help us to exercise the right to self-determination as was guaranteed under UN Security Council resolutions. ‘Unfortunately, both Trump and Biden administrations favored India over the people of Kashmir. They made no protests at the United Nations Security Council over India's violations of human rights or its plebiscite resolutions. They gave India a veto over any third-party intervention knowing it would be employed to the disadvantage of Kashmiris,” Fai said. Dr. Imtiaz underscored that the events of August 5, 2019, are consistent with the ruthless occupation and suppression the people of Kashmir have suffered under the unpopular Indian rule. All the features of severe political repression are evident -- the detention without trial, torture, execution, the torturing of neighborhoods, imprisonment of leadership and gang rapes by the Indian army -- are common daily occurrences. It is in the interest of world peace that India and Pakistan need to resolve the Kashmir dispute to the satisfaction of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Sardar Zarif Khan, Chief Coordinator of the event said despite the persistent and pernicious tyranny, the people of Kashmir never have nor ever will give up their right to be free. It is based on the internationally recognized, and principled stand. The Kashmiri diaspora and its allies worldwide stand in solidarity with the people of Jammu & Kashmir. We stand in support of their unyielding struggle to resist occupation and achieve their right to self-determination. Sardar Shoaib Khan, Coordinator of the event said that it was our duty to support the people of Kashmir who are struggling for their right to self-determination. Our objective is to draw the attention of the world powers to the situation in Kashmir and to exert pressure on the government of India and to resolve dispute over Kashmir and help stop human right violations in Indian occupied Kashmir. In the end, the participants called upon the United Nations in general and Biden Administration in particular to play an active part in ensuring that the promises made to the people of Kashmir at the U.N. more than seven decades ago, be fulfilled and an opportunity given to the people to participate in a free and fair referendum to determine their future in line with their inalienable right to self-determination. Dr. Fai can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435 / gnfai2003@yahoo.com 4 Two martyred; Oct 10 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian police martyred a Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, this evening. The police shot dead the youth in Natipora area of Srinagar. Indian troops martyred an unarmed civilian, Pervez Ahmad, by opening fire on his vehicle at Monghal Bridge in Islamabad district, last evening. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/08/one-more-youth-martyred-in-iiojk-toll-rises-to-two.html 5 FAFT; Oct 10 2021; India under fascist Narendra Modi has become a security threat to the world but is being overlooked by Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and other global bodies. A report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said India is financing and sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan and other regional countries. “India is a fit case to be blacklisted by FATF for its money laundering, terrorism sponsoring. 44 Indian banks have been flagged for carrying out suspicious transactions worth more than $1 billion,” it said. The report said that the FATF must take action against India and Modi for being involved in terror financing and money laundering and the upcoming plenary meeting of the financial body is the right time to blacklist New Delhi for its suspicious transactions. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/09/fatf-must-blacklist-india-for-terror-financing-money-laundering.html 6 7 HR Violations (From Jan 1989 till Sep 30, 2021) Total Killings * 95,875 Custodial Killings 7,195 Arrested 162,262 Arson (Houses, Shops, etc.) 110,433 Women widowed 22,934 Children orphaned 107,842 Women gang-raped / Molested 11,246 *Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody September-21 Total Killings * 18 Custodial Killings 3 Tortured/Injured 60 Pellet Injured : Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged Persons whose one or both eyes are injured Civilian arrested 202 Structures Arsoned/Destroyed 9 Women Widowed 2 Children Orphaned 3 Women gang-raped / Molested 0 *Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody (Jan 2020 – Sep 21) Total Killings * 400 Custodial Killings 58 Tortured/Injured 1,162 Total pellet Injured 185 Persons who lose eyesight 0 Persons whose one or both eyes are injured 12 Civilian arrested 3,815 Arson (Houses etc) 974 Women Widowed 30 Children Orphaned 57 Women gang-raped / Molested 71 *Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody From Aug 5, 2019 Total Killings * 442 Custodial Killings 67 Tortured/Injured 2,136 Total pellet Injured 584 Persons who lost eyesight 2 Persons whose one or both eyes are injured 24 Civilian arrested 15,324 Arson (Houses etc) 1,040 Women Widowed 26 Children Orphaned 67 Women disgraced / Molested 116 *Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody (From July 8, 2016) Total Killings * 1,483 Custodial Killings 126 Tortured/Injured 29,843 Inured by pellets 11,400 Eye-sight damaged/ at the verge of blindness 2,000 Persons whose one or both eyes are injured Arrested 27,207 Structures Arsoned/Destroyed 4,355 Women Widowed 125 Children Orphaned 272 Women gang-raped / Molested 1,053 Human rights Kashmir media Service

   Kashmir Update 148: Week , Sep 27, 2021 to NoV,3,2021

1        Protest; Sep 28 2021; Hundreds gathered at the UN demanding freedom from Indian occupation ;New York, Sep 26, 2021. “The right of self-determination which was promised to the people of Kashmir by both India & Pakistan and was endorsed by the UN Security Council needs to be fulfilled. The Kashmir dispute has no military solution. It can only be resolved through peaceful negotiations between all parties concerned – India, Pakistan and the people of Jammu & Kashmir,” this was stated by Barrister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhry, newly elected President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir at a rally organized by Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum and supported by US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), Majlie As Shura, New York and ICNA/Council for Social Justice. The protest was organized against prime minister, Narendra Modi as he was addressing the UN General Assembly. Barrister Choudhary said that the international attention is now focused on Kashmir  Holding banners and placards in their hands inscribed with “Wake UP Wake UP UN WAKE UP” “Indian Army Out of Kashmir” “WE Demand Human Rights” “India: Free Kashmir” the participants expressed total solidarity with the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Mir, president, World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF) said, “We are here today specifically to protest the visit and the speech of the Hindu Nationalist Prime Munster of India, Mr. Narender Modi. With all due respect to the office of the Prime minister of India, we believe he and his government do not deserve to be speaking at this august forum representing 193 countries of the world. We further believe that the region of South Asia faces an existential threat from the aggressive Hindu Nationalist regime which is based on Hitler and Mussolini’s Nazi ideology. We believe his regime is a threat to its neighbors and world peace. “World leaders would be ill-advised to ignore the danger posed by the Hindu Nationalist regime led by Narendra Modi, just as it was a grave mistake to ignore the warning signs of Adolph Hitler’s threat in 1940s. The world knew Mr. Modi supervised Muslim pogroms in Gujarat and Delhi. He is now doing the same in Assam. His military and paramilitary forces are actively engaged in massacres and forced demographic change in the state of J&K. We urge the leaders of the US and the world to hold PM Modi and his associates’ feet to fire for the grave abuses of the fundamental rights Kashmiris,” Dr. Mir added. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, (WKAF) said that the president of the General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, must know that the Prime Minister Modi, who spoke on Saturday, was declared as 'butcher of Gujarat'. Within the past two years, Fai said, Modi has made Kashmir a hell for its people. The people of Kashmir have always been hostile to the presence of India’s troops on their soil and have resisted to such oppression, and over hundred thousand Kashmiris have died within the past 30 years alone. "The world powers and the saner elements in both India and Pakistan need to realize that the participation of Kashmiri leadership in the dialogue process with India and Pakistan is the sine qua non that will help to achieve the lasting peace and tranquility in the region of South Asia," D. Fai added. Imam Saffet Catovic, former, Bosnian Diplomat and Board Member, Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA) said, “Someone asked me, what are you doing here, you are not from Kashmir or Pakistan or other Asian nation.  I replied, yes that is true, my background is from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Europe.  I am here because as a Muslim and person of faith I am commanded by God in the Quran to stand for justice and against tyranny and oppression (Quran 4:135). Beginning in 1992 our Bosnian people were the target of ethnic cleansing and genocide, orchestrated by religiously driven ethnic chauvinists and ultranationalist who sought to erase our historic presence and very existence from the face of Europe, not unlike what has been happening to the Kashmiri people for far too long, under Indian occupation, even more so now than ever before under this Modi regime. By the grace of God, the just nature of our cause and through our heroic struggle and the support of allies and people of conscience across the world we survived and became free and independent and so shall the courageous people of occupied Kashmir!  as God reminds us in the Holy Quran (3:139) "Do not lose hope nor despair for you shall be victorious if you remain true to who you are and your faith" Dr. Imtiaz Khan, Professor George Washington University Medical Center said, The presence of Narender Modi at United Nations compromises the sanctity of this august body which was created to establish a fair world order. Modi terrorizes his neighbors and has subjugated people of Kashmir. Under his watch atrocities against Kashmiris have increased manifold. Occupation forces enter the housed of inhabitants with impunity. They kill the youth, molest the women, and steal the valuables before raising the houses to the ground. “Kashmiris want to express their sincere gratitude to PM Imran Khan for exposing the human right abuses by Indian forces,” Dr. Khan said. Sardar Sawar Khan, former Advisor to the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir called on the U.N. to decisively move towards implementing its resolutions that pledged the right of self-determination to Kashmiris. The nation of Kashmir is at the brink of extinction due to the demographic changes taking place in the State which needs world attention. “History testifies that all international conflicts were ultimately resolved through negotiations, including Afghanistan, Kashmir should be no different,” Sarwar Khan added. Dr. Amerjit Singh, President, Khalistan Affairs Center said, ‘India’s Modi led regime is based on RSS ideology which is inspired by Nazi ideology of Hitler’s Party. Sikhs, Muslims, Christians & Dalits are being subjected to worst kind of persecution. UN should intervene & implement UN Security Council Resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir. Sikh Nation is also struggling to free itself from Indian yolk & establish an independent Sovereign Nation of Khalistan. Dr. Atif Nazir said that ICNA/Council for Social Justice strives to systematically facilitate assertive Muslim involvement in the field of human struggle for the rights of the poor and oppressed in the United States and across the globe. He said that ICNA/CSJ initiated various campaigns in last few years for the oppressed people of Kashmir, like, “India end the communication blockade and the curfew on Kashmir,” India end the occupation of Kashmir” India grant aazadi (freedom) to Kashmir,”Ejaz Sabir, Esq. said, “The Indian establishment has lost its moral and political grip to establish the writ of State. It is evident from Indian commandos burglarizing the home of the Late Syed Ali Shah Gilani and taking away his dead body, kicking, punching, and leaving his wife bleeding. Ejaz Sabir reiterated that the international community, especially the UN must take note that Mr. Modi is following up a fascist agenda of a fascist organization, RSS  When the UN failed to enforce or adjudicate its own oldest resolutions number, (47, 122, 123, and 126) then how can the UN talk about world peace. It's like one fails to learn the basic alphabet but stands up to present a thesis. UN must enforce its resolutions. Ghazala Habib, President, Friends of Kashmir, International from Texas said, “We demand the implementation of the United Nations resolution on Kashmir so that the people of Kashmir can exercise their right to self-determination. The world must intervene and stop the extreme human rights violations being committed by Indian army against innocent people of Kashmir. We also demand unconditional release of all political prisoners in Kashmir. Saleem Qadri, representative of Masarat Alam said that Kashmir issue needs to be resolved as soon as possible for the sake of international peace and security. He emphasized that the people of Kashmir have instilled confidence in the leadership of Masarat Alam who have been wrongfully jailed for over 27 years. But Masarat Alam has remained determined in seeking a peaceful resolution of Kashmir. Sardar Niaz Khan, President JKPP said, “We demand the UN to pressurize Narandra Modi to stop the atrocities committed by Indian occupation army in Kashmir and allow the children to go to school and have the citizens of Kashmir acquire the necessities of life. We also demand the UN to implement the 18 UN resolutions that were put forth 74 years ago. Amjad Nawaz, PTI leader said that whole Pakistani nation is standing with the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir   and Kashmir till the day of their independence. Khalid Awan, President, People’s Party, USA said, Fascist Modi government is committing genocide of Kashmiris and the Indian army is fabricating stories of oppression and barbarism and the civilized world does not utter a word of condemnation. The nation of Kashmir has proved that Indian barbarism cannot kill their desire for right to self-determination. Sardar Imtiaz Khan (New Jersey) said, “We ask the people of the world to stand up and speak up for the freedom of Kashmir. Our appeal to Biden Administration is to seriously engage India, Pakistan, and legitimate representatives of Kashmir in a results-oriented peaceful resolution of this most serious conflict of the world that is Kashmir. Sardar Taj Khan said that the atrocities committed on the peace-loving people of Kashmir are continuing unabated. Thousands of women have been gang raped, not to talk of mass graves and children who been blinded by pellet gun wounds. The silence of the world powers cannot be explained. Dr. Bena Akram Khan expressed her unconditional moral support to the people of Kashmir for a just and peaceful struggle. She said that she as a physician would like to see a humane resolution of all international conflicts including that of Jammu & Kashmir. She added that the killings of innocent civilians in Indian occupied Kashmir must shake the conscience of all peace-loving people. Sardar Zulfiqar Roshan Khan said that the only way the world powers can bring peace to the region of South Asia is by initiating a peaceful dialogue that will lead to the resolution of Kashmir. And that bilateral talks between the two nations have never taken off and direct participation of Kashmiri leadership is needed. Raja Mukhtar emphasized that there is absolutely no doubt that Modi administration is not only dominated but also controlled by fascist ideology of RSS. It needs to be exposed before the world community. He said that despite all these atrocities committed on the innocent people of Kashmir, the people of Kashmir have never resigned to the military occupation of India. Amna Habib said that the people of Kashmir have suffered long and needlessly because of the endless brutalities committed by Indian army in Kashmir. The people of my homeland demand nothing but peace – peace for Kashmir and peace for the region. Ms. Tayyiba Khan emphasized that the brutalities of Indian government cannot and should not go unnoticed. It is the responsibility of the Kashmiri diaspora to be the voice of voiceless people in the corridors of powers all over the world. Sardar Shoaib Khan said that it was the duty of all peace-loving people of the world to support the people of Kashmir who are struggling for their right to self-determination. Our aim is to draw the attention of the United States to the situation in Kashmir and help stop human right violations which have been reported by all major international NGO’s including UN High Commissioner of Human Rights. Raja Razzak appealed to the international community to use its diplomatic, moral and economic leverage with  India to fulfill its commitment of the right of self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir according to the United Nations Security Council resolutions of 1948 and 1949. Sardar Zarif Khan said “The people of Jammu & Kashmir have not forgotten the pledges made at the United Nations. Instead, pressure from the Kashmiri people to exercise their right to self-determination has grown. Each time Kashmiris have renewed their demands, Indian army has answered with renewed repression. These acts of repression have now turned into a systematic ‘reign of terror’ in the Vale of Kashmir, and it must end and end now.” Sardar Haleem Khan, Emcee of the event and the President of JKLF, USA said that the people of Kashmir have made it clear that the final solution of the Kashmir disputes is not possible without the participation of the Kashmiri leadership in the future negotiations. He appealed to the world leaders to persuade India to release all political prisoners, including Mohammad Yasin Malik who is facing a life and death situation in notorious Tihar Jail of New Delhi, India. He is suffering from multiple ailments and his health was deteriorating with each passing day in the solitary cell of the jail. Others who spoke included: Shams Zaman; Naseem Gilgati; Mahmood Akbar; Zahid Khan; Irfan Tasadduq; Shafiq Shah; Sardar Aftab Roshan Khan; Ms. Amna Habib; Choudahry Shaban; Ms. Farida Khan, PPP; Ms. Saima Jafri; Naheed Bhatti; Azra Dar; Iram Malik; Iram Javed; Ms. Shamim; Safoora Bibi; Neelam kaur; Begum Sattar; Aurungzab; Aslam Dhallo; Sagheer Khan; Daud Maqsood; Zafar The protest lasted for over four hours, and protestors dispersed after making prayers for martyrs of the world, including Kashmir.

2        Four youth martyred ; Sep 29 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district The youth were killed by the troops during a violent continued cordon and search operation in Gohalanf Uri area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/28/indian-troops-martyr-four-more-youth-in-baramulla.html

3        Qatar Boycott of Indian goods; Sep 29 2021; After over a year, an Indian embassy in the Gulf again issued a warning about “false propaganda” against India after an Arabic Twitter hashtag trended calling for a boycott of Indian products.The reason for the twin tweets seemingly was one of the top Twitter trends in Qatar. Translated from Arabic, it meant “Boycott Indian products”.In April 2020, a number of Indian missions in the Gulf had to also post on social media urging the Indian community to remain vigilant against attempts to sow religious divisions. There had been a social media backlash after some prominent Arab Twitteratis highlighted Islamophobic posts by a couple of Indians based in the Gulf. Screenshots of an older tweet of a BJP member of parliament were also circulated The latest Twitter trend was largely related to the shooting by Assam police firing during an eviction drive in Darrang, which led to the death of at least one person. The video of the shooting had gone viral. At the time of Indian embassy in Qatar posting the tweet, the hashtag, “#مقاطعه_المنتجات_الهنديه” was at number 2 on Tuesday night. It remains in the top five of Twitter trends in the Gulf state on Wednesday. Most of the posts with the trend claimed that the Indian government has been persecuting Indian Muslims and called for a boycott of products from Indian companies. https://thewire.in/government/false-propaganda-indian-embassy-in-qatar-after-boycott-indian-products-trend-on-twitter

4        Women in Kashmir; Oct 1 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops are deliberately targeting the Kashmiri women to suppress the Kashmiris’ ongoing struggle for securing freedom from India’s illegal occupation of their soil. An analytical report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said Kashmiri women are the worst victims of Indian state terrorism in IIOJK and they have faced harassment, abuse and sexual violence at the hands of Indian forces for the last over seven decades particularly since 1989 when the Kashmiris intensified their freedom struggle. The report pointed out that the Kashmiri women are raped, dragged out and sometimes beaten mercilessly by the troops especially during cordon and search operations in the occupied territory. It cited the recent incident in which Indian Army personnel assaulted a family during a CASO in Tral area of Pulwama. The troops broke into Seer Jageer village in Tral and ruthlessly beat up members of a family including woman on Monday night The report said that Indian forces are using rape as a tool to humiliate the Kashmiris and intimidate them into submission. It said that the forces’ personnel have raped 11,246 women since January 1989 till date in IIOJK and Kunanposhpora mass rape and Shopian double rape and murder case are glaring examples of barbarity of Indian forces in the occupied territory. Indian troops had molested around 100 women during a siege and search operation in Kunanposhpora area of Kupwara district on the night of 23 February 1991. Indian men in uniform abducted two women Aasiya and Neelofar on 29 May 2009 in Shopian, raped and subsequently killed them in custody. Their bodies were found in a shallow stream in the town, next morning. The report said that Indian troops and police personnel are enjoying complete impunity for their brutal actions as not a single soldier or policeman has been punished for sexual abuses of Kashmiri women. It said that Indian’s illegal occupation on Jammu and Kashmir is the main cause of victimization of women in IIOJK. It added that the world community must hold India accountable for its atrocities especially for using rape as a weapon of war in IIOJK. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/30/india-targeting-women-to-suppress-kashmiris-freedom-struggle.html

5        Youth martyred; Oct 1 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred a Kashmiri youth in Shopian district.. According to Kashmir Media Service, the youth was killed ny troops during cordon operation in Rakhama area of district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/01/indian-troops-martyr-a-youth-in-shopian.html

6        Arab Protest; Oct 2 2021; People across Middle Eastern countries have started a campaign on social media to boycott Indian products to protest against the Assam police’s brutality against Muslims during an eviction drive. The incident drew wide condemnation after the video of the police shooting a Muslim man went viral. The boycott of Indian products on social media in the Arab world is currently in full swing. The widely circulated video also shows an Assam government photographer repeatedly stomping on a dead man during the eviction drive. The horrific video has triggered a backlash in the Gulf countries On September 30, Middle East Monitor, a portal focused on reporting from the region, revealed that members of the Kuwait National Assembly had condemned “the atrocities committed by the Indian authorities and Hindu extremist groups against the Muslim community”. Kuwait’s National Assembly members issued a joint statement condemning the attacks on Muslims in India. “The lawmakers said in a joint statement that in the wake of the wave of violence and discrimination committed against Indian Muslims, including killing, displacement and burning, the lawmakers stand in solidarity with Muslims in India. They called on international, humanitarian, human rights and Islamic organisations to immediately work to stop the Indian authorities’ actions and restore security to Indian Muslims,” Middle East Monitor reported. Kuwaiti member of Parliament Shuaib Al-Muwaizri called for a boycott of Indian goods. Kuwaiti news outlet Sabr News on September 29, quoted Al-Muwaizri as saying, “The Islamic World Organization, the leaders of Islamic countries, the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the United Nations, where are you about the heinous crimes committed by the Indian government against Muslims, men, women and children? Boycotting India and its products is a legal duty.” Oman’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Al Khalili, one of the most influential clerics in the country, had tweeted on September 28, about violence against Muslims in India. He claimed the violence in India was “a blatant aggression against Muslim citizens at the hands of extremist groups—supported by official bodies—it hurts everyone with a conscience.”Sheikh Ahmed Al Khalili said, “I appeal—in the name of humanity—to all peace-loving countries to intervene to stop this aggression, and I also appeal to the Ummah as a whole to stand united in this matter.” The same day, the Grand Mufti of Oman, Sheikh Ahmed Bin Hamad Al-Khalili, also tweeted a post in Arabic from his official handle, seeking international intervention. In such a situation, the hashtag ‘India kills Muslims’ has been trending in Arab countries in which India has been accused of genocide. In these trends, many people expressed their support for the displaced families and condemned the treatment meted out to them by the authorities. Khaled Beydoun, author and researcher of the book Islamophobia, described it as “state-sponsored Islamophobia” and “Hindutva violence”. Former director of Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (IESCO), A. Altwaijri, tweeted that the Narendra Modi’s “Hindu Government” is abusing and persecuting Muslims “within the framework of a systematic policy and in light of international silence and Islamic inaction.” Abdul Rahman Al-Nassarm who has over 3,18,000 followers on Twitter tweeted the viral video of violence at Darrang and said, “There are more than 3million Hindus in the Gulf, they bring tens of billions of dollars to India, and we treat them with respect, so why are our brothers in India being killed just because they are Muslims?” Al-Mutairi, who has over 65,000 followers on Twitter, also said that Islamic countries should come together to take action against India. He said, “The frequent news about what is happening to Muslims in India require action from all countries in the Islamic world and everyone who claims to support human rights.” Calls for boycott of Indian products are being made by others as well. Social media is up in arms with the boycott campaign. The campaign under the hashtags of ( #IndianMuslimsUnderAttack, #الهند_تقتل_المسلمين, #مقاطعه_المنتجات_الهنديه, #مقاطعه_المنتجات_الهنديه عمان) is gearing momentum among Arabs and all Middle Eastern countries. https://www.siasat.com/assam-police-brutality-gulf-calls-for-boycott-of-indian-products-over-anti-muslim-violence-2200463/

7        Media restricts Kashmiri voices; Oct 2 2021;“Companies like Twitter and Facebook are platforms for people to speak out and make themselves heard, not just to those in power but also to one another,” said Seshu, who is based in Mumbai  In SWK’s online poll with 32,000 followers about the experience of censorship, the report says, it received a response from 311 followers in which 62 percent of respondents said they had experienced some kind of censorship on the three platforms of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The document says: “Corporations are siding with India’s suppression of Kashmiri digital rights, including the government’s blockade of internet and telecommunications access in the region, as well as its weaponisation of the law and policy to curb the expression of Kashmiri political aspirations in the digital space.” In its six months of research, including surveys and interviews with people based in and outside Kashmir, the group found that Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are censoring and crippling their online spaces of expression. India, which has a vast internet market of nearly 700 million users, announced strict rules to regulate content on social media earlier this  “… users’ accounts were disabled, suspended and permanently deleted. Users reported their account privileges were restricted or account content was removed. Users also say platforms offered dishonest technical reasons for the censorship of their accounts,” the report said. It said the majority of Kashmiri users felt the platforms did not redress the censorship issues they were facing in an effective and timely manner. In October 2019, two months after the scrapping of Kashmir’s special status by the Indian authorities, when the region was under a crippling digital and military lockdown, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a global media watchdog, revealed in a report that “hundreds of thousands of tweets blocked in India since August 2017” had focused on Kashmir. The report said the vast majority of the withheld accounts were from the group that referenced Kashmir, hosting more than 920,000 tweets between them. The Twitter transparency report also revealed that more accounts were withheld in India in the second half of 2018 than in the rest of the world combined. The regional government has frequently ordered internet shutdowns on the ground it is being used to incite protests. In recent years, many users have been booked, summoned and questioned over their social media content.Last year, two Kashmiri journalists, Masarat Zahra and Gowhar Geelani, were booked under the anti-terror law for their social media posts. The police claimed their posts were “prejudicial to the national integrity, sovereignty and security of India”.India, which has a vast internet market of nearly 700 million users, announced strict rules to regulate content on social media earlier this year. Under the new rules, social media companies are under a legal obligation to remove posts and share information on the origin of content at the request of the government. The rules, called the Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, have sparked criticism from digital rights activists and raised concerns about the freedom of speech in the country.  Mir Suhail, a Kashmiri artist based in New York who is also quoted in the SWK report, has accused the social media corporations of restricting his social media reach. “In early 2020, on an almost daily basis, I started getting notifications that my Instagram posts were being removed for hate speech or symbols,” Suhail, who has about 50,000 followers on Instagram, was quoted as saying in the report. “The same thing was happening on Twitter. I was drawing on different subjects related to the experiences of marginalised communities in India about the experiences of Indian Muslims, the new citizenship laws and on Kashmir,” he said. “To this day, there is a sensitivity filter on my Twitter account for each and everything I post, even if it is something entirely unremarkable. I share my work on these platforms and in doing so trust them to be ethical in how they handle it.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/1/kashmir-report-accuses-us-social-media-giants-of-censorship

8        UN on Kashmir; October 2): The United Nations has strongly reacted to India’s recent rejection of the UN Human Rights chief, Michelle Bachelet’s remarks wherein she voiced her continued concern over the situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, inaugurating the 48th session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 13 said, “Indian authorities’ restrictions on public assembly, and frequent temporary communication blackouts, continue in Jammu and Kashmir, while hundreds of people remain in detention for exercising their right to the freedom of expression, and journalists face ever-growing pressure.” Ongoing use of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act throughout India is worrying, with Jammu and Kashmir having among the highest number of cases in the country,” the UN rights chief said in the section on the disputed territory, adding that “such restrictive measures can result in human rights violations and foster further tensions and discontent.” India had stated that Michelle Bachelet’s comments on the situation in IIOJK are “unwarranted and do not reflect the ground reality.” Craig Mokhiber, director of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ New York office, on Thursday said, “We will never side with India or Pakistan on Kashmir. But our job is to protect the vulnerable and take the perspective of the victim.”He maintained that the UN Charter internationalized the human rights for all of the members of the UN and it is the responsibility of the governments to ensure freedom from fear for the people. Kashmir is a difficult issue, he said, because of tensions between India and Pakistan, as well as the roles that both countries play in the international community. Mokhiber said the UN Human Right Office “will always protect the identity of vulnerable witnesses and victims everywhere”. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/10/01/un-reacts-to-rejection-of-rights-chiefs-comments-by-india.html  

 

9        HR Violations

 

(From Jan 1989 till Sep 30, 2021)

Total Killings *

95,875

Custodial Killings

7,195

Arrested

162,262

Arson (Houses, Shops, etc.)

110,433

Women widowed

22,934

Children orphaned

107,842

Women gang-raped / Molested

11,246

*Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody

September-21

Total Killings *

18

Custodial Killings

3

Tortured/Injured

60

Pellet Injured :

Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged

Persons whose one or both eyes are injured

Civilian arrested

202

Structures Arsoned/Destroyed

9

Women Widowed

2

Children Orphaned

3

Women gang-raped / Molested

0

*Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody

(Jan 2020 – Sep 21)

Total Killings *

400

Custodial Killings

58

Tortured/Injured

1,162

Total pellet Injured

185

Persons who lose eyesight

0

Persons whose one or both eyes are injured

12

Civilian arrested

3,815

Arson (Houses etc)

974

Women Widowed

30

Children Orphaned

57

Women gang-raped / Molested

71

*Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody

From Aug 5, 2019

Total Killings *

442

Custodial Killings

67

Tortured/Injured

2,136

Total pellet Injured

584

Persons who lost eyesight

2

Persons whose one or both eyes are injured

24

Civilian arrested

15,324

Arson (Houses etc)

1,040

Women Widowed

26

Children Orphaned

67

Women disgraced / Molested

116

*Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody

(From July 8, 2016)

Total Killings *

1,483

Custodial Killings

126

Tortured/Injured

29,843

Inured by pellets

11,400

Eye-sight damaged/ at the verge of blindness

2,000

Persons whose one or both eyes are injured

Arrested

27,207

Structures Arsoned/Destroyed

4,355

Women Widowed

125

Children Orphaned

272

Women gang-raped / Molested

1,053

 

Human rights Kashmir media Service


Kashmir Update 147: Week , Sep 20, 2021 to Sep,26,2021

1        Women and Kashmir: Sep., 20, 2021: Indian forces sexually assaulted more than 11,245 women in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) during the past three decades as they use harassment and molestation as a weapon of war in the territory. A report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said Indian forces’ aggression in the occupied territory has left 22,923 women widowed since January 1989 till date. It revealed that nearly 100 women were raped by brutal Indian troops in IIOJK’s Kunan and Poshpora villages on February 23, 1991. Rape is sanctioned as a matter of official policy in the occupied territory, it added. The report said, India is deliberately targeting Kashmiri women to humiliate and demoralize the Kashmiris and is using rape as a war tactic to create fear among in the territory.It said, Kashmiris will never forget the horrific incidents of mass rape in Kunan-Poshpora and other villages in IIOJK. Rights’ bodies around the globe have documented many cases of rape and gang rape by Indian forces in the territory and despite evidence, not a single Indian soldier has been punished for committing rape. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/19/indian-forces-sexually-assaulted-over-11245-women-in-iiojk-in-3-decades.html

2        Turkey on Kashmir at UN: Sep., 21, 2021: The people of Kashmir thank President Erdogan for the reference to Kashmir: Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum expressed his deep appreciation for the reference Honorable Recep Tayyib Erdogan, President of Turkey made to Kashmir during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. President Erdogan articulated his consistent policy towards Kashmir by repeating, “We maintain our stance in favour of solving the ongoing problem in Kashmir for 74 years, through dialogue between the parties and within the framework of relevant United Nations resolutions.” These words have given the people of Kashmir encouragement. The President has underscored the need for peace in Kashmir as elsewhere. And for this, President has the sincere thanks of the people of Kashmir. The significance of the message of President Erdogan is aimed at promotion of a dialogue among all parties to the dispute. This is the only means of achieving a genuine and lasting peace in this volatile conflict. As we all know that the people of Kashmir have suffered long and needlessly because of this brutal conflict. They demand and they deserve peace. The people of Kashmir also share the assessment of President Erdogan that “Our General Assembly needs to be strengthened so that the international community can contribute more effectively to the solution of global issues.” It is important because the stakes are higher today than in the past. As we all observe very well that when weapons fall into the hands of irresponsible persons – both state and non-state actors – even a small conflict can threaten to take on deadly proportions. Let us hope it is not going to happen

3        EU Protest; Sep 24 2021; A one-day protest camp was organized by Kashmir Council Europe (KC-EU) in front of European External Action Service in Brussels on Thursday to highlight the Indian brutalities in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. People from different walks of life visited the camp and were briefed about severe situation of human rights in Kashmir. At the end of the camp, a delegation led by Chairman of Kashmir Council Europe Ali Raza Syed met representatives of EU External Action Service for South Asian Affairs. The delegation updated the EU’s officials concerning latest situation in occupied Kashmir and handed over a letter to them in the context. The memorandum urged the EU’s authorities to stop human rights violations and extra judicial killings in occupied Kashmir. EU should use its influence in order to release Kashmiri prisoners, end black laws in occupied Kashmir and stop India from changing demography of Jammu and Kashmir, the memo added. Chairman of International Forum for Justice and Huma Rights of Jammu and Kashmir Mohammed Ahsan Untoo from Srinagar also addressed the participants of the camp. Informing about latest situation in the valley, he said, authorities started to terminate people who participate in the protest and their relatives. He asked United Nation to take serious notice of situation of human rights in occupied Kashmir. The protest held two days before the Indian PM Narendra Modi’s address to the 76th Session of UN General Assembly (UNGA), which is scheduled to be held on September 25 in New York. Chair of KC-EU said, we want to aware the world about Indian brutalities in occupied Kashmir and Indian propaganda in favour of its so-called claim of largest democracy prior to Indian PM’s address to the United Nation. Ali Raza Syed added, atrocities committed by the Indian forces against the oppressed Kashmiris is rapidly going and India is attempting to change demographic situation of Jammu and Kashmir as New Delhi has altered domicile rules in the disputed territory. Indian aim of such action is to change the majority to minority in the Jammu and Kashmir. He urged EU to pressurize India to stop violations of human rights in occupied Kashmir, prevent genocide of Kashmiris, release all prisoners, withdraw its forces from Jammu and Kashmir and allow all international human rights organizations to visit occupied Kashmir. EU should also force India to implement UN resolutions about Kashmir issue and other international agreements concerning human rights in Jammu and Kashmir. Ali Raza Syed condemned the recent ban on travel of Kashmiri intellectuals and journalist from occupied Kashmir to other parts of the world and asked for immediate withdrawal of this embargo. He asked International community including UN and EU to play their role for a peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue through a process participated by the Kashmiri leadership. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/23/protest-in-brussels-against-indian-brutalities-in-iiojk.html

4        UK Parliament debate: Sep., 24, 2021: James Daly MP speaking at the Kashmir human rights debate in Parliament today; 23rd September 2021.”The Indian army, illegally occupying Kashmir, carry (carries) out tortures, rapes and mass killings. Kashmiri political prisoners are jailed without trial. India are (is) acting with impunity. We as an international community tolerate this. How can we look at ourselves in the mirror and allow it to happen? The United Nations need to step up to the plate! The UK must play its part!?

5        Large grazing area lost to growing Chinese presence in eastern Ladakh; Sep 24 2021; Villagers have lost access to a vast grazing area near Gogra in eastern Ladakh owing to growing Chinese presence in the area, Konchok Stanzin, a councillor from Chushul has claimed. Gogra is one of the several friction points in eastern Ladakh where Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a stand-off since April-May 2020. The troops have disengaged from the north and south banks of the Pangong Tso and Gogra sector, creating “no zones” in areas along the undemarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC) that was regularly patrolled by Indian troops pre-April 2020. Stanzin told The Hindu that the Army has stopped the villagers’ access to the Kiu La pass that was till a few years ago frequented by the villagers of Lukung, Phobrang and Yourgo for cattle-grazing. “A group of villagers marched to the Kiu La pass a few days ago but they were denied access by the Army. There used to be a bunker on the upper reaches, but it is no longer there. We fear that the Chinese are nibbling away at our territory. This was never a disputed area,” Stanzin said. He added that the area does not have a phone or Internet connectivity and the villagers had decided to go there on their own initiative. Since April 2020, Chinese troops have blocked Indian troops from reaching at least 10 patrolling points (PPs) in eastern Ladakh — running from Depsang plains in the north to the Pangong Tso lake in the south. In all, there are more than 65 PPs from the base of the Karakoram to Chumar. Stanzin said that China has constructed permanent structures and roads close to the LAC while the Indian side could only boast of a few roads. “There is no mobile connectivity in border areas and despite repeated pleas, the administration has not acted. It is frustrating. They fix the phone lines for a few hours whenever a VIP arrives here. It’s back to square one once they leave,” he said. On April 2, the Ministry of Defence in a communication to Stanzin said, “Due to the present operational situation in Ladakh, grazers have been asked to restrict their cattle movements”. The Hindu

6        Youth martyred; Sep 24 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district, raising the toll to four in a single day, today.Three youth were killed by the troops in a fake encounter in Uri area of the district. The violent operation was launched by the troops on September 18 in the area. Earlier, the troops martyred a youth in Chitragam area of Shopian district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/23/indian-troops-martyr-2-kashmiri-youth-in-uri-baramullah.html

7        Biden to Modi; Sep 25 2021; In his first meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden spoke about the need for non-violence, tolerance and diversity in current times, even as he said that both countries are destined to be “stronger, closer and tighter”. Biden’s comment marks the second time the US has spoken to Modi in public about the importance of democracy in as many days. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said “it is imperative that we defend democratic principles and institutions within our respective countries”. These remarks come against the backdrop of growing concerns abroad over the rise in anti-Muslim rhetoric in India and curbs on dissent. “Kamala Harris presses India’s Modi gently on human rights in historic meeting,” the Los Angeles Times reported in its headline. https://thewire.in/diplomacy/biden-to-modi-gandhis-message-of-tolerance-respect-diversity-needed-more-than-ever

8        HRs Organations on India in Kashmir and India; Sep 25 2021; As Indian Prime Minister is set to address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) forum in New York on September 25, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the international community to "spotlight the human rights abuses" of his government. On September 22, the U.S. congressional briefing on 'Religious freedom in India' by the Human Rights Watch revealed an appalling record of the human rights violations by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The testimony of John Sifton, Asia Advocacy Director put forward "scathing criticism" of the Indian government's assault on religious minorities inIndia. The U.S. congressmen were briefed that the attacks against religious minorities in India, especially Muslims, had increased especially since the BJP came to power in 2014. The testimony also documented the Indian laws and policies to discriminate against religious minorities, the bias against Muslims in the Indian justice system, ongoing clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir, BJP's government's empowering of vigilantes and crackdown on civil society for raising these issues. It was highlighted that the BJP leaders and affiliated groups had long stigmatized minority communities as a "threat to national security and to the Hindu way of life", and making hate-filled remarks against Muslims around state and national elections.  The Modi government has adopted laws and policies that systematically discriminate against Muslims and other minorities.

9        This divisive political discourse has served to normalize violence against minorities, especially Muslims, in India. The prejudices embedded in the government have infiltrated independent institutions, such as the police, empowering nationalist groups to threaten, harass, and attack religious minorities with impunity.   https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/modis-rights-abuses-in-spotlight-ahead-of-un-1359060.html

10   UK on Kashmir; Sep 26 2021; The Members of British Parliament have called on their government to use its weight to help resolve the decades old Kashmir dispute, and that the entry of the Indian High Commissioner in the parliament be barred. In a debate on a motion moved by the MPs from the UK’s All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir in the House of Commons on Thursday, the parliamentarians asked the UK government to use its influence to ensure investigation of the terrible situation. “The Pakistani government allowed us unfettered access. We used our meetings to ask pointed questions related to human rights issues highlighted in United Nations reports,” she said. “Kashmiris must be at the heart of a trilateral peace building process.” Robbie Moore, the Conservative MP for Keighley, said, “we can use our influence to ensure that this terrible situation is investigated and that our government uses its weight and its influence to put pressure to seek a solution.” In a passionate speech, Yasmin Qureshi, Labour MP for Bolton South East, outlined the human rights abuses faced by Kashmiris, saying, “In the last two years, human rights groups have documented the everyday reality of this governance for Kashmiris. Mass arrests and raids, torture, the suppression of free assembly, the crushing of the Kashmiri press, the decimation of the local economy, the crippling of the education system, the incarceration of thousands of people.” Imran Hussain, Labour MP for Bradford East, said he expected the UK government to suggest that disputes in the region should be resolved bilaterally and also stand up for the rights of oppressed people. In a passionate speech, which was critical of India and its actions in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Imran Hussain said the UK and other countries needed to speak up and end their silence. He told the House of Commons: “For over 70 years, the sons and daughters of Kashmir have been subjected to persecution, oppression, injustice in the most brutal manner. For over 70 years, they have been butchered, maimed and killed at the hands of an occupying Indian military operating under the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act.” Labour MP Tahir Ali called for the Indian high commissioner to the UK to be barred from Parliament because of the military occupation of Kashmir. The Birmingham Hall Green MP said action should be taken by the UK because the situation in Kashmir is “another example of the mess left by the British government in 1947”. “British parliamentarians, Indian politicians sympathetic to the Kashmiris, international observers are all denied access to the Indian-occupied Kashmir Several MPs mentioned that Pakistan’s High Commissioner Moazzam Ahmad Khan had sent them a dossier on human rights abuses in IIOJK which was an eye-opener. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/25/mps-call-for-uk-influence-to-resolve-kashmir-dispute-ban-indian-envoys-parliament-entry.html

11   Kashmir; Sep 26 2021; "India remains in occupation of an internationally recognised disputed territory whose final disposition needs to be decided in accordance with the democratic principle of a free and impartial plebiscite under UN auspices, as provided for under numerous resolutions of the Security Council," she said.  https://youtu.be/WPX2Gv48rDU?t=6 https://www.dawn.com/news/1648371/pakistan-hits-back-at-indian-claims-at-unga-reiterates-kashmir-not-internal-matter

 

Kashmir Update 146: Week , Sep 13, 2021 to Sep,18,2021

1        HRs; Sep 13 2021; Pakistan has released a comprehensive dossier, exposing the scale of war crimes, human rights violations, fake encounters, false flag operations and use of rape as war tool by the Indian occupation forces in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Giving detail of the Indian atrocities, compiled in the 131-paged dossier, Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said, the Hindutva-inspired BJP regime in India has unleashed a series of atrocities against the people in occupied territory. He said communication blockade in IIOJK continues by design to hamper international media and observers from reporting the heinous crimes being committed by the Indian occupation forces. He said the dossier contains three chapters and first one carries detail of war crimes and genocidal acts of the Indian troops; the second one exposes false flag operations in IIOJK to suppress the indigenous freedom movement while the last chapter tells that how human rights law are being openly being violated by India    https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/12/pakistan-presents-another-dossier-exposing-indian-war-crimes-in-iiojk.html

2        Dossier on HRs violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir; Sep 13 2021; https://mofa.gov.pk/.../2021/09/IIOJK_HRV_Dossier_2021.pdf

3        Dossier; Sep 14 2021; Foreign Minister   said Pakistan had completed its dossier on the Indian forces’ human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The 131-page dossier contains reports of 32 human rights watchdogs and 14 reports by Pakistan in an apparent bid to ensure impartiality, the minister told reporters. The document also underscored how the Indian government had linked Kashmir's legitimate struggle for independence to terrorism, he added. The dossier covers accounts of 3,432 cases of war crimes in which 1,178 troops have been found to be involved, including one major general, four inspectors general, seven deputy inspectors-general, five brigadiers, 31 colonels and 188 majors and captains. The minister also demanded that the UN record the names of individuals and units involved in these war crimes and impose sanctions on them. The dossier read that “human rights violations have reached epic proportions” after the Narendra Modi-led BJP came to power. Since 1989, over 96,000 extra-judicial killings, around 162,000 cases of arbitrary arrests and torture, over 25,000 pellet gun injuries were recorded. Moreover, 11,250 women were raped, around 23,000 widowed and over 108,000 children orphaned. The document also provided details of the 8,652 unmarked mass graves that have been identified in 89 villages of IIOJK.  Another key factor highlighted by Pakistan was the suspected use of chemical weapons by India against Kashmiris. It was pointed out that the bodies of 37 Kashmiris burnt alive by the Indian troops were completely beyond recognition. The document read that the use of chemical weapons was in complete contravention to the ‘Chemical Weapons Convention’ and that it necessitated “an impartial international investigation”. The dossier further maintained that Kashmiris were also being used as human shields by positioning women and children in the line of fire during encounters, making them sleep at military camps, forcing them to dig minefields and tying youth to military jeeps.  As many as 16 Kashmiris, including a nine-year-old, had been killed by Indian snipers. New Delhi has also been violating the international ban on the use of cluster ammunition, it stated. In July 2019, India deliberately targeted 14 villages along the Line of Control with cluster ammunition that caused four deaths and 14 injuries. The dossier also shared the GPS coordinates of five ISIS training camps. It said one such camp was located in Gulmarg, three in Rajasthan and one in Uttarakhand. “The latitudes and longitudes of these ISIS camps have been included in the dossier,” the minister said. Pakistan also highlighted Indian attempts to change the demographic structure of the IIOJK. It said contrary to the Geneva Convention, after the introduction of the new ‘Domicile Law’ in March 2020, India has already granted over 4.2 million domiciles (31.5% of the 13 million population of the territory).The document pointed out that a delimitation commission was constituted in March 2020 with the singular purpose to enhance Hindu representation and likely installation of a Hindu chief minister. Following the amendments in property laws, all Indians were now entitled to purchase land in the disputed territory with the sole objective of converting the proportion of the large Muslim population into a minority. The dossier pointed out that six draconian laws – Jammu & Kashmir Public Safety Act; Terrorist & Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, Jammu & Kashmir Disturbed Areas Act, Prevention of Terrorism Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act 2019 – empowered the Indian troops to declare anyone a “terrorist and arbitrarily detain without any charge for a period of up to seven years”. The report noted that Indian forces were subjecting Kashmiris to the worst kinds of torture. “[A total of] 432 case studies revealed that Indian forces inflicted torture as a tool of intimidation and coercion.” Since 2014, more than 30,000 people have faced 31 forms of torture, including water-boarding; forced starvation, sleep deprivation and burning of bodies. The report also identified 239 torture cells across the occupied region – the majority of which have been established in northern Kashmir with 65 camps in Baramula and 53 in Srinagar. Of these 144 were controlled by the Indian Army, 52 by police, 19 by the Indian Special Operations Group and 24 by other agencies. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2319862/govt-shares-dossier-on-war-crimes-in-iiojk

4        mass Graves; Sep 4 2021; According to reports of International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in Jammu and Kashmir and Jammu and Kashmir State Human Rights Commission revealed about existence of 8,652 unidentified mass graves in 89 villages of 6 districts of IIOJK. The discovery of such mass graves had also generated apprehensions about the safety of thousands of disappeared Kashmiris whose whereabouts had been still unknown. An investigative report during 2011 by IIOJK State Human Rights Commission (SHR) said that about 3,640 mass graves were found in Uri, Baramula, Bandipora and Kupwara districts. The SHRC confirmed about existence of 2,730 graves and recommended forensic examination and DNA testing of these graves along with setting up of commission of inquiry, but as usual none of these recommendations were implemented.  While the International People’s Tribunal on Human Rights and Justice in its report during 2009, documented existence of 5,643 unknown mass graves in 55 villages of district Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipora. Out of 5,643 graves, 140 graves contained two dead bodies and 23 graves had up to 17 bodies in each grave. Besides, Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) and International Forum for Justice and Human Rights J&K (IFJHRJK) also identified 18 places in district Baramulla and Uri having 925 unnamed graves. Muhammad Yousaf Malik of Kichama village and Atta Muhammad of Bimyar village, in district Baramulla, had confirmed burial of 430-450 unidentified bodies on the directions of IOFs. https://dailytimes.com.pk/816233/mass-graves-in-iiojk-raises-concerns-over-fate-of-disappeared-kashmiris/

5        OIC on Kashmir; Sep 17 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and other Hurriyat organizations have welcomed the demand raised by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation through a written statement to the UN Human Rights Council to address the human rights violations committed by occupational forces in Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine.According to Kashmir Media Service, the statement was delivered by Pakistan’s Ambassador Khalil Hashmi on behalf of the OIC at UN in Geneva. The APHC and Hurriyat organizations in their statements issued in Srinagar called upon the UNHRC and OIC to send their teams to occupied Jammu and Kashmir to monitor the scale of war crimes endured by the people of Kashmir at the hands of brutal Indian forces in the territory. They also urged the UN to place sanctions on India for trampling the world body’s resolutions on Kashmir adding that India under Modi has become a Hindutva fascist regime, which if not reined in will endanger the peace of the whole world. Jammu and Kashmir Peoples League, Tehreek-e-Istiqlal and Jammu and Kashmir Social and Justice League demanded immediate release of thousands of Kashmiris including Hurriyat leaders and activists, young boys and journalists from Indian jails. The Kashmir Freedom Front welcomed the dossier issued by the Government of Pakistan on Indian brutalities in IIOJK. Peoples Democratic Party President, Mehbooba Mufti, talking to media said that BJP is depriving people of even the little rights, left with them after abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. Meanwhile, India’s National Crime Records Bureau in its annual report admitted that in 2020, as many as 287 cases under draconian law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act were registered in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Besides Kashmir, the Modi-government registered a large number of cases under the draconian law and sedition charges, mostly against Muslims and farmers in Manipur, Jharkhand, Assam and Uttar Pradesh states for holding protests against the new citizenship law and agri laws, introduced by the Modi regime in 2019 and 2020. The official report by Indian government vindicates that United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, was justified in voicing concern over the misuse of the draconian law, UAPA, by the Indian authorities to suppress the dissent particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. The sleuths of India’s Enforcement Directorate on Thursday conducted raids on the office and home of prominent human rights activist and former officer of Indian Administrative Service, Harsh Mander, in New Delhi. In Washington  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/16/unhrc-oic-asked-to-send-teams-to-monitor-rights-situation-in-iiojk.html

6        Fundamental Misconceptions About Kashmir ;Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai; Sep 17 2021; 1.Kashmir acceded to India on October 27, 1947. Wrong  The Maharaja of Kashmir allegedly signed an instrument of accession to India simultaneously with pleading for its military intervention to prop up his toppling repressive regime on October 27, 1947. A full-scale internal and indigenous revolt was on the verge of success at that time. On that date, sovereignty had devolved on the people of Kashmir, and thus the Maharaja was legally powerless to accede Kashmir to any country and thereby extinguish its independence. Moreover, as British scholar Alistair Lamb has convincingly demonstrated in “Kashmir: A Disputed Legacy, 1846-1990,” the Instrument of Accession is probably as bogus as the ugly Protocols of the Elders of Zion confected by the Russian Tzar's Ohkrana secret police. An original of the document has never been produced by India or anyone else. This understanding of the illegitimacy of what the Maharaja and India had done was inherent in the accession parchment itself. Then Governor-General of India, Lord Mountbatton, accepted Kashmir's accession to his nation contingent upon approval by the people of Kashmir in a free and fair referendum.2. Kashmiri is the issue of fundamentalism. Wrong. The term fundamentalism is quite inapplicable to the Kashmiri society. Kashmir has remained the symbol of communal harmony for centuries. It has a long tradition of moderation and non-violence. The traditional hallmark of Kashmir has been religious pluralism, amity and an aversion to the doctrinaire. Its culture cannot and does not generate extremism or fundamentalism.  Its four major religious groups - Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Buddhism - live in neighborhoods together; they work together; they socialize together; they celebrate and mourn together; they are a model of religious harmony and ecumenism. And their adherents have not been segregated into residential ghettos. A person no less important than Mahatma Gandhi has eloquently elucidated these sentiments in 1947, “While the rest of the country burns in communal fire, I see a shining ‘Ray of Hope’ in Kashmir only.” 3. Kashmir is an issue of terrorism. Wrong At many occasions, virtually all the citizenry of Srinagar (Capitol city of Kashmir) – men, women and children – came out on the streets to lodge a non-violent protest against the continuance of Indian occupation. According to the Srinagar-based newspapers on many occasions in early 1990 more than one million Kashmiris demonstrated against India with 400 memoranda sent to the United Nations to apprise it of the tragic and intolerable situation in the Valley.“KASHMIR The Case for Freedom’ a book compiled by luminaries like: Pankaj Mishra, Arundhati Roy, Tariq Ali, Hilal Bhatt, Angana P. Chatterji wrote on page 8, “1 March 1990, more than half a million people march to the offices of the UN Military Observer Group in Srinagar to demand the implementation of UN resolutions.” Arundhati Roy wrote in her article, “Azadi: The Only Thing Kashmiris Want” in 2011, “On 16 August, 2008, more than 300,000 people marched to Pampore, to the village of Hurriyat leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz, who was shot down in cold blood five days earlier. Ms. Roy added: “On 18 August, 2008, an equal number gathered in Srinagar on the vast grounds of the TRC (Tourist Reception Centre, not the Truth and Reconciliation Committee), close to the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), to submit a memorandum.” Reuters news agency reported on August 18, 2008, “Tens of thousands of Muslims marched peacefully past the United Nations office in Kashmir on Monday, calling on the international body to intervene over the disputed Himalayan region. Certainly, terrorists cannot compose the entire populations of the major towns of Indian-Occupied Kashmir. Unquestionably, half a million people cannot be called terrorist. And more importantly, terrorists do not believe in submitting the memoranda to the office of the United Nations as the people of Kashmir do. 4. Pakistan is in violation of the United Nations resolutions since it did not withdraw its troops from Kashmir as required under these resolutions. Wrong. Professor Joseph Korbel who was the first Chairman of “United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan” has responded to this question in his article, “Nehru, The UN and Kashmir” published in ‘The New Leader’ on March 4, 1957. He writes, “According to the Indian delegate, Pakistan prevented implementation of the section of the UN Commission resolution dealing with a plebiscite by refusing to carry out other part recommending demilitarization of Kashmir. This is not true: Pakistan was not expected to withdraw her forces from Kashmir as long as there was  was no agreed-upon plan for simultaneous Indian withdrawal.” 5. Kashmir is an integral part of India. Wrong  Under all United Nations Security Council resolutions, agreed between India and Pakistan, negotiated by the United Nations and endorsed by the Security Council, Kashmir does not belong to any member state of the United Nations. If Kashmir does not belong to any member state of the United Nations, then Indian claim that Kashmir is its integral part does not stand ‘A lady asked me other day, ‘why Gorbachov would not agree to the Lithuanian demand for independence from the Soviet Union.’ I countered with the question: ‘Do you believe that Kashmir belongs to India?’ ‘Yes, of course’ she said. ‘That is why?’ I said, ‘There are too many Russians who wrongly believe that Lithuania belongs to the Soviet Union, just as you believe that Kashmir belongs to India.’ Minoo Masani, Former Indian Ambassador to Brazil, Dalit Voice, Bangalore, August 1, 1990  6. Third part mediation is an interference in the internal affairs of India. Wrong. It is commonly accepted that such objections are sophistry and that all members of the United Nations, by subscribing to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, become co-responsible for the rights of citizens of all other subscribing states. This is more applicable in the case of Kashmir which is internationally recognized as a “disputed territory” and not as a part of India, and whose future is to be determined by an impartially supervised plebiscite.7. Abrogation of Article 370 & 35 A pave the way for the development of Kashmir. Wrong  Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) reported in August 2020 that Kashmir had suffered economic losses worth $5.3 billion Indian rupees.  Over100,000 people have lost jobs since August 5, 2019. Khalid Shah wrote in ‘The Print’ on August 8, 2020, “Development (in Kashmir) is only visible in Twitter hashtags and shoddy propaganda films. There is no flood of fresh investments.” New Delhi based “Observer Research Foundation” reported on January 28, 2020, “The horticulture sector is in distress, tourism is in shambles, and students are suffering because of the ongoing internet blockade. It is for the first time in the past 70 years that rural Kashmir is facing such a great degree of economic slowdown. The apples industry in Kashmir, worth INR 80 billion which contributes eight percent of J&K’s GDP, has been worst affected.” Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani has written extensively on the subject. He says that as a constitutional democracy, Government of India does not have any powers that it has exercised on August 5, 2019 and has continuously misled the international community that the steps taken were necessary for the economic development. GOI does not need to resort to these extreme, illegal and unlawful actions to pursue economic development in the state, Dr. Gilani added. 8. Jammu & Kashmir Constituent Assembly endorsed Kashmir’s accession to India. Wrong. The Constituent Assembly of Jammu & Kashmir was convened without an election in the State. 73 out of 75 members of this Assembly were declared to have been elected unopposed. Secondly, Indian delegate to the United Nations made a statement at the Security Council that the Constituent Assembly would not ‘come in the way’ when the UN will hold plebiscite under its auspices in the State. Thirdly, when in 1956, the Constituent Assembly declared that Kashmir was the part of India, the Security Council adopted resolution # 122 on March 24, 1957, clearly reaffirming, “the affirmation in its resolution 91 (1951) and declares that the convening of a Constituent Assembly as recommended by the General Council of the "All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference" and any action that Assembly may have taken or might attempt to take to determine the future shape and affiliation of the entire State or any part thereof, or action by the parties concerned in support of any such action by the Assembly, would not constitute a disposition of the State in accordance with the above principle  9. Resolution of Kashmir will lead to disintegration of India. Wrong. A fascinating answer was given to this question by Jayaprakash Narayan, known in India as “People’s Leader & Second Gandhi), “Few things have been said in the course of this controversy more silly than this one. (Will not change in Kashmir’s status lead to disintegration of India?). The assumption behind the argument is that the states of India are held together by force and not by a sentiment of a common nationality. It is an assumption that makes a mockery of the Indian nation and a tyrant of the Indian state.” Lastly, I wish the world powers take a leaf out of writings of Justice V. M. Tarkundee – referred to as “the Father of the Civil liberties Movement in India” - who wrote in ‘Radical Humanist,’ New Delhi, in March 1990. “The cause of the Kashmir debacle is the initial denial of the right of self-determination and the subsequent anti-democratic policies pursued by the Indian government…An early solution of the Kashmir problem will be of great benefit to the people of both India and Pakistan.  A grant of plebiscite to the people of the Kashmir Valley is the obvious solution.”

7        HRW report; Sep 18  2021; The Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday accused the Indian authorities of using politically motivated allegations of tax evasion and financial irregularities to silence human rights activists, journalists, and other critics of the government. In a statement released from New York, a day after the Enforcement Directorate’s searches on the premises linked to social activist Harsh Mander, the HRW said that this month, government financial officials had conducted raids in Srinagar, Delhi and Mumbai on journalists’ homes, media offices, an actor’s premises, and the home and office of a human rights activist. “The raids are part of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led national government’s escalating crackdown on freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly since coming to power in 2014. The authorities have brought politically motivated criminal cases, including under broadly worded terrorism and sedition laws, against activists, journalists, academics, students, and others. They have also used foreign funding regulations and allegations of financial misconduct to target outspoken groups,” it said. “The Indian government’s raids appear intended to harass and intimidate critics, and reflect a broader pattern of trying to silence all criticism,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia Director at the HRW, adding, “these abuses weaken India’s core democratic institutions and break down fundamental freedoms.” “Journalism organisations, such as the Editors Guild and Press Club of India, have repeatedly called for an end to harassment of independent media, saying that it is a blatant attack on press freedom,” said the HRW. “The authorities have repeatedly targeted Mander, who has been a vocal critic of the BJP government’s discriminatory policies against religious minorities and works with victims of communal violence. Delhi police, instead of taking action against BJP leaders who incited communal violence in Delhi in February 2020, filed a fabricated case of hate speech and inciting communal violence against Mander,” said the HRW. The HRW said that on September 8 the police in Jammu and Kashmir raided the houses of four Kashmiri journalists — Hilal Mir, Shah Abbas, Showkat Motta, and Azhar Qadri — and confiscated their phones and laptops. “Mir reported that they also took his and his wife’s passports. The authorities summoned all four to a Srinagar police station for questioning and told them to return the next day. Journalists in Kashmir face increased harassment by the authorities, including arrest under terrorism charges, since the BJP government revoked the State’s autonomous constitutional status in August 2019,” said the organisation.

8        It said that in June, the United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had written to the Indian government expressing concerns over “alleged arbitrary detention and intimidation of journalists covering the situation in Jammu and Kashmir”, citing the cases of Fahad Shah, Auqib Javeed, Sajar Gul, and Qazi Shibli. The letter also raised concerns over the closure of the “outspoken” newspaper Kashmir Times in October 2020.

Kashmir Update 145: Week , Sep 6, 2021 to Sep,11,2021

1        UK protest; Sep 5 2021 ; Middlesborough UK. It was LKD Global SolidariTea day.  Organised here by Tarif, BPWA and PTI; SolidariTea With Kashmir Demo  : Hosting by  Claire Bidwell and Fesl Riza-Khan from #LoveKashmir, supporting cast of great activist speakers, Professor Muhammad Safwan Akram of Teesside University, Yunus Bakhsh from North East Against Racism, Abbas Baig , Mohammed Yunis Chairman of Bilal Mosque Newcastle, Mohammed Arshad Chaudry also Bilal Mosque Newcastle, Malik Jamil Khan of PTI NE Kashmir Panel, Shabana Karim, Huma Ahmed and Yasmin Causer of British Pakistani Society Middlesbrough and Oz Sidique from British Army Reserves.

2        Afghanistan Government; Sep 8 2021; Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid on Tuesday announced 33 members of the "acting" government, saying that it will be led by Mohammad Hasan Akhund while the group's co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar will be the deputy Afghan leader. Key figures in the interim govt: Prime Minister - Mohammad Hasan Akhund; Deputy Prime Minister - Abdul Ghani Baradar; Interior Minister - Sirjauddin Haqqani;  Foreign Minister - Amir Khan Muttaqi; Deputy Foreign Minister - Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai Defence Minister - Mullah Yaqoob; Army Chief - Fasihuddin Badakhshani; Finance Minister - Mullah Hidayatullah; Deputy Culture and Information Minister - Zabihullah Mujahid; Taliban's deputy leader Sirajuddin Haqqani will be the acting interior minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi will be the acting foreign minister, political chief Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai will be the acting deputy foreign minister and Mullah Yaqoob will be the acting defence minister, he announced during a press conference in Kabul. Mujahid himself will be the deputy culture and information minister, Fasihuddin Badakhshani will be the army chief, and Mullah Hidayatullah will be the finance minister. The heads of various other ministries will be appointed soon, Mujahid added. In response to a question, the spokesperson said the country will now be called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Mujahid said there was no fighting in Panjshir, the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not seized during their blitz across Afghanistan last month.  Separately, in a written statement, Acting Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund congratulated Afghans for the "withdrawal of all foreign forces, end of the occupation and complete liberation of the country". A caretaker and "committed" cabinet had been announced which will start working at the earliest, he said, adding that the leaders will "work hard towards upholding Islamic rules and Sharia (Islamic law) in the country, protecting the country's highest interests, securing Afghanistan's borders, and ensuring lasting peace, prosperity and development". All governance and life in the country will henceforth be in accordance with Islamic law, Akhund said. "We want to have a peaceful, prosperous and self-reliant Afghanistan, for which we will strive to eliminate all causes of war and strife in the country, and [for] our countrymen to live in complete security and comfort." He also emphasised that the interim government will take "serious and effective steps" to protect human rights as well as the rights of minorities and underprivileged groups within the framework of the demands of Islam. "All Afghans, without distinction or exception, will have the right to live with dignity and peace in their own country. Their lives, property and honor will be protected." Terming education "one of the most important requirements", the Taliban leader said it will be the government's duty to provide a healthy and safe environment to all citizens to study religion and modern sciences. "We will pave the way for the country's development in the field of education and build our country with knowledge and understanding," he added. He pointed out that the country had been suffering from war and economic crises for the last four decades. "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will use all its resources for economic strength, prosperity and development on top of strengthening security," he assured. Talking further about his government's plans, Akhund said: "It will manage domestic revenue properly and transparently, provide special opportunities for international investment and various sectors of trade [and] will work to fight unemployment effectively. Our ultimate goal will be to get our country back on its feet as quickly as possible, and efficiently perform reconstruction and rehabilitation work in our war-torn country."He added that the interim government would reach out to Afghan businessmen, investors and sensible citizens to ask for their support and help in ending poverty and strengthening the country's economy. Talking about the media, he said the government would work towards its freedom, functioning and improvement in quality. "We consider it our duty to take into account the sacred precepts of Islam, the national interest of the country and impartiality in our broadcasts," he added. International relations   https://www.dawn.com/news/1645047/taliban-announce-interim-government-mohammad-hasan-akhund-to-be-pm-baradar-deputy-pm

3        Burial; Aug 10 2021; Indian security forces are maintaining an armed guard around the grave of an iconic Kashmir separatist leader, amid mounting public anger over police footage of his funeral, which his family say they were barred from attending. India probes late Kashmir separatist’s family under terror lawIndia locks down Kashmir after quiet burial of separatist GeelaniObituary: Syed Ali Shah Geelani was symbol of Kashmir resistanceSyed Ali Shah Geelani: A life dedicated to Kashmir and its people The next day, his son Naseem Geelani told Al Jazeera the armed police “snatched his (Geelani’s) body and forcibly buried him” in the middle of the night and “did not allow any of us to take part in final prayers”  fresh outrage after posting videos on Twitter on Monday, showing Geelani’s body being washed, wrapped in a shroud and buried. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/8/india-kashmir-police-videos-geelani-funeral-anger

4        Geelani funeral; Sep 10 2021; Kashmir Civitas, an international civil society and strategic advocacy organization working for right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, has depicted through an animated video the inhuman treatment meted out to the veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, and desecration of his dead body by Indian forces.The video described Indian action as a serious war crime and direct violation of the Article 17 of the Geneva Conventions. In the video, Syed Ali Gilani has been described as the hero of every Kashmiri, who never bowed before the Indian oppression. In the video, people of IIOJK have been asked to massively march towards the grave of Syed Ali Gilani at Hyderpora in Srinagar, tomorrow, after Juma prayers to pay tributes to him. The march is also aimed at registering protest against the desecration of the dad body of the veteran leader by the Indian forces. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/09/09/animated-depiction-of-indias-inhuman-treatment-to-syed-ali-gilani.html

5         

  

Kashmir Update 144: Week , Aug 30, 2021 to Sep,4,2021

1        DG ISPSR Press conference; Aug 27 2021; cost of the terrorism activities emanating from Afghanistan in Pakistan role of India and RAW https://youtu.be/945i8WIokSg

2        Geelani Sahib passes away Sep 2021; The veteran politician was jailed for nearly 10 years after 1962 and often restricted to his home after that. Since his youth, Geelani had been a member of Jamaat-i-Islami, which was banned by the Hindu nationalist government in 2019. Last year, Geelani had resigned from his post as APHC chief, of which he had been a member since its formation in 1993 as a political arm of the anti-India movement. He was elected its chairman for life in 2003. Hurriyat Conference (Geelani) has more than 24 constituent parties, some of which have only a handful of members. Last month, the APHC had said that the 11-years-long house arrest had taken a heavy toll on Geelani's health and his condition continued to deteriorate. In a press release, a copy of which was shared by the Kashmir Media Service, the APHC said that along with general physical weakness that the veteran leader had been experiencing for some time, his chest infection was also "not satisfactorily" responding to treatment.  .  https://www.dawn.com/news/1643921/veteran-hurriyat-leader-syed-ali-geelani-passes-away-at-92

3        Geelani Shahib; Sep 2 2021; The passing of Syed Ali Geelani: A Colossal loss to the nation of Kashmir ny Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai ;Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Illaihi Rajeeoon! With the passing of Syed Ali Geelani, Chairman, Tehreek-e-Hurriyet, on September 1, 2021, a leader par excellence, who was a symbol of humanity and champion of human rights all over the world, be it Palestine, Myanmar, Chechnya, Kashmir or else, it is an end of era. Syed Ali Geelani was an intellectual, deep thinker, visionary, brilliant and an articulate scholar and above all an institution by himself. He was a giant in Kashmir's turbulent historyIn the annals of history, nations and peoples are often blessed with leaders, guides and activists who play singular roles providing leadership that transcends inspiration and casts a lasting impact on these societies. Syed Ali Geelani was one of those leaders who gave his last full measure of devotion in unflagging pursuit of a just and noble cause of Kashmir. A moral high ground was everything to him Words inevitably cheapen the impeccability of his character and accomplishments. His legacy lives as much in the heart as in the head. His formula for Kashmir was simple but powerful. The aspirations of the people of Kashmir must be ascertained. He had the clarity of vision about the future of Kashmir. There were no ifs and no buts in his approach. He was bold enough to say it loud and clear that accession of Kashmir to Pakistan was not my political manifesto but my article of faith. When in 1990 the winds of change blew across the world, destroying dictatorships and occupations, the people of Kashmir also renewed their struggle. During their period of quiet the world had forgotten them. Now, they were filled with hope and longing of a new dawn. It was at this crucial juncture that Geelani Sahib emerged to present a much larger aspect of his leadership. He not only rekindled the issue afresh but also gave it a new vigour and meaning. The people of Kashmir will never forget the selfless contribution and the tireless efforts of Geelani Sahib. His efforts will remain forever a milestone in the history of the freedom struggle of Kashmir. The vision of Geelani Sahib and the unity and sacrifices of the people of Kashmir will undoubtedly lead the Kashmiri freedom struggle to its logical conclusion, that is freedom from the occupation and alien subjugation.The people of Kashmir lost an iconic leader. May Allah accept the sacrifice of Geelani Sahib and elevate his status as the guided person, comfort him in his grave, make his grave part of Jannatul Firdous and give Sabr to the family! Ameen.

4        Taliban on Kashmir; Sep 4 2021; The Taliban intends to "raise its voice for Muslims" in Indian-administered Kashmir, a spokesman told the BBC. Suhail Shaheen told the BBC's Hindi service: "As Muslims, we also have a right to raise our voice for Muslims in Kashmir, India or any other country." https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-58419719

 


Kashmir Update 143: Week , Aug 23, 2021 to Aug,28,2021

1        Three martyred; Aug 24 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Sopore, today. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in PethSeer area of the town https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/24/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-sopore.html

2        UN of Kashmir; Aug 28 2021; UN’s independent human rights experts has asked the Indian government to explain the legal basis for detention and charges against four Kashmiri journalists and closure of the allotment of office of Kashmir Times. It has also sought details on whether these actions complied with India’s obligations under international human rights law. The letter was written by the UN Human Rights Council-appointed Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan and Vice-Chair of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Elina Steinerte. While the message was dated June 3, it was made public earlier this month following the expiry of the deadline of 60 days. In the letter, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan and Vice-Chair of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Elina Steinerte, raised specific concerns about four journalists, Fahad Shah, Auqib Javeed, Sajar Gul and Qazi Shibli. They were also “deeply concerned by the alleged closure of the Kashmir Times offices which also seems to be connected to its independent and reportedly outspoken reporting in the region”. “We respectfully recall that journalism constitutes a necessary service for any society, as it provides individuals, and society as a whole, with the necessary information to allow them to develop their own thoughts and to freely draw their own conclusions and opinions (A/HRC/20/17 para 3). We note that the deprivation of liberty of any individual for exercising his/her right to freedom of expression would constitute an arbitrary deprivation of liberty, contrary to Article 9 of the Covenant,” it said.  The letter documented allegations of six cases of intimidation of Fahad Shah, editor of weekly The Kashmirwalla, between June 2017 and January 2021. Shah had been interrogated for four hours at Qazigund police station on October 3 last year after returning from a reporting trip to Punjab. The interrogating officer of the rank of deputy superintendent of police allegedly warned him to “show “self- restraint” and report “cautiously” about matters related to “national security”. Before being released, he was made to sign a statement that his car, phones, and other belongings were returned without any tampering.  In July 2018, Auqib Javeed was arrested and questioned for three days over an interview with a Kashmiri separatist leader for an English newspaper. In September last year, there was an alleged escalation in the intimidatory tactics against Javeed after he published a story about police silencing several social media users by cautioning them against writing anti-government posts. As detailed in the letter, Javeed was summoned by a state government official to the city of Shergandi. On entering the premises, his phones were intercepted. Then Javeed was taken away from his friends to another room by a police officer. “During the interrogation, Mr Javeed was slapped multiple times, while officers inquired about the article he had written and accused him of publishing a fabricated story”. The police officer told him that Kashmir was “burning” because “people like [him] were spreading fake narratives”. Javeed has written for several publications, including The Wire. Sajar Gul, a freelance journalist based in North Kashmir, had received a threatening call from a local police officer after he wrote an article about demolition carried out by police without permission in February 2020. A day after the call, the same officer demolished Gul’s property and his maternal uncle’s fence. In response, Shahgund villagers pelted stones and organised a protest. Police charged Gul for rioting, criminal trespassing and assaulting a public servant. “According to the defense, the journalist was in Srinagar at the moment of the alleged protests, about 40 kilometres away from the location it took allegedly took place”. The UN experts also raised the case of Qazi Shibli, editor of The Kashmiriyat magazine, who was kept in detention and solitary confinement for nine months under the Public Safety Act. Two months after release, he was again detained for 18 days “for reporting on a fake encounter in Shopian Kashmir”. In all the instances, none of the Kashmiri journalists had access to legal representation during interrogation. The letter also referred to the closure of The Kashmir Times in October 2020 after the Jammu and Kashmir state department asked the staff to leave the premises. “According to the information we received, an eviction process establishes that a notice needs to be served to the occupant before the eviction takes place, stating valid grounds on which allotment is being cancelled with a time period of not less than seven days for the occupant to respond, according to the J&K Public Premises (Eviction) Act, Article 4. Up to this date, the offices of the Kashmir Times remain closed and no opportunity to appeal the decision has been granted”. The UN experts also informed that the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention might also transmit these cases through the usual procedure “to render an opinion on whether the deprivation of liberty was arbitrary or not”. https://thewire.in/media/un-rights-experts-ask-india-to-explain-intimidation-of-4-jk-scribes-closure-of-kashmir-times

  


Kashmir Update 142: Week , Aug 16, 2021 to Aug,21,2021

1        Steps to take for a peaceful Kashmir by Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai ;August 13, 2021 ;  The United Nations is in a unique position to play a more activist and mediatory role in regard to Kashmir by initiating a peace process. This can take the shape of: Six-party talks– United Nations, China, Russia, India, Pakistan and Kashmir; or  an appropriate use of the newly developed procedures and mechanics at the United Nations. In neither case would the handling of the dispute be a rehash of the old arid and acrimonious debates at the United Nations. The United States by itself or through the United Nations, would supply the catalyst that is needed for a settlement. There are alternative courses of action which can be spelled out and involved a sequence of interactive steps over a period of time. None of them would put the peace process in the straitjacket of rigid adherence to old texts. But if a solution of the problem will be a graduated process, consisting of incremental measures, the violence in Kashmir needs to be brought to a quick end in order to set the stage for a solution. It is interesting to note that when the Kashmir dispute erupted in 1947-48, the world powers championed the stand that the future status of Kashmir must be determined by the will of the people of the territory and that their wishes must be ascertained under the supervision and control of the United Nations. The United States was a principal sponsor of the resolution # 47 which was adopted by the Security Council on April 21, 1948, and which was based on that unchallenged principle. The basic formula for settlement was incorporated in the later resolutions. Today, the urgent necessities are: To demilitarize the area of conflict – the state of Jammu & Kashmir – through a phased withdrawal of the troops (including paramilitary forces) of both India and Pakistan from the area under their respective control; To take the sting out of the dispute by detaching moves towards demilitarization of the state from the rights, claims or recognized positions of the three parties involved. In order to do this, it might be necessary to make the demilitarization of the State the first step towards the reduction of Indian and Pakistani forces on their borders outside of Kashmir. It is after the peace-process is set afoot that the rights and claims of the parties can be considered in a non-violent atmosphere  Let me mention some of the so-called ‘solutions’ here; Convert the existing cease-fire line into a permanent international boundary. This is the ideal non-solution. One cannot imagine a better formula for sowing a minefield in South Asia that will lead them to a nuclear disaster. To a Kashmiri, the line of control is a line of conflict. To talk about converting it into an international border is an insult to the intelligence of the people of Kashmir; An India-Pakistan condominium over Kashmir. This is not a cynical idea. But it needs two things, first a maximum sense of cooperation and goodwill on the part of both India and Pakistan and an absence of friction within the State of Kashmir. If either or both of these conditions do arise, the arrangement will not only collapse, it will create crises no less grave than those already existing. I believe that any future negotiations between India and Pakistan can be meaningful and successful if all parties concerned – Governments of India & Pakistan and the Kashmiri leadership – take the following steps: First, Government of India must rescind the Domicile law which was enacted in 2020 simply to change the demography of Jammu & Kashmir. Until it is done, the people of Kashmir are on the brink of genocide; second, there has to be a cease-fire from all sides that must be followed by negotiations. Negotiations cannot be carried out at a time when parties are trying to kill each other; Third, there cannot be and should not any precondition from any party, other than commitment to non-violence and to negotiations; Fourth, as James Wolsey, former Chief of CIA has said correctly that both India and Pakistan have lost faith in each other. And we all know that it is true that they don’t trust each other. Therefore, the time has come that there must be a third- party mediation or facilitation or engagement to make sure that the talks between India and Pakistan remain focused. Third-party facilitator does not need to be the United Nations or Unites States, it could be a person of an international standing; fifth, we do not need to invoke principles because, principles will not help launch a peace process. Principles can easily be twisted, and they lend themselves to various interpretations. But the principles that are involved in the Kashmir dispute shall remain guiding force in any final settlement. The principle # one: It is the inherent right of the people of the five zones of the State of Jammu & Kashmir to decide their future according to their own will. Principle # two: It is almost impossible to ascertain the will of the people except in a condition free from coercion, intimidation, or pressure from any quarter; sixth, the history of last 73 years testifies to the fact that the bilateral talks between India and Pakistan have been always fruitless. In fact, any attempt to strike a deal between any two parties without the association of the third party will fail to yield a credible settlement. The arrangement between Jawahar Lal Nehru (then the prime minister of India) and Sheikh Abdullah (then the prime minister of Jammu & Kashmir) in 1952; and the pact between Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Abdullah in 1975 sought to bypass Pakistan, leaving the basic issue of Kashmir unsettled. Likewise, The Tashkent Agreement of 1966 between India and Pakistan, the Simla Agreement of 1972, the Lahore Declaration of 1998 sought to bypass the people of Kashmir and it resulted in a failure. So, the time has come that talks must be tripartite. The reason that talks must be tripartite is that the dispute primarily involves three parties – India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir. But the primary and principal party are the people of Kashmir because it is ultimately their future, the future of 23 million people of Jammu & Kashmir that is to be decided; Seventh, we want to emphasize that the Kashmiri people are for democracy. They believe that their leadership and the future disposition of the state must be ascertained through the democratic process. Kashmiri people will participate in the election if they are part of a process, which would eventually lead to the Kashmiris’ goal of self-determination. The election process must be organized and monitored by the United Nations. The elected representatives should have the mandate to enter into negotiations with India and Pakistan. Impartial and neutral monitors should supervise the whole process of election including the preparation of voter registration. The constitutional requirement for candidates to take an oath of allegiance to Indian Constitution has to be waived. These ideas need refinement, but they build on the ineluctable truth that nothing fruitful is possible in Kashmir without the primary participation and willing consent of the Kashmiri people. Schemes and negotiations that neglect that truth are doomed to failure, as proven by 73 years of grim conflict in Kashmir with no end in sight. Finally, history will testify that the final settlement of the Kashmir conflict undoubtedly brought peace and security not only to the State of Jammu & Kashmir but also to the whole region of South Asia – home to one-fifth of total human race. https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/steps-to-take-for-a-peaceful-kashmir

2        Youth martyred; Aug, 21 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The troops martyred the youth, identified as Musaib Mushtaq and Muzamil Ahmed Rathar, during a cordon and search operation at Khrew in Pampore area of the district.  . https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/20/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-pulwama.html

3        Taliban takeover of Afghanistan; Aug 21 2021; The Taliban has completed its lightning advance across Afghanistan by taking control of the country’s capital—all but guaranteeing a  national takeover. With President Ashraf Ghani having fled the country and the United States rushing to evacuate its personnel from Kabul as Afghan leaders work to form a transitional government, reality is setting in: After two decades and some $2 trillion spent, Washington’s nation-building effort appears to have failed. That will likely have far-reaching consequences not only for Afghanistan, but also for American foreign policy, the region and the world at large.

4        Three martyred; Aug 22 2021;  Three In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today, taking the number of the slain youth in the territory to six since Thursday .The troops martyred the three youth during a cordon and search operation at Nagbarean in Tral area of the district  The troops martyred two youth and destroyed a residential house during a similar operation in Khrew area of the same district, yesterday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/21/3-more-youth-martyred-in-iiojk-toll-reaches-6.html

 


Kashmir Update 141: Week , Aug 9, 2021 to Aug,15,2021

1        Rebuttal of the interview of Ambassador Sanjay Panda, India’s Envoy to Turkey; Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai;August 10, 2021; The sensitive and delicate comments by distinguished Indian Ambassador to Turkey, Ambassador Sanjay Panda, “Period after revocation of autonomy game-changer for Kashmir” (AA, August 6, 2021) need to be supplemented by some observations from the viewpoint of the people of Kashmir itself. These deserve to be borne in mind by all those who wish the conflict to be justly resolved once for all. When asked about the delay in conducting plebiscite in Kashmir, Ambassador Panda said: "We never had any problem with the UN resolutions. The first part of the UN resolution which talks about the plebiscite, says that the plebiscite will take place only after the withdrawal from areas of forcible occupation by the aggressor…So, first of all, the people who have the raiders, backed by the Pakistani army, had to first vacate the entire Jammu and Kashmir areas. The entire Jammu and Kashmir has to be returned to its pre-1947 status or before pre-accession status, and then the plebiscite will be held.” Professor Joseph Korbel who was the first Chairman of “United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan” has responded to this question in his article, “Nehru, The UN and Kashmir” published in ‘The New Leader’ on March 4, 1957. He writes, “According to the Indian delegate, Pakistan prevented implementation of the section of the UN Commission resolution dealing with a plebiscite by refusing to carry out other part recommending demilitarization of Kashmir. This is not true: Pakistan was not expected to withdraw her forces from Kashmir as long as there was no agreed-upon plan for simultaneous Indian withdrawal.” Ambassador Panda added: “The UN resolutions have now been overtaken by the events, reminding that the 1972 Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan has affirmed to resolve the issues bilaterally without any third-party intervention or mediation.” Let us respond to it dispassionately. Much is being made By Ambassador Panda of the fact that seventy-three years have passed since the resolutions on Kashmir were adopted at the United Nations. So he is trying to persuade the Republic of Turkey, now is the time to forget about these resolutions.  Distinguished Ambassador Panda knows it well that mere passage of time cannot change the fact that these resolutions of the Security Council on Kashmir remain unimplemented until today. Secondly, the United Nations resolutions can never become obsolete, or overtaken by changed circumstances or events as Ambassador suggests. The passage of time cannot invalidate a principle – the right of self-determination of the people of Kashmir. If passage of time were allowed to extinguish solemn international agreements, then the United Nations Charter should suffers the same fate as the resolutions on Kashmir. If non-implementation were to render an agreement defunct, then the Geneva Convention in twenty-first century in many countries is in no better condition than these resolutions. Ambassador Panda has a point when he says that Simla Agreement has affirmed to resolve the Kashmir dispute bilaterally. Let us assume Ambassador Panda is right. Then how can we explain the assertion of Ambassador T. S. Tirumurtu, Indian Ambassador to the United Nations who said on August 2, 2021 that Kashmir was ‘integral and inalienable part of India? If Kashmir is an integral part of India, then what does India want to discuss with Pakistan under Simla Agreement. Secondly, the Simla Agreement itself makes mention of "a final settlement of Jammu and Kashmir" as one of the objectives of the two parties. Nothing would be more contrary to the Charter -- and, therefore, to the Simla Agreement itself -- than to bar recourse to the United Nations. Distinguished Ambassador know that Simla Agreement provides that, ‘pending the final settlement of any of the problems between the two countries, neither side shall unilaterally alter the situation.’ Therefore, abrogation of Article 370, 35A, Domicile Law are all in violation not only of Simla Agreement but also of the United Nations Security Council resolution # 122 “reaffirms the affirmation of its resolution 91 (1951) and declares that the convening of a constituent assembly as recommended by the General Council of the ‘All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference’ and any action that assembly may have taken or might attempt to take to determine the future shape and affiliation of the entire State or any part thereof, or any action by the parties concerned in support of any such action by the assembly, would not constitute a disposition of the State in accordance with the above principle.” Ambassador Panda also said: “One of the major achievements has been the strengthening of the grassroots democracy that included elections to district development council and block and village levels. “What is more important for the first time, they were extended to women and the 98.3% turn out in the elections was recorded, which is kind of unprecedented,” Ambassador added. If India boldly crosses the Rubicon by conducting free, fair and transparent elections reflective of the genuine sentiments of the Kashmiri people, as Ambassador Panda suggests, then a final peaceful settlement of the 73-year-old Kashmir conflict will be in sight. But, unfortunately India always persisted in its colonial and antidemocratic ways in Kashmir. British historian, Bertrand Russell said in 1964, “The high idealism of the Indian government in international matters breaks down completely when confronted with the question of Kashmir.” Jay Prakash Narayan who was known as ‘The Second Gandhi of India” confided to Indira Gandhi, in 1960: “We profess democracy but rule by force in Kashmir…The Kashmir problem exists not because Pakistan wants to grab Kashmir, but because there is deep and widespread political discontent among the people.” P. K. Dave, former Chief Secretary of the Jammu and Kashmir Government, confessed in 1991 that, “Elections in Kashmir have been rigged from the beginning.” Arundhati Roy, Booker Prizewinner said on September 27, 2009, “Elections in Kashmir have had a long and fascinating past. The blatantly rigged state election of 1987 was the immediate provocation for the armed uprising that began in 1990. Since then elections have become a finely honed instrument of the military occupation, a sinister playground for India’s deep state. After every election, the Indian establishment declares that India has won a popular mandate from the people of Kashmir.” Dr. Shri Prakash in his book, ‘Twenty Tumultuous Years Insights into Indian Polity’ on page 568 writes, “The Kashmiri anger actually began with the mass rigging of elections in 1987. There is no use putting life in a corpse. Kashmiri leaders from Farooq Abdullah downwards have lost their credibility, they are totally irrelevant.” Amy Waldman wrote in the New York Times on August 24, 2002 that “Rigged elections in Kashmir in 1989 helped trigger the armed uprising that India estimates has taken more than 35,000 lives.” So, I believe that the cure for counterfeit elections in Kashmir, however, is not more of the same, but providing the genuine democratic article. Thus, the people of Kashmir are eager to participate in the any elections if they are conducted with the trapping of free and fair choice, monitored, conducted and supervised by a neutral agency like the United Nations. Lastly, I would like to refresh the memory of Ambassador Panda that there was much in the deliberations of the Security Council that was controversial between India and Pakistan, but the proposal of a plebiscite was not one of them. This was clear from the statement made by India’s Ambassador to the UN, Sir Gopalaswamy Ayyangar at the Security Council on January 15, 1948: "The question … whether she [Kashmir] should withdraw from her accession to India, and either accede to Pakistan or remain independent with a right to claim admission as a member of the United Nations - all this we have recognized to be a matter for unfettered decision by the people of Kashmir."

2        Back-channel diplomacy ; Aug 12 2010; A book by two foreign journalists that is set to be released this week describe how they acted as back channels of communication for Pakistan and India, particularly after the Pulwama attack in 2019. The book has key revelations on the attack and India's response, as well as on Kulbhushan Jadhav, the   Indian spy currently being held in Pakistan. Journalists Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott-Clark, the authors of Spy Stories: Inside the Secret World of The R.A.W and I.S.I, seem to have got unprecedented access to the intelligence establishments on both the Indian and Pakistan sides while working on the book. Both establishments used them as a go-between to keep "near real time" lines of communication open. It was through this channel that Pakistan's ISI conveyed the message claiming it had no role in the attack on the military convoy in Pulwama that killed over 40 people. More importantly, the book says that the Indian intelligence establishment concluded that the attack was planned by Jaish-e-Mohammed from its base in Helmand, Afghanistan to provoke a regional war. However, India publicly blamed Pakistan for the attack and went on to launch the Balakot air strikes, with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval claiming that reports will soon reveal the ISI's involvement. The book also reveals that Kulbhushan Jadhav was a civilian asset of great interest to Indian intelligence as he had the cover to travel between Iran and Pakistan. India's official claim is that he is a formal naval officer kidnapped by Pakistan from Iran. The book also reveals that Mr. Doval used Saudi Arabian mediation with Pakistan, while India officially rejects third-party mediation. While back-channel diplomacy is a known entity in India-Pakistan ties, the messages that have been carried in this particular channel have the potential to change the public's understanding of some of the key events that have affected relations in the past few years.  

3        India stifles protest; Aug 13 2021; ON THE MORNINGof October 28, 2020, rights activist Parveena Ahanger was startled by the sound of revving engines outside her home in Srinagar, the biggest city in Indian-administered Kashmir. She closed the Quran she was reading from and peeked through a window; there were nearly a dozen armored vehicles and dozens of police personnel surrounding her house. Some plainclothes officers came inside and ordered Ahanger to shut all the windows and lock all the doors. It was a raid by India’s counterterrorism task force: the National Investigation Agency, or NIA. Ahanger is the chair of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, a collective known as APDP that she founded in 1994 — four years after her teenage son was arrested by Indian armed forces then disappeared. During the raid, NIA officials confiscated the cellphones of her entire family. The agents later drove Ahanger to her office in Hyderpora, on the outskirts of Srinagar, where they seized documents and hard drives. That same day, the NIA also raided the offices and homes of several journalists and other nonprofit groups. Among the targets was the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society, or JKCCS — a group that documents human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir — and the home of its program coordinator. At both of those locations, too, NIA officials confiscated electronic gadgets and seized several documents. The raids were an escalation in the Indian government’s crackdowns on rights activists, journalists, politicians, and civilians who express dissent and views critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party. Just a few days before revoking Kashmir’s special status, the Indian government amended a controversial anti-terror law called the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act to make it more stringent, allowing the government to jail for six months, without trial or bail, anyone arrested under this law. Over the last couple years, the police have invoked UAPA frequently to restrain civil liberties. After the raids last October, the NIA said it was acting on information that groups had been using funding from abroad “for secessionist and terrorist activities” in Kashmir, invoking the UAPA. The NIA brought charges against the JKCCS under UAPA, claiming to have “credible information” the organization was involved in secessionist activities and said the investigation was ongoing.  The raids had the effect of stifling the only two groups documenting human rights abuses in the region, whose work has been cited by the United Nations. “These raids are meant to intimidate Human Rights Defenders, cast a chilling effect on others and ensure that no information or narrative that contests the discourse of the Indian state is available, either for discussions in India or outside,” Vrinda Grover, a human rights activist and lawyer based in New Delhi, told The Intercept. “Criminal law is being increasingly used to demonise and criminalise human rights work.” FOR YEARS, the APDP and the JKCCS have played a leading role in documenting abuses committed by Indian security forces in Kashmir, including surveillance, disappearances, and violence, as well as organizing locally to bring attention to these abuses. In 2004, Ahanger began convening monthly silent protests in Srinagar, where dozens of women and men would hold signs asking, “Where are Our Loved Ones?” Their family members, the protesters said, had been subjected to enforced disappearance by Indian armed forces. But the last time they gathered was on July 10, 2019: a few weeks before the Indian government scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s quasi-autonomous status. Members of the APDP collective decided they could no longer meet publicly. “We were scared because of the terror they spread,” Ahanger said. “People were being arrested. In October 2019, APDP published a report on the use of pellet guns on protesters during a 2016 civilian uprising; the report included testimonies from people who had lost their eyesight as a result. Three months later, the collective released a report detailing human rights violations in the region during four months of lockdown since the revocation of Kashmir’s special status. Since then, the APDP has gone silent out of fear of retaliation by Indian authorities — a fear that was exacerbated by last year’s raid. The JKCCS, for its part, was deeply involved in documenting abuses that appeared in a 2018 U.N. Human Rights report that for the first time called for an inquiry into the large-scale violations of rights in Kashmir. The report had stated that in Kashmir “accountability for violations committed by members of the Indian security forces remains virtually non-existent.” The last report JKCCS released was in August 2020, a year after the Indian government imposed a “digital siege” in Kashmir. The report detailed the costs and consequences of the communication blockade in the disputed region. JKCCS president and human rights lawyer Parvez Imroz said the revocation of Kashmir’s special status and the arrests that followed created a climate of fear. “We had no information about anyone, but months later we got to know we were on the surveillance and no-flying lists,” Imroz added. “We have been banned from traveling since 2019. That was one way of pressurizing us to not do our work.” THE RAMPANT use of the controversial UAPA has led to an environment where people resort to self-censorship or refrain from going against the interests of the government. During UAPA prosecutions, the court relies on police documents to establish the guilt of the accused, giving police outsized power. The law has the effect of branding people charged under the law as terrorists — regardless of whether the government secures a conviction against them. “Under UAPA, the theory of separation of powers has been completely turned on its head. Police and the executive have become powerful and the judiciary is not doing the checks and balances,” said Habeel Iqbal, a lawyer based in Kashmir. He pointed to a 2019 ruling by the Indian Supreme Court reversing a lower court decision to grant bail to someone charged under UAPA to note that “the Supreme Court in a recent Judgment gave more teeth to this dreadful law and tied the hands of the High Courts and lower Courts in matters of bail. Increased use of UAPA also shows how paranoid the state has become.” In the case of the JKCCS, the NIA brought charges under the UAPA but took no further action to prosecute the case — yet the government may have already achieved its objective. “When the NIA raided our office, they seized our gadgets and documents. They disconnected us from our friends and contacts. For a long time, we were not in touch with anybody,” said Imroz. “And that finally led to a situation where we felt that [the NIA] wanted to silence everyone.” The NIA, which did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Intercept, has not released any evidence in support of its claim that the groups it raided were linked to terror financing networks. The JKCCS says it is funded locally, while the APDP has received funding from the U.N. Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. “We receive funds through the U.N. grant only,” said an APDP staff member, who requested anonymity out of fear of reprisal by Indian officials. “They conducted the raid to create pressure on us. They also wanted to know the kind of victims we help through our funds.” Ahanger said she thought the real reason the NIA targeted her collective was their documentation of human rights abuses by Indian armed forces. “We have been able to work with international organizations like the U.N., Rafto Foundation” — a Norwegian human rights organization that recognized Ahanger and Imroz for their work in Kashmir in 2017 — “and other international organizations who have built pressure on the Indian government,” she told The Intercept. The Indian government continues to weaponize the UAPA against dissenters. Last year, 16-year-old Athar Mushtaq was killed in an alleged gun battle in Srinagar, and the police buried him in Sonamarg, a three-hour drive from his home. His father, Mushtaq Ahmad, battled for several weeks to get his son’s body and bury him near his home. In February, the police filed charges against him and other family members under UAPA. In May 2021, Kashmiri politician and separatist leader Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai died of Covid-19 at a hospital in Jammu during his imprisonment. At his funeral, less than two dozen attendees, including his two sons, raised pro-freedom slogans. A few days later, Sehrai’s sons were arrested under UAPA. FOLLOWING THE NIA raids, the JKCCS and APDP were not able to work as freely as before. The fear of reprisal pushed the two groups into dormancy.“There were threats. There were raids at the houses of our colleagues. Then we decided that until this case is resolved, we would not be able to work properly,” said Imroz. After the NIA raided JKCCS’s office, many of its volunteers stopped going to the office. “People are scared of coming to us. Many journalists are also scared to come to us for comments and reports,” Imroz said. “Fear has been used as a weapon, and the government has been successful in that.” Ahanger believes the government is “trying to suffocate every space that exists in Kashmir. It is not just rights groups, they are trying to choke every space.” https://theintercept.com/2021/07/26/india-kashmir-human-rights-nia/

4        Youth martyred; Aug 13 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth and injured two civilians in Kulgam district, today. the youth was killed after the troops blasted a four-storey building by using chemical substance during a cordon and search operation in Mirbazar area of the district. Two injured civilians were identified as Sahil Yaqoob Butt (25) and Shahid Farooq Sheikh (22). Earlier, two Indian troops were injured in an attack in the same area. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/12/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-injure-two-civilians-in-iiojk.html

 

Kashmir Update 140: Week , Aug 2, 2021 to Aug,8,2021

1        July cost; Aug 2 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred thirty seven (37) Kashmiris including two women during the month of July 2021. According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, of those eight were killed by the troops in fake encounters or in custody. The killing rendered two women widowed and seven (7) children orphaned in July. During the month, twenty eight (28) people including media men were critically injured after Indian troops and police personnel used brute force on peaceful protesters in the territory. The report maintained that at least fifty seven (57) civilians, mostly youth, political activists, a religious scholar and a woman, were arrested; several of them were booked under black law Public Safety Act (PSA) and Unlawful Activities (Preventive) Act (UAPA). The troops also damaged ten (10) houses during at least 219 cordon and search operations in the month, the report added. The report pointed out that Indian troops martyred 105 Kashmiris including top APHC leader, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai during the first seven months of this year in the territory. The report maintained that the killing by the troops during the period rendered six (6) women widowed and eighteen (18) children orphaned. The troops damaged over thirty nine (39) houses and structures and molested or disgraced twelve (12) women and arrested 574 persons including students and youth during cordon and search operations across the occupied territory.During the period, 361 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force, bullets and pellets on peaceful demonstrators by Indian military, paramilitary and police personnel in the territory, the report said. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/01/indian-troops-martyred-37-kashmiris-in-july.html

2        India and Kashmir; Aug  2021 ; Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, Washington-based ‘World Kashmir Awareness Forum’ said that the assertion of Indian Ambassador to the U.N., T.S. Tirumurti, “I think it's important to recognize that the issues relating to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir are internal affairs of India” was factually and legally wrong statement. The fallacy advocated by Ambassador Tirumurti today deserves some clarification. To begin with, under all international agreements, accepted by both India & Pakistan, negotiated by the United Nations and endorsed by the Security Council, Kashmir does not belong to any member state of the United Nations. If Kashmir does not belong to any member state of the United Nations, then the claim of distinguished Ambassador that Kashmir was an internal affair of India does not stand. Secondly, Ambassador Tirumurti may remember that it was here at the United Nations that Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General said on August 8, 2019 that “The position of the United Nations on this region (Kashmir) is governed by the Charter of the United Nations and applicable Security Council resolutions.” Dr. Fai added that the people of Jammu & Kashmir who have a defined historical identity, are at present engaged in a mass struggle to win freedom and release from the foreign occupation of their land. This struggle is motivated by no bigotry or ethnic prejudice; its aim is nothing but the exercise of the right of self-determination explicitly agreed by both India and Pakistan. “The idea that the dispute over the status of Jammu and Kashmir can be settled only in accordance with the will of the people, which can be ascertained through the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite, was the common ground taken by both Pakistan, and India. It was supported without any dissent by the United Nations Security Council. There was much in these submissions that was controversial, but the proposal of a plebiscite was not. This is clear from the statement made on January 15, 1948 by Indian delegate, Sir Gopalasawami Ayyangar, at Security Council,"... Whether she [Kashmir] should withdraw from her accession to India, and either accede to India or remain independent, with a right to claim admission as a member of the UN - all this we have recognised to be matter for unfettered decision by the people of Kashmir after normal life is restored there,” Fai maintained. Fai warned that it is not the inherent difficulties of a solution, but the lack of the will of the world powers to implement a solution, that has caused the prolonged deadlock over the Kashmir dispute. The deadlock has meant indescribable agony for the people of Kashmir and incalculable loss for both India and Pakistan. The peace that has eluded the South Asian subcontinent should be made secure, Fai concluded.

 

3        One martyred: Aug., 4, 2021:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred a Kashmiri youth in Bandipora district. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops killed the youth during a cordon and search operation at Chandaji area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/03/indian-troops-martyr-kashmiri-youth-in-bandpora.html

4        August 5; Aug 5 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, political experts and analysts have said that Narendra Modi-  Indian government’s 5 August 2019 and subsequent actions in the territory are brazen violations of the UN resolutions on Kashmir. According to Kashmir Media Service, the political experts and analysts in their interviews in Srinagar said Jammu and Kashmir is an international dispute on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) agenda. They said holding of UNSC meetings on Kashmir is nullification of Indian claim that Kashmir is its internal matter while UN military observers stationed in Jammu and Kashmir is another proof that Kashmir is an international dispute. The political analysts and experts pointed out that Indian attempt to remove the Kashmir dispute from the UNSC agenda shows its disregard for the UN itself. “India can’t remove Kashmir from UNSC agenda unless the dispute is resolved as per Kashmiris’ aspirations. Indian plans to change IIOJK’s demography is flagrant violation of UN resolutions,” they added. The political experts and analysts maintained that India’s denial of right to self-determination to the Kashmiris is the cause of Kashmir dispute. They said final settlement of the Kashmir dispute lies in implementation of the UN resolutions, which call for plebiscite under the UN auspices to enable the Kashmiris decide their fate by themselves https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/04/modi-govts-aug-05-2019-actions-brazen-violation-of-un-resolutions.html

5        Black day’ Aug 6 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, complete shutdown is being observed on the Black Day, today, to convey the message to India that the Kashmiris reject its illegal and unconstitutional move of repealing the special status of the territory on this day in 2019. Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government in gross violation of the UN resolutions and international law revoked the special status of IIOJK and put the territory under military siege on this day, two year ago. All shops and business establishments are closed while traffic is off the road in Srinagar and other major cities and towns of the occupied territory. Today’s shutdown is unprecedented due to the fact that the occupation authorities had asked the shopkeepers to keep their shops open today. However, defying the diktats, the shopkeepers have kept their shops closed. Indian troops and police in Srinagar summoned traders and shopkeepers, yesterday, and directed them to keep their business establishments open and not observe a shutdown. Representatives of several markets and traders in Srinagar told media that they were called to police offices and directed to keep shops and markets open. Meanwhile, reports said Indian police personnel are breaking the locks of shops in Srinagar, Islamabad and other areas to force the shopkeepers to open their shops.    https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/05/complete-shutdown-marks-black-day-in-iiojk.html

6        EU Demonstrations; Aug 7 2021; Two demonstrations were held outside the Indian Embassy in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday to mark the anniversary of the 'black day' when India striped the Indian-Occupied Kashmir of its special status in 2019. The first demonstration was organised by the Kashmir Council Europe (KC-EU) in connection with August 5, 2019 — the day the Indian government annulled the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and imposed a lockdown in the occupied Kashmir. A number of Kashmiri leaders and political workers were arrested in the occupied territory and atrocities against the people of Kashmir were increased. Chairman of the International Forum for Justice Human Rights JK (IFJHRJK), Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, also addressed the protest in Brussels via a telephonic link from occupied Kashmir. He updated the gathering about the latest situation in occupied Kashmir. "The people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir have a lot of expectations from the international community, especially ones residing in European Union countries," Untoo said. He said that the EU should use its good offices for the prevention of human rights violations in occupied Kashmir and play its role in a just resolution of the Kashmir issue.The protesters in Brussels, led by Chairman Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed, also called for an end to the atrocities in the occupied Kashmir, especially violence against Kashmiri women and children. They called for the withdrawal of occupation forces, an end to its state terrorism, an end of genocidal repression, rape, gang rape, torture, and the degrading treatment of Kashmiri men, women, and children. They also called for the unconditional release of all those imprisoned in Indian jails, including political figures in connection with resistance to the Indian occupation. Chairman KC-EU Ali Raza Syed, the organiser of the protest, said the atrocities committed by the Indian forces against the oppressed Kashmiris is going unabated. Citing a recent report of the United Nation, he said that a large number of children were targeted by the Indian forces in occupied Kashmir in recent years.  The second protest was held by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Europe in front of the Indian Embassy in Brussels where protesters could be seen chanting slogans against the Indian occupation of Kashmirs. Protesters also demand the release of JKLF leader Yaseen Malick, who has been imprisoned in an Indian jail. A number of women and children also participated in the JKLF demonstrations. https://www.geo.tv/latest/363696-protesters-stage-demonstrations-outside-indian-embassy-in-brussels-to-mark-august-5

7        India, China withdraw from Gogra area in Eastern Ladakh; Aug 77, 2021: India and China have undertaken disengagement from Gogra area of Eastern Ladakh following an agreement at the 12th round of Corps Commander talks, the Army said on Friday. This is the second friction area from which disengagement has been done after Pangong Tso (lake) in February as part of efforts of withdrawal and de-escalation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. “As per the agreement, both sides have ceased forward deployments in this area in a phased, coordinated and verified manner. The disengagement process was carried out over two days, August 4 and 5. The troops of both sides are now in their respective permanent bases,” the Army said in a statement. All temporary structures and other allied infrastructure created in the area by both sides have been dismantled and mutually verified, it stated. “The landform in the area has been restored by both sides to pre-stand-off period.” With this development, the focus of further talks would be on disengagement at PP15 in Hot Springs, according to a defense official. Some progress had been made but some issues remain, he observed.

8        One martyred; Aug 7 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred a Kashmiri youth in Budgam district. The youth was killed by troops during a cordon and search operation in Manchowa area of the district today. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/07/indian-troops-martyr-a-kashmiri-youth-in-budgam.html

9        UK and EU  Protests; Aug 8 2021; On the call of Tehreek-e-Kashmir Europe and UK, Pakistanis and Kashmiris held demonstrations, car rallies, conferences and digital campaign in various cities of the UK and Europe on Youm-e-Istehsal observed on 5th August. Kashmir digital campaign was launched in London to show to the international community the atrocities committed by the Indian Army against the innocent Kashmiris. The digital-van started its journey from outside the Indian High Commission in London and visited landmarks in the city. The slogans displayed on the digital van were “Kashmir under Indian siege, knocking at world conscience”, “End illegal Indian occupation of Kashmir”, “Indian Army out out”, “Kashmir is the most militarised area in the world”, “India! Stop genocide in Kashmir”, “Hold India accountable for its war crimes”, “5th August is a Black Day for Kashmiris” and “India! Stop killing in Kashmir”. Tehreek-e-Kashmir Norway held a car rally in Oslo and arranged a demonstration outside the Norwegian Parliament. Tehreek-e-Kashmir Denmark arranged a huge protest outside the Indian Embassy in Copenhagen. Tehreek-e-Kashmir Scotland organized Kashmir Conference in Dundee which was chaired by Fakhar Iqbal, President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Dundee. Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK held a car rally and conference chaired by Fahim Kayani President Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK in Birmingham and a demonstration outside the Indian High Commission in London. Muhammad Ghalib President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Europe while addressing the car rally said, “The Indian regime led by fascist Modi imposed brutal curfew in Kashmir on 5th August 2019 to suppress legitimate struggle of Kashmiris against illegal Indian occupation of Kashmir. We will not call it 2 years of the abrogation of Articles 370 & 35A but rather call and name it the abrogation of Humanity Day.” Fahim Kayani President Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK said, “The people of IIOJK were degraded and treated like cattle which had no say but to be locked up in an open prison called Kashmir. Nowhere in history we hear such a long lockdown with draconian laws which made it possible. Tehreek-e-Kashmir would request the world to unite to highlight these laws which have made atrocities easy in IIOJK where the armed forces have been increased to 1 solider for 10 Kashmiris.” Adeel Ahmed, President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Denmark, while addressing the demonstrators outside the Indian Embassy in Copenhagen said India is committed war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in IIOJK. “Under the Geneva Convention and international law, India must be held accountable for these heinous crimes. The cover of impunity given to India should be withdrawn. Against this backdrop, India has no right to sit in the Security Council or preside over it,” he added. Shah Hussain, President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Norway, addressing the participants of Kashmir rally outside Norwegian Parliament said, “Two years ago, India invaded, reoccupied, and besieged IIOJK. The occupation continues; the siege continues. In these past two years, thousands of men, boys, and children have been illegally detained and tortured in prisons and concentration camps.” Mehmood Sharif, President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Italy; Shafiq Tabassum, President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Spain; Dr Sohail Ahmed, President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Portugal; Farooq Baig, Secretary General Tehreek-e-Kashmir Germany; Ejaz Ahmed Tahir Chaudhary, President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Switzerland; and Riaz Ghuman, President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Hamburg said that they had raised the voice of Kashmiris on the world stage and would continue to do so until Kashmiris were allowed to decide their future according to the UN Security Council resolutions. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/07/anti-india-demos-rallies-conferences-held-in-uk-europe.html

10   NGO Protest; Aug 8 2021; A reputed Bangkok-based Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) has urged India to end human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir . In a statement, issued on the second anniversary of India’s illegal and unilateral actions, FORUM-ASIA exposed India’s false mantra of development, stressing that “despite promises of prosperity from the Indian government, there has been no positive development in the conflict-ridden state of Jammu and Kashmir in the past two years.”The statement highlights that “severe and prolonged restrictions on communication, arbitrary mass detentions of political leaders, denial of freedom of expression and access to information, targeting and reprisals against human rights defenders, as well as enactment of new laws including new Domicile Rules have further deteriorated human rights in Jammu and Kashmir”.The NGO has also reiterated its call on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent international investigative mechanism, and urged the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to continue to monitor and regularly report on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The Forum for Human Rights in IIOJK, an India-based civil society initiative, has also published a 78-pages report titled “Two years of lockdown: Human Rights in Jammu & Kashmir” earlier this month, detailing various facets of India’s grave violations of Kashmiri people’s fundamental rights and freedoms. The report has called for accountability of these violations. The initiative is being led by former judges of Indian Supreme Court and a former Foreign Secretary, among other prominent personalities. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/08/07/noted-ngo-urges-india-to-end-rights-violations-in-iiojk.html

 

 


Kashmir Update 139: Week , July 26, 2021 to Aug,1,2021

1        China on Kashmir; July 27 2021; The joint statement said that both sides agreed on the need to settle disputes and issues in the region through dialogue on the basis of equality and mutual respect. “The Pakistan side briefed the Chinese side on the deteriorating situation in Jammu & Kashmir, including its concerns, position and current urgent issues,” it said.“The Chinese side reiterated that the Kashmir issue is a dispute left over from history between India and Pakistan, which is an objective fact, and that the dispute should be resolved peacefully and properly through the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation,” the joint statement released by Pakistan’s Foreign Office said. https://kashmirobserver.net/2021/07/25/china-backs-pakistan-on-kashmir-issue/

2        US to India; July 30 2021; US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a veiled warning on Wednesday about Indian democracy backsliding in his first official visit to New Delhi. Rights groups say civil liberties and the space for dissent are under increasing attack in the world’s biggest democracy under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Antony Blinken told a joint news conference with Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that the US and India “take seriously our responsibility to deliver freedom, equality and opportunity to all of our people”. But he added “we know that we must constantly do more on these fronts, and neither of us has achieved the ideals that we set for ourselves”. Democracies should “always seek to strengthen our democratic institutions, expand access to justice and opportunity, stand up forcefully for fundamental freedoms”, Blinken said. Under Modi, India has made growing use of anti-terrorism legislation and “sedition” laws to arrest campaigners, journalists, students and others. The Modi administration has also brought in legislation that detractors say discriminates against India’s 170-million-strong Muslim minority. But according to Brahma Chellaney, strategic affairs expert at India’s Centre for Policy Research, US backing has “slipped a notch” since Joe Biden took over from Donald Trump as president in January.“India is locked in a military standoff with China, but unlike top Trump administration officials who publicly condemned China’s aggression and backed India, no one in Team Biden has so far lent open support to India,” Chellaney said.  India, a firm backer of the Afghan government with billions of dollars in development aid, recently evacuated 50 staff from its Kandahar consulate due to the worsening security situation https://www.dawn.com/news/1637552

3        EU on Kashmir; July 30 2021; Sixteen European parliamentarians on Friday wrote a letter to the European Commission on the "humanitarian situation" in Indian-occupied Kashmir, urging the European Union to raise its voice on the issue and take action. Addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Vice President Josep Borrell, the letter said: "As a champion of universal human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule-based international order, the EU must raise its voice against the violations of human rights affecting the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The letter noted that it was "extremely important" for Kashmiris to be heard and granted the opportunity to decide their own future. The lawmakers called on von der Leyen and Borrell to carry out the following actions on the EU's behalf: Convey the "grave concern" over the violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms in IoK to the Indian government;Take urgent action to address the "alarming" human rights situation in the region;Contribute to peace and stability in the region by enhancing dialogue between India, Pakistan and Kashmiri representatives through making use of "our special relationships with both India and Pakistan". It pointed out that the "miseries of the people of Jammu and Kashmir" had been amply documented in the International Human Rights Watch World Report 2021 and reports by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2018 and 2019 . https://www.dawn.com/news/1637793/european-lawmakers-urge-eu-action-on-alarming-humanitarian-situation-in-indian-occupied-kashmir

4        cricket and Kashmir; Aug, 1, 2021: Former international cricketers are being threatened and warned by the Indian cricket board against taking part in the inaugural Kashmir Premier League (KPL) cricket tournament, organisers and players have said On Saturday, former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs tweeted that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) warned him against taking part in the league which has been sanctioned by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “Completely unnecessary of the @BCCI to bring their political agenda with Pakistan into the equation and trying to prevent me playing in the @kpl_20. Also threatening me saying they won’t allow me entry into India for any cricket related work. Ludicrous,” Gibbs said on Twitter. An email from an England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) licensed agent sent to Khan, and seen by Al Jazeera, alleged that a BCCI official called up the ECB and warned that, in addition to travel restrictions, the participating cricketers will not be “allowed to work in anything Indian cricket related”.“The good news is that Gibbs and Tillakaratne Dilshan [former Sri Lankan cricketer] will be taking part in the league,”   https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2021/7/31/indian-board-warning-players-against-kashmir-cricket-tournament

5        Three martyred; Aug,1, 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiris in Pulwama and Bandipora districts, today. The troops martyred two youth during a cordon and search operation in Nagberan-Tarsar area of Pulwama district. The operation continued till last reports came in. The troops martyred a 50-year-old civilian identified as Muhammad Abdullah at an army camp in Tarbal area of Bandipore district during custody. The death of the man sparked protest in Bagroor area prompting the occupation authorities to snap the mobile service. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/31/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiris-in-iiojk.html  

Kashmir Update 138: Week , July 19, 2021 to July,25,2021

1        Martyrs Day: July 19 2021; Kashmiris pay tribute to their heroes ; Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai; The people of Kashmir are making an earnest appeal to humanity at large, and the world powers in particular, to pay heed to the long-standing wishes and aspirations of the Kashmiri people as they observe 90th anniversary of the Martyrs Day of July 13, 1931.  It was on the tragic day on July 13, 1931 that the foreign occupying Dogra troops shot dead 22 Kashmiris, in cold blood, in front of Srinagar Central Jail. July 13th is forever scarred in the collective minds of the Kashmiri people as the day when the freedom movement was greeted with bullets. Since that ominous day, Kashmiris have organized peaceful protests, seminars and conferences throughout the world. They believe that their suffering has not ended despite the end of the despotic Dogra dynasty rule. The fate of Kashmiris changed for the worse, as it has been replaced by tyrannies of successive Indian regimes with various garbs of democracy. But, the tyranny in Kashmir under the Hindutva nationalists has reached a new and unprecedented level of inhumanity. No one will be  allowed to venture out on July 13th, 2021 to commemorate the event and pay tribute to the heroes of Kashmir history. But global Kashmiri diaspora  will observe the solemn Day to reaffirm their resolve to continue their struggle for self-determination, and to pay homage to over 100,000 innocent men, women and children who have and continue to sacrifice their lives for freedom of their beloved land over the 90 years since that fateful day. The people of Kashmir clearly have little faith in or respect for the so-called Indian democracy, and India hasn’t the slightest idea how to earn it. Kashmir is back to the same square one. Kashmir is back to the same square one. Killings, chaos, confusion, turmoil, uncertainty and dark nights. There is suffering everywhere. There is darkness everywhere. At the same time, the studied unconcern by the world powers has given a sense of total impunity to Indian army in Kashmir. It has also created the impression that the international community is invidiously selective about the application of the principles of human rights and democratic values. The pro-freedom leadership, including Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umer Farooq were detained and are not able to go out of their houses for 11 years and 2 years respectively. Mohammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmed Shah, Musarat Alam and other political leaders are languishing  in various jails where they are being subjected to torture, isolation and healthcare deprivation and unhygienic crowded conditions.  They are facing added fear of Covid-19 pandemic which is raging among jail staff and security forces. Modi regime’s goal is to totally decapitate the political leadership of Kashmir and it can trample any norms of decency and human rights. Nevertheless, the people of Kashmir have sent a loud and clear message to the world community that the Kashmir issue is not about governance or economic packages or financial incentives as proclaimed by Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India when he abrogated Article 370 & 35 A on August 5, 2019. They want the world to know that the youth of Kashmir are dying on the streets, not asking for jobs and roads.  What is their actual demand? It is the demand of the people’s right -- the right to self-determination.”As the slogan that has now become talk of the town declares, “We want Aazadi and nothing else but Aazadi.”Meanwhile the U.S., the sole superpower in the world which must bear the responsibility for setting the moral tone through disciplined and rightful leadership, sits back and does nothing. Such a behavior poorly disguises the financial incentives that have opened India up to USD $500 billion in American investment during the coming five years. Lack of concern about the matter is reflected in the U.S. State Department’s Human Rights Report which has not and does not keep official records on killings by Indian forces in Kashmir occurring under the Armed Forces Special Protection Act (AFSPA). They don’t track them. Yet its own website, while alluding to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,  declares so glibly,“We see it as fundamental to our own interests to support a just peace around the world — one in which individuals, and not just nations, are granted the fundamental rights that they deserve.”President Biden so eloquently said on February 4, 2021, “We must start with diplomacy rooted in America’s most cherished democratic values: defending freedom, championing opportunity, upholding universal rights, respecting the rule of law, and treating every person with dignity.” Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken spoke on February 24, 2021 that “President Biden is committed to a foreign policy that unites our democratic values with our diplomatic leadership, and one that is centered on the defense of democracy and the protection of human rights.” Then by remaining silent, the U.S. is in fact declaring, though inadvertently  that Kashmiris have no fundamental rights and do not deserve them. Otherwise, how can you explain it to a Kashmiri when President Biden says, “The United States must lead not just with the example of power, but the power of our example.” President Biden may take a leaf from President Obama who said on July 10, 2009 at L’Aquila, Italy,  “We don't want stronger nations bullying weaker nations. On the other hand, where you have nations that are oppressing their people, isn't there an international responsibility to intervene? The world powers need to know that the situation in Kashmir in 2021 is totally different from the past. It is a youth driven mass movement with social media savvy. They are educated and enthusiastic to achieve their birthright-- the right to self-determination.The right to decide that was pledged to them by India, Pakistan and the world community. The desire for self-determination is the one very big “element” India should be concerned about, yet continues to pretend to the world that it does not exist. However long India refuses to acknowledge it, the decades-old movement in Kashmir will not simply die out. The world powers, including the United States should persuade India to take the following steps: 1 To include the genuine leadership of the people of Jammu & Kashmir in all future negotiations with India and Pakistan;2 To have an immediate and complete cessation of military and paramilitary action by Indian forces against the people of Jammu & Kashmir;3 To dismantle immediately all bunkers, watch towers and barricades set up by the Indian military and paramilitary forces in towns and villages;4 To release unconditionally all those imprisoned in connection with resistance to the Indian occupation; 5 To repeal the draconian laws, including Jammu Kashmir Armed Forces Special Powers Act;6 To restore the right of peaceful association, assembly and demonstration to the people of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. In conclusion, India and the United States should listen to one of India’s prominent journalists, Vir Sanghvi who wrote in Hindustan Times, “If you (India) believe in democracy, then giving Kashmiris the right to self-determination is the correct thing to do.”

2        Accession to Pakistan ; July 20- 2021;In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Hurriyat leaders and organizations, describing July 19 as an important day of the Kashmir history, said that in 1947 the people of Kashmir had decided their accession to Pakistan even before the partition of Indian sub-continent. On 19th July in 1947, genuine representatives of the Kashmiris unanimously passed the resolution of Kashmir’s Accession to Pakistan during a meeting of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference at the residence of Sardar Muhammad Ibrahim Khan in Aabi Guzar area of Srinagar. The human rights activist belonging to All Parties Hurriat Conference while paying rich tributes to the martyrs of Shopian said that our youth have been pushed to the wall by inflicting atrocities, physical violence, moral degradation and denial of their fundamental rights including right to dignity, right to free travel, right to speak, right to worship, right to get education etc. She urged the United Nations Secretary General to take serious cognizance of the war crimes committed by Indian occupation forces in the internationally accepted disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir and help resolve Kashmir issue as per wishes and aspirations of the people https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/19/kashmiris-had-decided-accession-to-pakistan-on-july-19-1947.html

3        Human rights ; July 23 2021;In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops have upped the ante against people of Kashmir and in their continued state terrorism martyred 42 persons including two women and a young boy during past two months. According to Kashmir Media Service’s research section, in past 20 days of July 135 cordon and search operations were staged in which 24 youth and two women were martyred while in last month (June ) 152 cordon and search operations were conducted in which sixteen (16) Kashmiris were martyred. The report said that over 100 Kashmiri youth were arrested by Indian police in last 50 days. During the period, twenty eight (28) Indian troops and police personnel were killed and forty one (41) were injured in different incidents. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/22/indian-troops-martyr-42-persons-in-iiojk-since-june.html

4        Two martyred; July 24, 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Sopore town. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Warpora area of the town. Bodies of the youth were recovered from the debris of the two residential houses destroyed by the troops with chemical explosive material.The occupation authorities suspended internet services in Sopore to prevent people from sharing information about the prevailing situation in the town. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/23/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-sopore.html

5        HRs ; July 25, 2021; During his visit next week to New Delhi, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will raise concerns around human rights in India, according to a U.S. official. Mr. Blinken is expected to arrive in New Delhi late on July 27 and will meet with his counterpart S. Jaishankar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (according to the U.S. version of his schedule).“And with respect to the human rights and democracy question, yes, you’re right; I will tell you that we will raise it, and we will continue that conversation, because we firmly believe that we have more values in common on those fronts than we don’t,” Acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Dean Thompson told reporters on Friday, when asked how important human rights were to the meeting agenda https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/us-secretary-of-state-antony-blinken-will-raise-human-rights-issues-with-new-delhi-us-official/article35503512.ece

6        NSA ; July 25 2021; Pakistan’s National Security Advisor Mooed Yusuf has at least two or three times said that the window of hope and expectation in India-Pakistan relations, that opened in February with the reconfirmation of the 2003 ceasefire, “is perhaps still there”, provided India is willing to create a conducive environment. Mooed Yusuf said this in an interview where he also claimed that Pakistan has “concrete evidence and intelligence” connecting the recent Lahore bomb blast outside Hafiz Saeed’s residence to “handlers and masterminds in India”, which Pakistan will make public in a dossier “at the right time.” In The Wire interview, Yusuf confirmed that Indian and Pakistani “intelligence meetings” happened in the run-up to the February re-confirmation of the 2003 ceasefire, but he would not say whether “they” happened in Dubai as some reports claim. He called the meeting contacts and not a back-channel. He also suggested there could have been more than one meeting and in more than one form, i.e. physical or virtual. He refused to say who was there from the Indian side “because if I was to be brutally honest it would reveal who calls the shots in India”. Nor would he confirm if the ISI chief represented Pakistan. However, Yusuf denied he had met his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval although he seemed to twice evade an answer when asked if Doval had met General Qamar Bajwa, the Pakistan Chief of Army Staff. Yusuf told The Wire “there was a contact made” by the Indian side. He said Pakistan reciprocated and asked what is India willing to do and if India is sincere Pakistan is also willing to move forward. Asked by The Wire about reports suggesting third parties like the UAE and Saudi Arabia had played a role in bringing about the reconfirmation of the ceasefire, Dr Yusuf seemed to confirm them when he said, “I have a sense pressure was put on India.” However, he refused to name any country or even comment on the public admission by the UAE’s ambassador to the US that his country had played a role. Yusuf said whilst Pakistan had no problem with third party involvement, it was for India to reveal further details. Yusuf accepted as true newspaper reports (such as in Dawn) that said Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Bajwa had told Pakistani journalists at an iftaar gathering in late April “the two sides had agreed that rather than ‘Kashmir first’ or ‘terrorism first’ all issues should be addressed at the same time.” Gen Bajwa also said Pakistan considered reinstatement of Article 370 a non-issue because Pakistan has never recognised this article of the Indian constitution. General Bajwa said Pakistan’s concerns were with statehood and the demographic identity of Jammu and Kashmir. Yusuf confirmed that when Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and General Bajwa spoke about India creating a conducive environment, this is what they had in mind.

7        In The Wire interview, Dr Yusuf said Pakistan had two core concerns. First, Kashmir. The second is terrorism. He made a point of saying it is a wrong narrative to claim terrorism is India’s concern. He called it Pakistan’s “core concern”. In the interview, Yusuf claims Pakistan has the identity and phone numbers of the mastermind and handlers of the recent Lahore bomb blast and claims they are in India. But he refused to give further details. He said they will be made public “at the right time.” However, despite this, Yusuf repeatedly suggested the window of hope and expectation that opened in February was not completely closed. First, whilst discussing the trade setback in April, when Pakistan thought of but did not buy cotton and sugar from India, he said he didn’t know “whether things unravelled” because of this. Then, whilst giving details of India’s alleged role in the Lahore blast, he said “perhaps it (the window) is still there if India is prepared to do the fair thing by Kashmiris”. Right at the end of the interview, when asked specifically if the window for dialogue is open or closed, Yusuf said” “my honest wish and hope is that it is open” adding “India has to create an enabling environment” and “when it does it will find Pakistan willing” https://thewire.in/video/watch-pakistan-nsa-mooed-yusuf-karan-thapar-interview-ceasefire-secret-meetings-dialogue

8        Three martyred; July 25 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Bandipora distinct, today, taking the number of slain youth to five since yesterday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/24/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-bandipora.html

9        One martyred; July 25 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one Kashmiri youth in Kulgam distinct. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/25/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam.html

Kashmir Update 137: Week , July 12, 2021 to July,18,2021

1        Three youth martyred; July 15 2021;In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama town. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in New Colony area of the town. The troops destroyed two houses during the operation. Bodies of the youth were recovered from the debris of the destroyed houses. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/14/three-youth-martyred-in-pulwama.html

2        India and Afghanistan; July 16 2021; The Modi-led Indian govt’s 5 Aug 2019 illegal actions amply prove that New Delhi is least concerned about regional peace, the report said and added that New Delhi has long been using Afghan soil against Pakistan to keep the flames of war burning in South Asia .Now seeing its influence and huge investment sinking in Afghanistan where Taliban plays a leading role, India has started playing double game in the region; it is, on one hand, hold talks with Taliban and sending arms and ammunition to anti-Taliban forces in Afghanistan, on the other.India’s mischievous activities are responsible for its deteriorating ties with its neighbours and if peace continues to elude South Asia, it is because of India’s subversive activities and its belligerence against its neighbours, the report maintained.It said, Pakistan has time and again informed the world about India’s destabilizing role in South Asia, and has submitted dossiers containing irrefutable evidence of New Delhi’s involvement in fomenting violence in Pakistan.It is time for world to check Indian hegemonic designs to guarantee peace in the region and take a notice of Indian role as a spoiler in Afghanistan and rest of the region, the report stressed. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/15/india-under-modi-spoiling-peace-in-afghanistan-on-purpose.html

3        Two martyred; July 16 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today. The youth, identified as Irfan and Bilal Ahmad, were killed inside a house, which was destroyed by Indian troops and paramilitary forces, using chemical explosives during a cordon and search operation in Danmar Eidgah area of the city, today https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/16/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iiojk.html

4        Religious freedom; July 7 2021; Officials in Indian-administrated Kashmir have barred the sacrifice of animals during the upcoming holiday of  Eid al-Adha, An order issued Thursday said the "illegal killing/sacrifices of cows/calves, camels & other animals” must be stopped, citing animal welfare laws. It is unclear why the government issued a near total ban on sacrificing animals. Generally, cows are considered sacred in Hindu-majority India, and slaughtering them or eating beef is illegal or restricted across much of the country. Despite the ban on cow slaughter in Kashmir, beef is widely available across much of the Muslim-majority areas. Muslims traditionally mark Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice by offering special prayers and slaughtering livestock, usually a goat, sheep, a cow or a camel, to commemorate Prophet Ibrahim’s test of faith. The meat of the sacrificed animals is shared among family and friends and poor people who cannot afford to sacrifice animals.   https://www.dailysabah.com/world/asia-pacific/india-bans-muslim-animal-sacrifices-in-kashmir-on-eid-al-adha

 

  Kashmir Update 136: Week , July 5, 2021 to July,11,2021

1        Remove Modi; July 4 2021;  At the World Economic Forum at Davos 2020, global investor George Soros expressed, “Nationalism, far from being reversed, made further headway. The biggest and most frightening setback came in India, where a democratically elected Narendra Modi is creating a Hindu nationalist state, imposing punitive measures on Kashmir – a semi-autonomous Muslim region, and threatening to deprive millions of Muslims of their citizenship.” George Soros also pledged USD 1 billion to fund a new university network to tackle the spread of nationalism in his speech at the World Economic Forum 2020 at Davos. The target of George Soros is India under Prime Minister Modi.   Twitter has taken a defiant stance against the Indian government. It has failed to comply with the new IT rules in India. Twitter took the persistent leniency of the government for granted leading to the social media platform losing its status as an intermediary platform in India. This means instead of being considered just a platform hosting content from various users, Twitter will be directly editorially responsible for posts published on its platform. Yet, Twitter remains adamant and defiant against India. It is interesting to note that Twitter’s top four owners are: Morgan Stanley Investment Management, The Vanguard Group Inc, Blackrock Fund Advisors, and SSgA Funds Management. The New York Times carried an advertisement that was paid for by the Justice for Migrant Women and signed by 76 organizations claiming to be concerned farmers, activists and citizens of the world. The advertisement also carries a website – www.solidaritywithindianfarmers.com. ‘We – Farmers, Activists, and Citizens of the World – Stand in Solidarity with Farmers in India protesting to protect their livelihood’. The advertisement in the New York Times features 76 organizations. However, in the list of farmers, activists, and citizens of the world is the questionable organization – Council of American – Islamic Relations (CAIR). Now CAIR along with the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) have been strong backers of the Stand With Kashmir global advocacy, which included billboards in the US. The aim of CAIR and ICNA is to attack the Indian government’s decision on the Abrogation of Article 370 and to create global awareness on the atrocities to Muslims in Kashmir done by the Indian government through the Indian Armed Forces. Not known to many, but it worth noting that CAIR receives most of its funding from Qatar and Turkey.  Turkey had opposed the Indian government’s decision of the Abrogation of Article 370 and has also thrown its weight to support Pakistan on the issue. The recent Farmers’ Protest in India which led to the dastardly attack on the Indian democracy on January 26th, 2021 at the Red Fort has the candid support of George Soros’ Open Society Foundation. Amardeep Singh is the Co-Founder of the US-based NGO – Sikh Coalition. In fact he was appointed by President Barack Obama to his Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI). Since 2014, Amardeep Singh has been working with Open Society Foundations as its Senior Program Officer. This is after he moved on from Sikh Coalition in September 2014, though he continues to remain Co-Founder. Amardeep Singh and Sikh Coalition are important because they are playing a prominent role in the US raising support against the farm laws and for the farmer’s protests in India. Sikh Coalition website message: “The #FarmersProtest affects the global Sikh population, and the Sikh Coalition stands with Sikhs across the United States and around the world in solidarity with those advocating for their rights, dignity, and justice. Contact your elected officials, propose a draft resolution, and take other action today. Since the end of November 2020, protesters from the Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and elsewhere have traveled to the outskirts of Delhi, India to protest three farm laws that will worsen the already harsh ecological and economic conditions in which they live. These farmers, seeking only to demonstrate peacefully and defend their livelihoods, were met first with dismissal–and then with violence and repression–from the Indian government. This movement directly affects a majority of the global Sikh population, and the Sikh Coalition stands with Sikhs across the United States and around the world in solidarity with these farmers as they continue to advocate for their rights, dignity, and justice. Accordingly, the Sikh Coalition has undertaken several advocacy approaches to raising awareness and spurring action on this issue. Tell your lawmakers in the U.S. Congress to show solidarity with farmers and condemn the Indian government’s response to the protest. Reach out to your local, county, state, and federal government officials with our draft resolution language and ask them to stand with farmers.” New York Times in its International Opportunities section for the job post of a ‘Senior Asia Business Correspondent carried a questionable job description exposing its bias to India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The New York Times is seeking an experienced, enterprising journalist to lead economic and business coverage of India, an aspiring global superpower with a rich history on the cusp of a major inflection point. India will soon surpass China in population, if it hasn’t already, and has ambitions of winning a greater voice on the world stage. Under Narendra Modi, its charismatic prime minister, India has moved to rival China’s economic and political heft in Asia, a drama playing out along their tense border and within national capitals across the region. Domestically, India is a melting pot of people and languages grappling with difficult questions of class and wealth disparity. It has a well-educated and aspiring middle class coveted by Amazon, Walmart, and other major global companies. A new class of Indian business tycoon has won a rapt audience on Wall Street and London. Yet hundreds of millions of people are struggling for a better life for their children, and India’s once fast-growing economy is showing signs of stalling. India’s future now stands at a crossroads. Mr. Modi is advocating a self-sufficient, muscular nationalism centered on the country’s Hindu majority. That vision puts him at odds with the interfaith, multicultural goals of modern India’s founders. The government’s growing efforts to police online speech and media discourse have raised difficult questions about balancing issues of security and privacy with free speech. Technology is both a help and a hindrance. The position includes coverage of neighboring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives, each with its own rich history and complicated relations with its enormous neighbor. We are looking for a self-starting correspondent who can explain these forces to a global audience. The position requires a strong writer with the ability to juggle breaking news, smart analysis and ambitious enterprise. We want someone eager to react quickly to news as necessary, but who is also able to write thoughtfully and deeply about important issues and events, with an empathetic ear for the people of India and the region. The ideal candidates will have experience developing a network of journalists, a critical foundation for covering such a broad region. This position will be based in New Delhi.” It is interesting to note that the New York Times’ top four owners are: The Vanguard Group Inc, Blackrock Fund Advisors, Jackson Square Partners LLC, and Capital Research and Management Consultancy. In both Twitter and New York Times – The Vanguard Group Inc and Blackrock Fund Advisors are common in the top four owners list. Besides, The Vanguard Group Inc and Blackrock Advisors partly own Twitter and New York Times, they both are also partly owned by Soros Management Fund owned by George Soros. In fact, Blackrock Fund Advisors owns a considerable stake in The Vanguard Group around 13.46 percent. And the Vanguard Group owns a 7.51 percent stake in Blackrock Fund Advisors. George Soros is an economic terrorist. Soros issue is India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Soros is a man who paints the picture of an investor whose manipulation of the press is matched only his ability to manipulate his financial empire. By far, Soros’ greatest gains, however, have been destabilizing currencies on the global market. The defiant and biased behavior of Twitter and the New York Times is George Soros’s manipulation of the press. This is the start of ‘Operation Remove Modi’. He is the Conductor of the media Orchestra against India under Prime Minister Modi. https://goachronicle.com/twitter-new-york-times-george-soros-begins-operation-remove-modi/

2        Delimitation ; July 7 2021; analysts and politicians in the region believe the Modi government's insistence on the delimitation of assembly constituencies, rather than confidence building, has raised fears that the Muslim population in the disputed territory may be further disempowered by granting more seats to Hindu areas to benefit the Hindu nationalist the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The erstwhile state of IIOJK that comprised Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh was the only Muslim-majority state in post-independence India. The leaders of nine parties had arrived in New Delhi on June 24 at the invitation of PM Modi to convince him to reverse or at least modify the decisions taken on Aug. 5, 2019. The Modi's government had not only revoked IIOJK's constitutional autonomy but also divided the region into two centrally administered territories, thus accepting a half-a-century-old demand of hardline Hindu nationalists led by the Rashtriya Swayemsevak Sangh (RSS), who wanted a complete merger of this Muslim-majority region into the Indian Union. Therefore, the priority for these pro-India political leaders, who were put under detention soon after these measures, was to seek the return of statehood, restoration of a semblance of autonomy, putting a stop to alleged demographic changes in the event of abrogation of local citizenship law, restoration and elections to the regional assembly so that a political structure is allowed to govern the region rather than leaving it to the mercy of non-local bureaucrats.  But at the meeting, Home Minister Amit Shah clearly spelled out to them a road map, which in the order included: undertaking an exercise of delimitation for assembly constituencies; conducting elections based on new demarcations; and allowing the new assembly to adopt a resolution requesting the Indian parliament to return statehood to the region. Once this exercise is completed, the Indian home ministry will draft and then present legislation to the parliament. Observers say that even if statehood is restored, it will be with truncated powers, where law and order and the transfer of bureaucrats may remain in the domain of the central government. Therefore, they believe that  chief minister, which used to hold the seventh rank under the official protocol list of the Indian government, will be pushed to rank 15. For the return of the revoked provisions of Article 370 that ensured a degree of autonomy and Article 35A that ensured a separate citizenship law for the region under the Indian constitution, Shah conveyed that since the Supreme Court of India has already admitted petitions against the government's decision, the matter was sub judice and therefore prohibited from the discussion. While in the rest of India, the exercise of fresh demarcation of electoral boundaries will take place in 2026, the government set up a commission under former Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Desai in March 2020 to redraw the boundaries of provincial assembly seats in IIOJK, along with northeastern states of Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland. When the commission's term was extended for another year in March 2021, northeastern states were removed from its terms and references, meaning it will now only demarcate the boundaries of IIOJK. The move has created suspicion that the central government, under the influence of Hindu nationalists, has singled out the region to reduce assembly seats of the occupied Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley or equalise it with the Hindu majority Jammu region -- a demand propounded by Hindu groups since 1950. Legal luminary and opposition Congress party leader Kapil Sibal said an exercise of delimitation of constituencies tends to favour the ruling establishment even though it is being headed by a distinguished judge. "If the delimitation process takes place in a non-transparent manner to ensure that the BJP's political presence has greater chances of success, the confidence sought to be built will be eroded," he said. the BJP had proposed the commission use geography as criteria rather than population, while demarcating boundaries of new assembly segments. Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who is also an ex-officio member of the commission, stressed in his presentation that the Jammu region comprises 26,293 square kilometres (10,152 square miles) against the 15,520 square kilometres of the occupied Kashmir valley and thus deserves more seats. But, analysts say that even if the seats of the Jammu region increase based on geographical criteria, they will increase in the region's two Muslim majority sub-regions of the Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal. Both of these regions have sparsely populated large mountainous belts. The population of the Jammu region is also not homogeneous, with 31% Muslims, 18% Dalits, 25% Brahmins, 12% Rajputs, 5% Vaishyas, or business community members, and 9% others that include the Sikh community. There is also a proposal to reserve 18 seats for lower-caste Hindus, known as scheduled castes or Dalits, and tribal groups. Since the government has distributed an equal number of district development councils to both regions, defying population criteria, it is also expected that the same formula will be used to distribute 45 assembly seats to each region. The reserved seats are also expected to be distributed equally. According to political observers, this new scheme of adding seats to the Jammu region and reservation of seats, besides other measures, will limit Muslim representation in the new assembly below 50%. This will forever end political domination of the disputed territory or Muslims in the regional assembly. Noted journalist and analyst Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal believes that by giving preference to the agenda of delimitation over confidence building, the Modi government has given the message that people do not really count  "The only thing that counts is the delimitation of constituencies in  IOJAKand this is being peddled as the very elixir of democracy," she said. Bhasin added that it is not difficult to understand that New Delhi's obsession with the delimitation exercise while evading other commitments stems from a desire to carve out more Hindu-majority constituencies to the benefit of the BJP. The number of Muslims in the region’s bureaucracy has already been reduced over the years. According to IIOJK government figures, out of 24 secretaries in the region, just five are Muslims, with only 12 Muslims out of 58 top-serving officials. In the second tier of bureaucracy, Muslims make up just 42%. Among police, only seven of 66 top officers are local Muslims, despite making up 68.5% of the region's total population. This formula to reserve Muslim-dominated seats for Dalits has been practised in many Indian states over the past years in an alleged bid to keep Muslim representation in legislatures in check. In 2005, the official Justice Rajinder Sachar Committee had pointed out this issue and had recommended reserving only those seats for Dalits, where they comprise nearly 30%. In Uttar Pradesh's (UP) Nagina Lok Sabha seat, which is reserved for Dalits, Muslims comprise 43% and Dalits 22% of the electorate. A Muslim cannot contest elections from this seat. In contrast, the nearby Dhuririya seat, where Dalits make up 30% and Muslims are fewer in number and should have been reserved is in a general category. Ghazala Wahab, a prominent security analyst and executive editor of Force magazine, said the delimitation exercise was aimed at making Jammu more amenable to the BJP. "While the seat share between occupied Jammu and Kashmir may be rationalised, the larger purpose is to ensure that in no constituencies of the Jammu division should Muslims become a decisive vote. Once this is achieved, it is likely that Jammu will be declared a state; Kashmir will continue to be a UT because of the security situation," she added. By selling elections and restoration of assembly as the return of democracy to the world, rather than taking credible measures, the Modi government is repeating the events of 1994, when then-prime minister Narasimha Rao had assured Iran credible steps on IIOJK if the country saves New Delhi from the ignominy it was about to face at the UN Human Rights Commission. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2309104/redrawing-maps-of-assembly-seats-raises-fears-in-iiojk

3        Youth martyred ; July 7 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred a Kashmiri youth in Handwara district, today.The youth was killed by troops during a cordon and search operation in Kralgund Handwara area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/07/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-handwara.html

4        Four Youth martyred: July 8 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Indian troops  in their fresh act of state terrorism , martyred four more Kashmiri youth in two districts of the territory, today. The troops killed two youth each during cordon and search operations in Pulwama and Kulgam districts of South Kashmir on Thursday. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/08/indian-troops-martyr-four-youth-in-iiojk.html

5        OIC on Kashmir: July 9 2021;  The executive head of the Islamic bloc, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), raised the status of Indian Muslims and proposed to send a delegation to Jammu and Kashmir during his meeting with the Indian ambassador earlier this week. The OIC press release notes that the Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ausaf Syed, paid a “courtesy visit” on secretary-general Yousef Al-Othaimeen on July 5 in Jeddah. “The Secretary General welcomed Ambassador Sayeed and reviewed with him a number of issues concerning the situation of Muslims in India, along with the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, and relevant UN and OIC resolutions opposing any unilateral actions on the issue,” said the press note. It is highly unusual for the Indian ambassador to have a meeting with the OIC secretary-general. According to the press note issued by OIC, the secretary-general “conveyed the desire of the OIC General Secretariat to dispatch a delegation to the disputed territory in line with relevant resolutions of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers”. He also suggested that the OIC could be a go-between for India and Pakistan. “The Secretary General also asked about the possibility of a meeting between Pakistan and India, stating that the General Secretariat stands ready to assist if the two parties would so request,” said the press release. The Pakistan foreign ministry issued a statement on Wednesday stating that the “Secretary General underscored the OIC’s principled position on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute during the meeting” with the Indian envoy. Pakistan also claimed that this was the “first time that the principled position of the 57 OIC members states has been duly conveyed to India”. https://thewire.in/world/oic-secretary-general-meets-with-indian-ambassador-raises-kashmir-and-status-of-indian-muslims

6        Five martyred; July 9 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops during a cordon and search  operation martyred one more youth in Rajouri, raising the toll to five in one day in the territory. The troops killed the fifth youth in Sunderbani area of Rajouri district during an ongoing operation which entered its 10 day, today. Indian army claimed that the youth was killed during an encounter, which also left an Indian soldier dead and two others including a JCO injured. It said, the slain soldier has been identified as Sepoy Yashwant Reddy while the injured as Naib Subedar Srijith of 17 Madras and Nk Santosh of 9 Para. Earlier, Indian troops martyred four Kashmiri youth in Pulwama and Kulgam districts of South Kashmir, today. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/08/five-youth-martyred-indian-soldier-killed-jco-injured-in-iiojk.html

7        Modi  moves on Kashmir ; July, 10.2021 The Modi government is busy hiring and reappointing old and new political figures in Kashmir, selling development plans, integrating alienated Kashmiri youths, changing Kashmir’s demography, the settlement of Kashmiri pundits, perhaps dividing the territory into two with Ladakh and Jammu functioning as a separate state. So far, some selected Kashmiri leaders are once again in the good books of Delhi for a possible dialogue over Kashmir but opposing voices have been side-lined as usual. Sanju Verma's analysis   reveals Modi’s systematically designed motives behind the current political move to talk with the “good guys” of Kashmir. Verma branded Modi’s government revocation of Article 370 and Article 35A as a “masterstroke” aimed for two strategic reasons: First, “With Kashmir’s special status gone, people from anywhere in India can now buy the property and permanently settle in the state” and second, “The ball was set rolling for the return of Kashmiri Pandits.” Verma’s article discloses that Modi will offer (select political groups) a mega-development package including a hydro energy generation by 2024.  Referring to political circles, Kashmiri journalist Naseer Ganai believes India is under growing international pressure, particularly from the U.S., to hold dialogue with political parties in an attempt to make grounds for “restoration of electoral democracy.” Modi’s talks with an alliance of eight secular political parties – Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration – in Delhi while ignoring the mainstream Kashmiri politicians have raised concerns and suspicions about Delhi’s intentions for Kashmir. Pakistani political analyst Shahid Masood raised alarms over Modi’s intentions as he chose to speak to a few political groups while intentionally ignoring the mainstream political entities including Syed Ali Shah Gilani, Yasin Malik, Shabir Shah and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. Besides, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (Tehreek-e-Hurriyat), an alliance comprising 26 political, social and religious bodies formed as a political front to further the cause of Kashmiri separatism, was also ignored.  The question is who represents Kashmiris? Those planted and supported by Delhi that has enjoyed fruits of power for decades? Or those leaders that have been tortured, imprisoned and murdered for speaking up for Kashmiris? The Modi junta wants to present Hurriyat leaders as "separatists" and "extremists," and thus outliers to the world as they do not represent the Kashmiris who are peaceful citizens.  A YouTuber, Sanjay Dixit foretells “Something cooking between Gupkar Mafia and Central Government.” As long as the strings of the government are in the hands of the ruling Hindu Nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), anything can happen. Some commentators warn of the mishaps, for instance, David Devadas presumes “some leading figures among the new crop of political activists” could be “terrorists” targets Another Indian plan relates to a strategically and naturally rich region in minerals, the Gilgit-Baltistan and Ladakh that are long on the imperialist's list. A book by John Keay (1994) “The Gilgit Game: The Explorers of the Western Himalayas 1865-95,” best explains present-day political moves by international powers engaging in a new cold war in the heart of the Ladakh region that could easily sabotage the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEK) project. Sudheendra Kulkarni warns “Any attempt by the Modi government to forcibly wrest Gilgit-Baltistan (which has been under Pakistan’s control since 1947-48) would trigger a catastrophic and unwinnable two-front war with both Pakistan and China.”   https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/is-kashmir-becoming-a-new-combat-zone-of-global-powers

8        Delimitation ; July 10 2021; The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission on Friday said it would base its final report on the 2011 Census and also take into account the topography, difficult terrain, means of communication and convenience available while delimiting seven additional seats for the 83-member Assembly of the Union Territory (UT), besides granting reservation to the Schedule Tribe (ST) and Schedule Caste (SC) communities.“Delimitation is not a mathematical exercise. It must reflect the political aspirations of society bound in a particular geography. Though the population forms the base [for delimitation], the commission shall take into account constituencies’ practicality, geographical compatibility, topography, physical features, means of communication and convenience available,” Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra said, after the three-member panel completed its four-day consultation tour of J&K.The earlier delimitation panels did not acknowledge the difficult terrains and people’s difficulties, he pointed out. Chandra clarified that 24 seats reserved for Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) would not be delimited in this process. “The commission will also specify the number of seats to be reserved for the SC and the ST in the Legislative Assembly of the UT. It will be for the first time that seats will be reserved for the ST in J&K,” he noted. J&K has already seven seats reserved for SC people, mainly in the Kathua-Samba belt in the Jammu region. It will be for the first time that STs, including Bakerwals and Gujjars, will get reservation in this delimitation exercise. The maximum population of Gujjars and Bakwerwals are from the PirPanjal Valley, comprising Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Jammu region. On the process of arriving at a final draft, Chandra said the commission had taken into account the representations made by 290 groups, comprising 800 people. “A draft report will be prepared, wherein the suggestions of the associate members will also be taken into account. Thereafter, it will be in the public domain for a consensus. Only after the fresh comments, the final draft will be prepared. Opportunity will be given to people at large to take into account all the views,” he stated.Most of J&K’s political parties, during the meetings with the panel, have stressed on immediate restoration of statehood after the new constituencies are delineated by the panel. Source The Hindu

9        Youth martyred; July 10 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their continued acts of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Rajouri district, today, taking the toll to six in the territory since yesterday.The troops martyred the youth during an ongoing cordon and search operation in Sunderbani area of the district. The troops martyred one youth in the same area and four others in Pulwama and Kulgam districts, yesterday. Three Indian soldiers including a Junior Commissioned Officer have been killed in attacks in Sunderbani during the operation, which is going on since on June 29. The troops also launched similar operations in Kulgam and Samba districts. The occupation authorities suspended internet services in Kulgam and Pulwama districts. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/09/troops-martyr-another-youth-in-iiojk-toll-reaches-6.html

10   Three youth martyred: July 12 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today, raising the number of slain youth in the territory to eight since Thursday.The troops martyred these youth during a cordon and search operation at Kawarigam in Achabal area of the district. Indian forces’ personnel beat up and injured a journalist, Shah Junaid, when he was performing his professional duties during the CASO https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/10/3-more-kashmiri-youth-martyred-toll-reaches-9-since-thursday.html

11   Woman killed; July 11 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a 28-year-old woman was killed on Saturday evening after she was deliberately hit by an Indian Army vehicle in Yaripora area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. An official told media that a woman, identified as Rohi Jan, 29, wife of Aabid Ahmad of Kharibarari village of Shopian, was hit by an Army vehicle at Kaddar Kulgam on Saturday evening. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/07/10/woman-dies-after-hit-by-indian-army-vehicle-in-kulgam.html   


Kashmir Update 135: Week , May 28, 2021 to July,4,2021

1        Airport attack; June 27 2021: In what is believed to be the first use of drones in a terror attack on an Indian military facility, two blasts took place at the Air Force base in Jammu Airport in the early hours of Sunday. Two Indian Air Force (IAF) personnel suffered minor injuries in the explosions that took place a little before 2 am at the high security airport located around 14 km from the border with Pakistan. Reports say the explosions, at 1.37 am and 1.43 am, were heard a km away. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/explosion-reported-inside-air-force-operated-area-at-jammu-airport-forensic-bomb-disposal-teams-rushed-2473323

2        Young man martyred; June 29 2021;   In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today. The youth was killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Parimpora of the city. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/28/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-srinagar.html

3        UN and Human rights violations against children; June 30 2021; UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has expressed his concern over the “grave violations” against children in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and called upon the government to take preventive measures to protect children, including by ending the use of pellets against them, The call was made by the UN chief in the annual report on Children and Armed Conflict, which was launched last week by his Special Representative on the subject, Virginia Gamba.  “I remain concerned by grave violations against children in Jammu and Kashmir and call upon the Government to take preventive measures to protect children, including by ending the use of pellets against children, ensuring that children are not associated in any way to security forces, and endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration and the Vancouver Principles,” the secretary-general said in the report. “I am alarmed at the detention and torture of children and concerned by the military use of schools,” he said, noting that seven schools were used for four months by Indian security forces. “I urge the (Indian) Government to ensure that children are detained as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time, and to prevent all forms of ill-treatment in detention,” the secretary-general added. “I also urge the (Indian) Government to ensure the implementation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, to address the use of children for illegal activities and the situation of detained children*.” According to the UN report, a total of 39 children (33 boys, 6 girl) were killed and maimed (9 killed and 30 maimed by pellet guns) and several casualties in other actions, including 13 in crossfire and shelling across the line of control. “There is no place for children in conflict, and we must not allow conflict to trample on the rights of children”, he said. More than 300 innocent Kashmiris, including women and children, were killed in “fake encounters” and staged “cordon-and-search” operations. 750 Kashmiris were critically injured, while 2,770 innocent Kashmiris were arbitrarily detained, and 922 houses destroyed as part of collective punishment inflicted on the Kashmiri communities.In a particularly horrifying incident, the Pakistani envoy said, a gut-wrenching picture of a three-year-old Kashmiri boy sitting on the body of his grandfather (Muhammad Bashir) killed by Indian forces went viral on the internet, drawing ire from social media and civil society. The three-year-old boy was shown sitting on top of his motionless grandfather as he cried. https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/608425-UN-chief-urges-India-to-end-atrocities-against-Kashmiri-children

4        Three youth martyred; July  2021;  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Chimmer area of the district https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/30/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam.html

  Kashmir Update 134: Week , May 21, 2021 to June,27,2021

1        Congress on article 370; June 2 2021; Ahead of a meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress on Sunday said the Centre should accept the demand for restoration of statehood to J-K in the interest of the Constitution and democracySurjewala drew attention to the August 6, 2019 resolution of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) where the party clearly demanded the restoration of full statehood for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. "We believe that undoing it is a direct attack on democracy and the constitutional principles," he told reporters when asked about the issue. Surjewala said the Congress believes that grant of full statehood to Jammu and Kashmir as also holding elections, so that people can elect their representatives and have an assembly of their own to carry on the affairs of the state instead of a rule by Delhi, is the only way forward to guarantee full restoration of democratic rights in Jammu and Kashmir."It is now for the prime minister and the BJP to decide whether to hold a meeting or to accept the demand of the Indian National Congress in the interest of constitution, democracy and the people to restore full statehood to the state of Jammu and Kashmir," Surjewala said. https://www.livemint.com/news/india/restore-jammu-and-kashmir-s-statehood-says-congress-ahead-of-pm-modi-s-meeting-11624193642742.html

2        Three Youth martyred; June 21 2021;  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Sopore town. The troops during a cordon and search operation killed three youth including one Mudasir Pandit at Gund Brath area of the town. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/21/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-sopore.html

3        Widows day; June 24 2021; As the world is observing the International Widows Day, today, miseries and victimization of the Kashmiri women at the hands of Indian troops, police and agencies continue unabated in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. According to a report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the International Widows Day, today, the unabated Indian state terrorism rendered 22,927 women widowed since January 1989 till date as their husbands were martyred by Indian military, paramilitary and police personnel. It said over two hundred women whose husbands were subjected to custodial disappearance after their arrest by Indian troops and police during the last 32 years are referred to as half widows. According the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, more than 10,000 men have disappeared in the custody of Indian troops since 1989, it said. For years, half-widows in IIOJK have been running from one Indian army camp to another trying to find whereabouts of their husbands, it added.The report maintained that 677 women have been martyred by the troops since January 2001 till date. It pointed out that womenfolk constitutes the majority of the Kashmiris suffering from multiple psychic problems. “Due to unending agony, Kashmiri widows, half-widows are suffering from psychological problems. As per a study, women comprise more than 60% of psychiatric patients in IIOJK,” it added. The report said the Kashmiri women are targeted for raising their voice against Indian brutalities. Dozens of women including Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi, Naheeda Nasreen and Hina Bashir Baig are languishing in different jails of India and IIOJK for their affiliation with the ongoing Kashmir freedom movement, it said.The report said the presence of large number of widows and half-widows is testimony to Indian troops’ tyranny in IIOJK. It added that the world must raise its voice over the plight of Kashmiri half-widows whose husbands have disappeared in the custody of Indian troops. Meanwhile, APHC leaders, Zamruda Habib, Yasmeen Raja, Farida Bahenji and rights activist Muhammad Ahsan Untoo in their separate statements said the Kashmiri women are the worst victims of Indian state terrorism in the occupied territory. They said thousands of women have lost their husbands, brothers and sons as they were martyred or subjected to custodial disappearance by Indian troops. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/23/22927-women-widowed-in-iiojk-since-1989.html

4        J&K and Modi ; June 25 2021; Refusing to back down, the political parties of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) on Tuesday asked   Modi to revoke the “unconstitutional and immoral” move of reading down the special status of J&K. “This decision is not acceptable to the people of J&K. I told the prime minister that if the government removed it [the special status] illegally, my party will fight democratically and constitutionally for restoring it,” Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of the erstwhile state and vice-president of the Gupkar alliance, said.“Article 370 was not given to us by Pakistan. It was incorporated into the Constitution by Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Whether it takes months or years, we will strive to get it back,” Mufti, who heads the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said. Mufti was among 14 political leaders from J&K, including four former chief ministers and other senior leaders, invited to the all-party meeting chaired by the prime minister. Briefing the media, senior Congress leader, Ghulam Nabi Azad, said his party raised five issues concerning J&K during the all-party meeting. He said the Centre must restore J&K’s statehood and hold assembly elections at the earliest for “strengthening democracy”. Seeking safeguards for J&K locals, Azad said the domicile rules of J&K which date back to 1925 must be restored along with the exclusive rights of state subjects in government employment.Omar Abdullah, former chief minister of the erstwhile state, told reporters that his party, National Conference, believes that the August 5, 2019 decision was “against the interests of J&K”. “But we won’t take laws into our hands. We will fight the battle for (Article 370 restoration) legally,” he said. According to sources, the prime minister is believed to have urged the political parties of J&K to participate in the delimitation exercise “at the earliest” which will set the stage for holding assembly elections in the union territory. The Delimitation Commission has been set up to redraw the assembly constituencies and increase their numbers from the present 107 to 114. Political parties in J&K suspect that the exercise would be used to alter the unique demographic balance of the union territory.

5        Putting the ball back into the Central government’s court, Omar said that “singling out” J&K for the delimitation exercise has created a “lot of suspicion” among the people.“Making J&K a union territory is not acceptable to the people of Jammu and Kashmir region. We want complete statehood with the restoration of independent cadre for J&K,” Omar said. Mehbooba said she complimented the prime minister for opening dialogue with Pakistan during which they reaffirmed their commitment for respecting the 2003 ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control and International Border with Pakistan. “The government must open all the trade routes of Kashmir which provided employment to hundreds of people. What is stopping the government from talking [to Pakistan] again if it brings peace and prosperity to J&K?” she asked, while demanding the government to release the political prisoners. Azad, who was flanked by Mir and senior Congress leader and former J&K deputy chief minister Tara Chand, said the Central government must also release the political prisoners   . Modi said delimitation has to happen at a quick pace so that polls can take place. “Our priority is to strengthen grassroots democracy in J&K. Delimitation has to happen at a quick pace so that polls can happen and J&K gets an elected government that gives strength to J&K’s development trajectory,” Modi said in a tweet. Shah said delimitation exercise and peaceful elections are important milestones in restoring statehood. “We are committed to ensure all round development of J&K… the delimitation exercise and peaceful elections are important milestones in restoring statehood as promised in parliament,”  . https://thewire.in/politics/jammu-and-kashmir-all-party-meeting-mehbooba-mufti-narendra-modi-statehood-peace

6        Youth martyred; June 26 2021;  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, today  the troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Hanjipora area of the district. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/25/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-shopian.html 

Kashmir Update 133: Week , May 14, 2021 to June,20,2021

1        US concerns; June 13 2021; India remains the world’s largest democracy with a strong rule of law but some of the Indian government’s actions, including restrictions on freedom of expression, have raised concerns that are inconsistent with the country’s democratic values, a top US official has told lawmakers. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Dean Thompson’s remarks came during a Congressional hearing on Democracy in the Indo-Pacific on Wednesday at the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation. Thompson said.“However, some of the Indian government’s actions have raised concerns that are inconsistent with India’s democratic values,” he said.“This includes increasing restrictions on freedom of expression and the detention of human rights activists and journalists,” he said. Thompson said the US regularly engages in and on these issues, including the important work of civil society. India has previously rejected criticism by foreign governments and human rights groups on allegations that civil liberties have eroded in the country. “Similarly, at times, that has happened in India; though, I think, India, we can say, has a very vibrant press overall that reports very freely on its government,” he said. Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, who represents a Congressional district from Pennsylvania, raised the issue of Kashmir during the Congressional hearing.“Although of course, they’re two great democracies, democracies including ours and India’s are not without their flaws and problems. I do have a pretty big (number of) Kashmiris in my community and there is, of course, concern about the treatment of the Kashmir people,” she said.Thompson said that the Biden administration routinely raises issues related to a vast array of rights and democratic issues with India.“Kashmir is one area where we have urged them to return to normalcy as quickly as possible, including we’ve seen some steps taken: The release of prisoners, the restoration of 4G access, things of that nature. There are other electoral steps we’d like to see them take and that we have encouraged them to do and will continue to do so,” Thompson said . https://indianexpress.com/article/india/us-official-on-india-democratic-values-7355836/

2        Congress and 370; June 13 2021; In a leaked   chat with Pakistani journalist on Clubhouse, Congress leader Digvijay Singh said that if Congress comes back to power, it might reconsider the abrogation of Article 370. "When they revoked Article 370, democracy was not there in Kashmir as they had put everyone behind bars. And ‘Kashmiriyat’ is something that is one of the fundamentals of secularism. Kashmir being a Muslim-majority state had a Hindu king and both worked together. In fact, Kashmiri pandits were given reservation. The decision to revoke Article 370 and reducing the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir is unfortunate. And the Congress party will certainly relook at this issue,” Singh said in the Clubhouse chat.  'Digvijay was architect of fake saffron terror conspiracy’ However, there were few who agreed with what Singh said. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/twitter-faceoff-huge-uproar-after-digvijay-singh-says-will-reconsider-article-370-revocation/articleshow/83459316.cms

3        Broken promises; June 17,2021; if promises are made to be broken, then Kashmir may be summoned to prove the treacherous proposition. Broken promises haunt Kashmir's history, and explain its tragedy. I will confine myself to the last century as a concession to the shortness of life. Under the 1846 Treaty of Amritsar, Great Britain sold Kashmir and its then 2 million people to a Sikh ruler, Gulab Singh, like sheep and cattle. The strutting British Empire valued Kashmiris every bit as much as it did the Irish then undergoing the Potato famine, which many in New York condemn as a British genocide. But that was of little solace to their South Asian counterparts. Kashmir was a princely state under Gulab Singh and his successors, Ranbir Singh, Partap Singh, and Hari Singh. A princely state was not directly ruled by the British raj like India, but was subject only to British dictation over matters of defense and foreign policy. Maharaja Hari Singh, a Hindu, began his princely rule over Kashmir in 1925. The people of the land were predominantly Muslim, but lived a warm coexistence with Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs. Their understanding of Islam had taught them mutual respect, harmony, and ecumenism. The Maharaja inherited a regime earmarked by brutal repression of Muslims. Heavy taxation, discriminatory laws, forced labor, and the absence of representation in services and lack of educational facilities were chief grievances. The slaughtering of a cow was a capital crime and mosques were controlled by the state. All dissent or political protest was brutally suppressed. For instance, the Maharaja summarily drowned state silk factory workers in 1924 for the audacity of demanding higher wages than the likes of Oliver Twist. Muslims who petitioned British Viceroy Lord Reading to correct or ameliorate their grievances during his 1924 visit were sent into exile and their properties confiscated. The British then appointed a commission headed by B.J. Clancy to investigate the grievances. It confirmed their authenticity, recommended remedial measures, which were largely neglected by the Maharaja. A Kashmiri national movement was galvanized in 1931 when a state factotum forbade the Imam to deliver a sermon before the customary Friday prayer. Mr. Abdul Qadeer answered with a fiery speech denouncing the Maharaja's anti-Islamic injunctions.  Muslims rallied to protest his arrest, and 22 were slaughtered when the police opened fire. The British, predictably, did nothing. After all, it was difficult to distinguish the Maharaja's savagery from the mass killings of Indians by the British in 1919, known as Amritsar massacre. I would argue that this British callousness or aloofness was a pre-partition broken promise number one. As Rudyard Kipling had versified to the world in 1899, the British Empire and suzerainties had been undertaken to discharge the "White Man's burden" of civilizing backward races or religions.  But in Kashmir, it had apostatized from its promise and abandoned Muslims to the law of the jungle. With the lapse of British paramountcy on August 15, 1947, broken promises over Kashmir came not like single spies but in battalions, to borrow from Hamlet. Princely states enjoyed three options: accession to India, accession to Pakistan, or independence. But the choice, according to India's Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and tacitly endorsed by the British was to be made by popular referendum in cases where the creed of the ruler varied from the religion of the majority. That fundamental democratic principle had been sternly applied by Nehru with military means in Hyderabad and Junagadh where the rulers were Muslim but their inhabitants largely Hindu. Kashmir presented a converse case: the Maharaja was Hindu but the majority subscribed to Islam. When paramountcy lapsed in Kashmir, the Maharaja's despotic regime was tottering.  An indigenous rebellion was in full swing. Instead of submitting to a referendum, Maharaja’s vaulting and mean-spirited ambition prompted a plea to the Indian army for intervention. Nehru responded with alacrity on October 27, 1947, and intrigued to generate a bogus instrument of Kashmiri accession to India to justify its aggression.  British scholar Alistair Lamb has persuasively exposed the forgery, a first cousin to the Tzar's Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Indigenous Kashmiris fought Indian troops to a standstill. Contemporaneously, India's head of state, Lord Mountbatten, officially promised a Kashmiri plebiscite in plain language over which only Mr. Pickwick might puzzle: "[I] n consistence with their policy that in the case of any state where the issue of accession has been the subject of dispute, the question of accession should be decided in accordance with the wishes of the people of the state. It is my government's wish that as soon as law and order have been restored in Kashmir and its soil cleared of the invaders, the question of the state's accession should be settled by a reference to the people." India then raced to the United Nations Security Council on January 1, 1948, and championed a pair of resolutions on August 13, 1948 and January 5, 1949 that prescribed a self-determination vote for Kashmiris on the heels of United Nations supervised demilitarization. Pakistan eagerly endorsed that solution to Kashmir's disputed territory. India, however, was soon undeceived of its delusions over Kashmir's political yearning. Recognizing that its people would never freely vote accession to India, it contrived excuse after excuse to frustrate a plebiscite. When the United Nations proposed arbitration, a reference to the World Court, or any other method of resolving minor demilitarization quarrels, India nixed them all. After a few years, it dropped all pretense of acceding to a referendum by unilaterally proclaiming its annexation of Kashmir. India's proclamation has never been accepted by the United Nations, which continues to list Kashmir as disputed territory and subject to the Security Council's self-determination resolutions. When Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations was asked to clarify the position of the UN on Kashmir soon after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A by the Government of India, he said on August 8, 2019, “The position of the United Nations on this region is governed by the Charter of the United Nations and applicable Security Council resolutions.” Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani, President, JKCHR is correct when he said, “Indian action of 5 August 2019 in Kashmir has consequences at home, in the neighbourhood and at the international level. This action is a breach of the terms of the Instrument of Accession and under the UN template on Kashmir India has loaded upon itself a very grave offence against the United Nations and  the right of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to self-determination”. Broken promises two, three, and four thus represent India's reneging on its Kashmir plebiscite pledges made by Lord Mountbatten, Prime Minister Nehru and Indian delegate to the United Nations. Broken promise number five can be laid at the feet of the Security Council which has never exerted any moral or other clout to even nudge India towards compliance with its resolutions. It seems that the Security Council has honored India's indefensible defense of its Kashmir broken promises because of its muscular military, nuclear and economic profile and hegemony in South Asia. Broken promises number six, seven, and eight came in 1966, 1972, and 1999. At Tashkent following the 1965 India-Pakistan war, promises were made by India to negotiate seriously over Kashmiri sovereignty. But nothing was done. At Simla, following a 1971 war over Bangladesh, India again agreed to talk seriously about Kashmir. But again the promise was honored in the breach, not the observance. During a brief honeymoon between India and Pakistan at Lahore in 1999, India once more promised genuine negotiations over Kashmir, and once more betrayed its pledge by instantly insisting that India's claim of sovereignty over Kashmir would never be placed on the negotiating table. When President Donald Trump offered his office of mediation on July 23, 2019 to resolve the Kashmir dispute, S. Jaishankar, Indian foreign minister said on August 2, 2019 that any discussion on Kashmir will only be conducted with Pakistan and only bilaterally. Then Jaishanker broke the promise number nine when he told Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi just two weeks later on August 13, 2019 that Kashmir was an internal matter of India. The train of broken promises over Kashmir might be forgiven if the consequences were innocuous or inconsequential. But I submit the opposite is the case. India exerts an iron-fisted rule over Kashmir that would stir the heart of Genghis Khan. With approximately 900,000 military and paramilitary troops in the territory, gruesome human rights violations are perpetrated with impunity on a scale that makes East Timor under Suharto seem tea party. Every human rights group that has surveyed the grim Kashmir landscape, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, has been shocked and horrified by the daily atrocities against the people of Kashmir. Ditto for the annual human rights country reports of the U.S. State Department To hide its human rights inferno in Kashmir, India prohibits world parliamentarians, international broadcasts or unchaperoned international electronic media. With no heart-clutching pictures in the living rooms of the United States and the European Union, no moral clamor has arisen to do something to relieve the horrors of millions of Kashmiris. But griping at the unfairness of the world is as otiose as shouting at the weather. The people of Kashmir are not vengeful. Charity and magnanimity would be their loadstars if self-determination were honored despite so many betrayals.  Let us hope that the last promise over Kashmir has been broken. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai is the Secretary general, Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435  or  gnfai2003@yahoo.com https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/kashmir-a-chain-of-broken-promises

 

4        Youth martyred l June 17 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in a fake encounter in Srinagar. The youth was martyred during a cordon and search operation launched by the troops in Wagoora area of Srinagar, last night. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/16/troops-cordon-nowgam-in-outskirts-of-srinagar.html

5        Modi on J&K; June 20 202l;a s many as 14 leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, including four former chief ministers of the erstwhile State, have been invited for a meeting that will be chaired by Prime Minister   Modi in New Delhi on June 24, officials said on Saturday.  Among those invited are four former chief ministers — Farooq Abdullah and his son Omar Abdullah of the National Conference, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti. Four former deputy chief ministers of the erstwhile State — Congress leader Tara Chand, People's Conference leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig, and BJP leaders Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta — too have been invited to the meet. In addition, CPI(M) leader Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) chief Altaf Bukhari, Sajjad Lone of the People's Conference, J-K Congress head G A Mir, BJP's Ravidner Raina, and Panthers Party leader Bhim Singh have been invited to the meeting.The meeting — the first such exercise since the Centre announced the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status and its bifurcation into Union Territories in August 2019 — is likely to be attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other central leaders. When contacted, Omar Abdullah said that he had received an invitation and would go along the direction of the party chief. Sources in the National Conference said that over the next few days, the senior Abdullah will be holding consultations with party leaders. The Political Affairs Committee of the PDP would also be meeting on Sunday to take a decision about the talks. Source The Hindu

6        Rape as an instrument of war; June 20 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, women are the worst victims of Indian forces’ barbarities as India is using rape as a weapon of war to suppress the Kashmiris’ ongoing freedom struggle. An analytical report released by Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, today, revealed that Indian forces’ personnel have sexually assaulted over 11,240 women during the past three decades in the occupied territory. It said India is deliberately targeting women in IIOJK to humiliate and terrorize the Kashmiris. The report pointed out that Kunanposhpora mass rape, Shopian double rape and murder, and rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua depict the brutal face of Indian forces. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/19/india-using-rape-as-a-tool-to-suppress-kashmiris-struggle-2.html

 


Kashmir Update 132: Week , May 7, 2021 to June,13,2021

1        Yatra : June, 8, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Tehreek-e-Wahdat-e-Islami has said that Narendra Modi’s communal government has organized the Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir to deliberately expose the Kashmiris to the most dangerous Indian variant of COVID 19. The spokesman said that on the one hand the Indian government and its army have confined Kashmiris to their homes in the name of corona sanctions, while on the other hand, they are showing their hostility towards Kashmiris by sending influxes of Hindu pilgrims to the occupied territory. He said that holding yatra would not only make the coronoa epidemic more serious in Jammu and Kashmir but also the influx of the pilgrims would cause environmental pollution in Kashmir.The spokesman said that the pleasant atmosphere of Kashmir Valley was already severely polluted due to the presence of millions of Indian occupational troops occupying here. He urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to put pressure on the Modi government to cancel the Amarnath Yatra in view of the dire situation of corona pandemic in India due to the arrangement of such event in the name of Kumbh Mela in India. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/07/modi-regime-wants-to-expose-kashmiris-to-indian-variant-of-covid-twi.html

2        US and Kashmir; June, 9, 2021:  The U.S-based Kashmiri American Community has called upon the Biden Administration to practically move ahead to ensure implementation of its policy of raising the much-needed matter of the settlement of Jammu and Kashmir issue with the government of India. In an open letter addressed to Mr. Anthony Blinken,Secretary of State of the United States of America, illustrious Kashmir-origin Kashmiri American Community elder Muhammad Azeem Advocate, released to the media here on Tuesday said "The Kashmiri American Community of United Sates was encouraged by your policy speech about the issue of State of Jammu Kashmir delivered at Hudson Institute in July 2020 and are expecting that the Biden Administration will be moving forward in this matter to implement its policy of raising the issue with the government of India." "We the Kashmiri American Community, living in United Sates of America, are writing you in reference to the case of State of Jammu Kashmir for not only violation of basic human rights committed by the Indian government but also the Right of Self Determination of Kashmiri People under the UN Resolution # S1100 passed August 13, 1948 which granted them The Right of Self Determination through a Plebiscite conducted under the auspicious of United Nations Both India and Pakistan have already agreed at the United Nations through various Resolutions on Kashmir to conduct Plebiscite to determine the Right of Self Determination of Kashmiri People in their India and Pakistan controlled State since 1947."Your Honor, we are requesting your intervention in this serious matter to bring India and Pakistan to the table and work to arrange the Plebiscite in all parts of the Kashmir to enable Kashmiris to exercise their Right of Self Determination," the letter concluded. https://www.urdupoint.com/en/kashmir/kashmiri-american-community-seeks-biden-admin-1271885.html

3        Further division of Kashmir: June 9 2021: Pakistan on Monday said Indian actions in occupied Kashmir for perpetuating its control of the disputed region would be unlawful and vowed to continue challenging such moves.“No new instrument of occupation shall have any legal effect,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement following reports of possible further bifurcation and demographic changes in the occupied territory. India had in 2019, after stripping occupied Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomous status, bifurcated it. Speculation had begun in the occupied region after a meeting of senior officials from held Kashmir with the union home minister that the territory could be further divided. The speculation first started on social media.“We have noted with serious concern reports indicating that India might be plotting further division, bifurcation and demographic changes in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) to perpetuate its illegal occupation,” the FO spokesman said. India cannot change the disputed status of IIOJK, as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council resolutions, nor can it force Kashmiris and Pakistan to accept illegal outcomes, he asserted. “India’s unilateral and illegal actions in IIOJK remain violative of international law and the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions,” the FO said in a statement.“We call upon the international community, including the United Nations, world parliaments, international human rights and humanitarian organisations and global media to take immediate cognizance of the situation. India must be stopped from any further illegal action in the occupied territory,” the FO added. https://www.dawn.com/news/1628149/pakistan-challenges-indias-plan-to-bifurcate-occupied-kashmir

4        Chotta Bazaar massacre:  June , 2021:  On June 11, 1991, the Indian paramilitary CRPF troops after an alleged clash with unknown attackers at Zainakadal in the city went berserk, and opened indiscriminate firing with their automatic weapons all the way from their camp at Syed Mansoor to the densely populated downtown area of Srinagar, Chotta Bazaar.The report further said that with blood in their eyes, the troops barged into the shops, gathered people outside on the streets and killed them randomly. Four people were shot in a motor mechanics’ workshop and four others were shot outside a medical college. Some rickshaw drivers and bystanders were also shot by the troops. The indiscriminate firing by the forces’ personnel took a massive toll of 32 lives of innocent civilians. Around 22 persons were also critically injured in the incident. The bullets hit shopkeepers, passerby, a 75-year old woman and a child of ten years age. According to the reports published in The Kashmir Times next day, the entire area from where the dead bodies were picked and brought to the police control room by 8 pm bore blood stains, the KMS report added.It pointed out that this blood curdling incident still causes a deep stir inside the hearts of the scores of bereaved families whose kiths and kins were massacred. Even Amnesty International then expressed its serious concern on the horrific incident and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter, the report said. It maintained that, 30 years on but memories of Chotta Bazaar massacre are still fresh in the Kashmiris’ minds and the victims are still awaiting justice.The report said that history of IIOJK is littered with many Chotta Bazaar like carnages as Indian troops have carried out dozens of massacres in IIOJK since 1990. The aim of committing Chotta Bazaar like carnages is to instill fear among the Kashmiris, it added.  https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/10/chotta-bazaar-incident-one-of-bloodiest-massacres-in-iiojk.html

5        Three martyred; June 3 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, three persons were martyred by the random firing of Indian forces’ personnel at Aarampora in Sopore town, today. The incident triggered a forceful anti-India protest in the area, mostly participated by women. The Indian police resorted to firing in a vindictive action after two of their personnel were killed and three others including an assistant-sub-inspector injured in an attack by unknown persons. The protesters raised high-pitched pro-freedom slogans and denounced the killings by Indian police. https://www.kmsnews.org/kms/2021/06/12/unknown-gunmen-attack-indian-police-in-sopore-civilian-injured.html

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Kashmir Update 131: Week , May 31, 2021 to June,6,2021

1        Youth suicide: Jun., 2, 2021: Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a last video message from a student, Shoib Bashir, who died by suicide on Saturday, has drawn attention to the miserable plight of a group of government school teachers in the territory. Shoib Bashir, the son of a government school teacher, was forced to end his life by his failure to pay the fees for his MA course in psychology.“The only reason behind my suicide is non-payment of salary to my father for last over two years. It has made our life pathetic beyond words,” Shoaib Bashir is heard saying in the video. His father, Bashir Ahmad Mir, was not paid since March 2019. The authorities had blocked his salary citing a police verification report. The 51-year-old teacher was arrested in 1990s on the charges of supporting the freedom movement. A local court later acquitted him of all charges. The CID verification report contains no adverse remarks against Bashir Mir. The report concludes that “he is presently silent and busy with his job”. “A court has also issued orders asking that wages be released,” Shoib Bashir’s father said. Around 140 teachers in IIOJK have not received salary since March 2019. All of them have blamed the former Director of School Education Younis Malik, who was transferred a few months ago. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/06/01/in-video-before-suicide-kashmiri-student-highlights-salary-denial-to-teachers/

2        UN to India: June 6 2021; United Nations (UN) in a letter from its special rapporteurs has requested a response from the Government of India over a series of allegations in the cases concerning arbitrary detention, extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, torture, and ill-treatment committed against three men from Kashmir.“These allegations are part of what appears to be an ongoing pattern of serious violations of human rights by police, army, security agencies and the judiciary in the Jammu and Kashmir region, warrants in our view the most serious attention on the part of the highest authorities”, mentioned the letter addressed to the Indian government.The letter highlighted the cases of Waheed Para, Irfan Ahmad Dar, and Naseer Ahmad Wani.  Waheed Para, a political and social activist, who is also a member of ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’ was arrested on November 25 2020, and has remained under detention since then. According to the letter, Para had participated in a closed virtual meeting with the UN on 30 July 2020. In the meeting, he raised concerns over the Government of India’s actions in Jammu and Kashmir, its treatment of Muslim minorities, and the recent border tensions with China. Following his interaction, he started receiving threats from officials with the NIA. They indicated that he was inviting trouble by engaging in such events. He was given an ultimatum that if he did not stop speaking out about the Government of India, action would be taken against him. “He was subject to abusive interrogations after his arrest, which lasted from 10 to 12 hours at a time and questioned about his participation at the above-mentioned event where he interacted with UN Security Council members. He was held in a dark underground cell at subzero temperature, was deprived of sleep, kicked, slapped, beaten with rods, stripped naked and hung upside down. His ill-treatment was recorded. Mr. Para was examined by a government doctor three times since his arrest last November and three times by a psychiatrist. He requested medication for insomnia and anxiety.”, mentioned the letter. The special rapporteurs also mentioned, “Our concern in the case of Mr. Waheed Para is heightened by the fact that his arrest and detention appear to be linked to his interaction with UN Security Council members, which would amount to acts of reprisals for such cooperation.” Irfan Ahmed Dar, a 23-year-old shopkeeper, was arrested near his residence in Sopore area of northern Kashmir by Jammu and Kashmir Police Special Operations Group (SOG) on 15 September 2020. He was detained without a warrant. SOG raided his house, his family members were beaten and their house was vandalized. On 16 September 2020, Dar’s family received news that he died. “The police claimed that Mr. Ahmad Dar was killed while he was trying to escape from their custody. However, while performing their last rites on his body, it was found that his facial bones had been fractured, his front teeth were broken and his head appeared to have bruises of blunt force trauma.”, the letter said. On 29 November 2019, 19-year-old Naseer Ahmed Wani’s house was raised by a team of 44 Rashtriya Rifles (44 RR). They allegedly claimed that his phone was used by militants.  While vandalizing Wani’s house, “The army personnel assembled all the women in a single room and asked their names, took their photographs and requested everyone to handover their mobile phones. They were threatened that if they did not comply, they would be stripped naked”, mentioned the letter. He was taken away by the soldiers. The next evening, the same army officers visited Wani’s house and told his family that there was no need to visit the police station or to ‘initiate any legal proceedings’ as they released Wani. He never returned home and his whereabouts are unknown ever since. According to the letter, his family was threatened “not to make any further enquiries or take legal action.” Seeking out clarifications into the allegations made about the ill-treatment of three Kashmiri men, the letter said, “It is of particular concern that no investigation into the allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings have yet to be conducted in an independent, impartial, prompt, effective, thorough and transparent manner in accordance with the human rights obligations of India.” Under the mandates provided to special rapporteurs by the Human Rights Council, they seek observations from the Government on India in the matters of: ‘fate and current whereabouts of Mr. Naseer Ahmad Wani’, ‘inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of Mr. Waheed Para, Mr. Irfan Ahmad Dar, Mr. Naseer Ahmad Wani’, ‘detailed information about the factual and legal grounds for the arrests and continued detention of Mr. Waheed Para and Mr. Dar’ and ‘factual basis justifying the recourse to terrorism related charges levied against Mr. Waheed Para’. “If no such measures have been taken, please explain how this is compatible with the international human rights obligations of India,” said the letter. Concluding the matter, the special rapporteurs of the UN said: “These allegations are part of what appears to be an ongoing pattern of serious violations of human rights by police, army, security agencies and the judiciary in the Jammu and Kashmir region, warrants in our view the most serious attention on the part of the highest authorities. In this regard, we may publicly express our concerns in the near future, as we believe that the wider public should be informed about the implications of these allegations on the exercise and enjoyment of their human rights.”“The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) did not respond to a request for a comment, or for confirmation that it has received the letter”, as reported by The Hindu. https://www.siasat.com/un-seeks-indian-govts-response-on-human-rights-violations-in-kashmir-2145382/

 

 

Kashmir Update 130: Week , May 24, 2021 to May.,30,2021

1        Kashmir struggle: May, 23, 2021: The sacrifices of the people of Kashmir will not go in vain byDr. Ghulam Nabi Fai; In the annals of history, nations and peoples are often blessed with leaders, guides and activists who play singular roles providing leadership that transcends inspiration and casts a lasting impact on these societies. May 21, 1990 was the day when the Indian occupation forces assassinated an illustrious Kashmiri freedom‑fighter, Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq along with 70 mourners when the army resorted to firing on his funeral procession while it was on its way to Martyrs Cemetery. Twenty-two years later, on May 21, 2002, Indian forces also killed Khawaja Abdul Gani Lone, leader of All Parties Hurriyet Conference who had come to Martyr’s cemetery to pay homage to the Kashmiri martyrs, including Mirwaiz Sahib who gave their last full measure of devotion in unflagging pursuit of a just and noble cause. May 21 will remain embedded in the history of Kashmir and in the hearts and minds of millions of Kashmiris as the day of supreme sacrifice. While our martyrs earned a choice place in the Hereafter, the Indian occupation forces earned the dubious honor of creating more martyrs ‑ over 100,000 to‑date and the count goes on. These martyrs include infants, women, and the old; they are common Kashmiris as well as outstanding scholars and leaders.In many ways, Mirwaiz Sahib and Lone Sahib were yet other martyrs to the cause, another addition to the list of martyrs of Kashmir being compiled since 1931 when our people first raised their voice against tyranny and alien occupation. When in 1990 the winds of change blew across the world, destroying dictatorships and occupations, the people of Kashmir also renewed their struggle. During our period of quiet the world had forgotten us. Now, they were filled with hope and longing of a new dawn. It was at this crucial juncture that the Mirwaiz Sahib and Lone Sahib emerged to present a much larger aspect of their leadership. They not only rekindled the issue afresh but also gave it a new vigor and meaning. Mirwaiz Sahib and Lone Sahib were brilliant and articulate statesmen who were gunned down for their leadership role in educating their people in their struggle for self‑determination. They were gunned down because they reminded the world about the pledge that was agreed upon by India and Pakistan, and championed by the democratic powers, including the United States and endorsed by the UN Security Council. I had the good fortune of having a detailed meeting with the late Mirwaiz in 1980 just two weeks before I was forced to leave Kashmir. This meeting took place during the visit of the Imam Kaaba to Kashmir when Mirwaiz had been kind enough to invite me along with the Imam to the Mirwaiz Manzil. We discussed the issues of mutual concern and more importantly the ways for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. I could discern within him a selfless desire to serve and emancipate his people from under the Indian occupation. Lone Sahib was a great personality blessed with great talents, not only as a politician but also as a deep thinker. By far the most vivid recollection I have of Lone Sahib was his speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York during an OIC – Foreign Minister Annual Meeting on September 27, 1999. The participants were fascinated by his presentation. Lone Sahib said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to address the Organization of the Islamic Conference as the voice of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference, the genuine embodiment of the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.” He added, “Indeed, to speak of humanitarian tragedies and injustice without mentioning Kashmir is like reciting the Holocaust without mentioning Auschwitz or the Palestinian‑Israeli cruelties without mentioning Shaba and Shatila refugee camp slaughters.” Lone Sahib shock the conscience of the OIC leadership by asking: “Is the lesson of Kashmir to be that a nuclear power with an attractive economic market can defy international law, human rights, and morality with impunity?  What would that do to the cause of non‑proliferation?  What would that do for the cause of humanity?  What would that do for securing adherence to the international norms, universal values and above all to the United Nations Security Council resolutions?” The people of Kashmir will never forget the selfless contribution and the tireless efforts of the Mirwaiz Sahib and Lone Sahib. Their efforts will remain forever a milestone in the history of the freedom struggle of Kashmir. The vision of Mirwaiz Sahib, Lone Sahib and the unity and sacrifices of the people of Kashmir will undoubtedly lead the Kashmiri freedom struggle to its logical conclusion, that is freedom from the occupation and alien subjugation. Let us all rededicate ourselves to the vision of our martyrs and continue our struggle in unity with full faith in Allah (Subhanahu wa Taala) to whom belongs victory and defeat, success and failure. May Allah accept the sacrifice of the fellow Kashmiri martyrs? Ameen; Dr. Fai is the Secretary General of Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum and can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435 or gnfai2003@yahoo.com

2        UK Protests; May 24 2021;Kashmiris and Pakistanis in the United Kingdom staged protests, held digital campaigns and other events in various cities across the UK from London to Glasgow in connection with Kashmir Martyrs' Day on the call of the Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK). During Friday sermons in mosques, religious scholars strongly condemned the killing of 70 unarmed Kashmiris by the Indian army on May 21, 1990. Tehreek-e-Kashmir led protests and conferences were held in Reading, Bolton, Glasgow, Bradford, Birmingham, Oldham, Nelson and London among other cities in the United Kingdom. The four-member Stop the War (STW) delegation, led by General Secretary Stuart Richardson, participated in the protest outside the Indian consulate and expressed his solidarity with the people of IIOJK.Stuart condemned the atrocities committed by the Indian army against innocent Kashmiris. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2301198/protests-held-across-uk-to-observe-kashmir-martyrs-day

3        China India clash; May, 24 2021; There was a minor face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the no-patrolling zone at Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh in the first week of May  However, no clash occurred and the two sides disengaged quickly. A no-patrolling zone extending to around 3 kilometre, around 1.5 km each, on either side of the clash site near the Y-junction of the Galwan Valley, was created after the June 15, 2020 incident when 20 Indian army personnel were killed in violent clashes with the Chinese. A 30-day moratorium was also applied on foot-patrolling then. It was not known if it has been extended. On the particular day, the Indian and Chinese patrols reached the area at the same time, a minor face-off happened but they returned quickly,” said the official. India and China have held 11 round of talks so far after the clashes last year. While the troops partially disengaged on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, phased disengagement is yet to take place at the other friction areas in Eastern Ladakh — Gogra, Hot Springs, Depsang and Demchok.

4        Youth martyred; may 29,2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Ganowpora area of the district.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/28/indian-troops-one-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian/

5        UNGA chief on Kashmir; May 30 2021; During his three-day visit, the UNGA chief in a press conference  had said that it was Pakistan's duty to bring the issue of Jammu and Kashmir to the UN platform with more vigour. Bozkir had lamented what he said was a lack of large political will for the resolution of the Kashmir issue compared to the Palestinian issue which had more will behind it."I think it is the duty, especially Pakistan's, to bring this [issue] to the UN platform more strongly," Bozkir had said, adding that he agreed that the Palestinian issue and the Kashmir issue were of the same age. https://www.dawn.com/news/1626372/india-lashes-out-at-unga-chief-over-misleading-remarks-on-kashmir-issue

6        Rape in IOK; May 30 2021;  All Parties Hurriyat Conference and other Hurriyat leaders and organizations  expressed solidarity with the family of Aasiya and Neelofar of Shopian on their 12th martyrdom anniversary. Aasiya and Neelofar were abducted by Indian men in uniform on May 29 in 2009, gang-raped and subsequently killed in custody.The APHC spokesman in a statement in Srinagar said, the ruthless rape and murder of Aasiya and Neelofar, like other hundreds of such cases, remains a black stigma on the face of Indian judiciary and military system which have never been fair to the subjugated people of Kashmir. A woman, who was injured in a blast in Handwara area of Kupwara district on Wednesday, succumbed to her injuries at a hospital in Srinagar, today. KMS https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/29/india-using-rape-of-kashmiri-women-as-a-weapon-of-war/

 

  

Kashmir Update 128: Week , May 17, 2021 to May.,23,2021

1.     Two youth martyred; may 17 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their continuing acts of state terrorism martyred two more youth in Khonmoh area of Srinagar today. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/17/indian- -martyr-two-youth-in-srinagar-4/

2.     Islamic army; 18 2021; Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tossed the proposal of an International Force during a virtual meeting with all 57 members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday. The move comes in the wake of the latest round of violent confrontations between Israel and Hamas. The emergency meeting is the first major step toward resolving the crisis by countries in the Middle East. The countries recognized that OIC is seen playing an active role in resisting Israel’s activities against Palestine. Cavusoglu further said that physical protection for Palestinian citizens should be provided by forming an ‘International Protection Force’ with military and financial support from willing countries. The call for such an army may become a source of interest for Kashmir  if the Islamic countries do form an Islamic Army and take a firm stance on the Kashmir issue

3.     Fake Encounters; may 18 021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the residents of Khonmoh in Srinagar have categorically refuted the Indian military authorities’ claim that the two youth martyred in the area, today, were militants killed in an encounter.The residents told the media that it was a clear case of fake encounter as has been a practice of the Indian troops of killing the Kashmiri youth so far. The gunshot wounds on the dead bodies including on legs and feet also indicated that it was not a firefight. It appears that the youth have tried to flee and were shot in the legs and after getting hold of them they were killed. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/17/two-martyred-youth-in-khonmoh-were-killed-in-fake-encounter/


Kashmir Update 127: Week , May 10, 2021 to May.,16,2021

1.     Unlawful law; May 11, 2021; On January 24, 2012, 25-year-old Sajad Ahmad Dar of Sopore, who had a firearm injury in the head, was detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) and subsequently lodged at the district jail Kupwara. Two months later, he died at Kashmir’s lone tertiary-care health institution – Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS), Soura – a few hours after being brought there for treatment. Dar’s family blamed the jail authorities for his death, saying they failed to provide him with medical assistance on time. The family of veteran separatist leader Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, who breathed his last at a hospital in Jammu on May 5 after being shifted there from district jail Udhampur, has accused the authorities of denying him medical treatment in prison. Seventy-seven-year-old Sehrai was chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, an influential separatist group. His family told The Wire that he was suffering from multiple ailments for the past 15 years and medical tests were conducted every three months in the earlier period of his detention. “But he was not provided any such medical facility after he was lodged in Udhampur jail last year. He was never brought out of the jail for treatment or medical examination in the past 10 months,” his son, Mujahid Sehrai, said. According to him, his father told them several times over the phone from the jail that he was not feeling well. “We approached a court for providing him medical treatment but it did not pass any direction yet,” he said, adding that the jail authorities shifted him to the hospital on May 4 only after his condition worsened. His death is one more addition to the list of Kashmiris who died while while detained under the PSA – a law under which a district magistrate can detain a person on his/her subjective satisfaction that the person is likely to act prejudicially to the security of the state or public order. Four Kashmiris have died under similar circumstances in the past nine years. The deaths have also raised questions about the detention of ailing and aged persons under the PSA, which has been described as a “lawless law” by Amnesty International, a London-based rights group. In July 2018, 70-year-old PSA detainee Ghulam Hassan Malik alias Noor Khan of Gulistan, Narvaw, Baramulla died at a hospital in Jammu after being shifted there from Kotbhalwal jail. “My father was not provided proper medical care by the jail authorities after he fell ill. They (jail authorities) dumped him in the hospital only when they realised that he would not survive. The jail inmates told us that he was pleading with the authorities to provide him treatment but they did not even go near to him,” says his son Irshad Ahmad, a driver  In December 2019, 66-year-old Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, a member of proscribed Jamaat-e-Islamia, died inside a jail in Uttar Pradesh where he was lodged after his detention under the PSA  https://thewire.in/health/public-safety-act-kashmir-detention-healthcare

2.     Youth martyred; may 12 2021; Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their continued acts of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Vailoo area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/11/indian-troops-martyr-three-youth-in-iiojk/

3.     Arrests for peaceful protects; May 16 2021; In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, police arrested around three dozen people including prominent Hurriyat leader Maulana Sarjan Barkati in Srinagar, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian districts. Police during house raids arrested 28 youth in Badshahi Bagh and other areas of Srinagar for holding anti-Israel and anti-India protests. Maulana Sarjan Barkati, the face of pro-freedom and anti-India protests, was arrested from his residence at Zainapora in Shopian. He was arrested after he delivered a speech in his locality on the occasion of Eidul Fitr. Sarjan Barkati became famous after he introduced new styles of raising pro-Azadi slogans in the wake of martyrdom of youth leader Burhan Muzaffar Wani in July 2016. Several youth including a teacher was arrested in Pulwama while a Srinagar’s artist Mudasir Gul who painted Palestinian women face was booked under black law Public Safety Act. Police also booked three workers of Jamaat-e-Islami in Kulgam district. Despite curfew, the youth staged anti-India and anti-Israel protests in different areas of the Kashmir valley. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/15/indian-police-arrest-three-dozen-youth-sarjani/


Kashmir Update 126: Week , May 26, 2021 to May.,9,2021

1.     Stop pilgrimages: May 2, 2021: The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League (JKPFL), Muhammad Farooq Rehmani has urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to force Modi-led fascist Indian government to stop all pilgrimages including the Amarnath Yatra to Jammu and Kashmir. Muhammad Farooq Rehmani in a statement issued in Islamabad said that the Narendra Modi’s policy of holding election rallies and permission to Kumbh mela, pilgrimages of Hindus in times of global pandemic created unfortunate and horrific death scenes across India, threatening billions of lives all over the Asian continent. He deplored, now, Mr Modi has allowed thousands of Hindu pilgrims to begin their Amarnath Yatra from India to Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian government has ignored all Covid-19 hazard warnings at a time when naked dance of Covid deaths have engulfed India and thousands of human lives are seen daily on shamshan gaths and graveyards after having surrendered before the Novel Coronavirus miserably and helplessly, he added. He maintained that under the current hazardous pandemic conditions, when the Covid has wreaked havoc, the UN and the WHO should force the Modi regime to stop all pilgrimages, cancel election gatherings and release all Kashmiri political detainees held in different Indian jails or police centres and stop further arrests of political workers across the occupied territory to save innocent human lives from global pandemic. Muhammad Farooq Rehmani said, the UN and the WHO should urge the Indian government to give first and foremost importance to healthcare and life of the people and stop playing with the life of human beings in these worst times of Coronavirus by framing and executing criminal charges to act upon political vendettas against its opponents. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/01/un-who-appealed-to-force-modi-regime-stop-pilgrimages/

2.     Toxic laws: May 4 2021: The Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights (JKCHR) has taken a serious exception to the termination of a Muslim school teacher (Idrees Jan )in the name of so-called security concerns by the authorities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir  The message of concern has been sent to National Human Rights Commission of India, Prime Minister of India, Home Minister of India, Ghulam Nabi Azad leader of the opposition in the Indian Parliament and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, he maintained. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/02/termination-of-muslim-school-teacher-unacceptable-jkchr/

3.     Ceasefire violation: May, 4, 2021: Pakistan has expressed serious concern over the deliberate crossing of Working Boundary by Indian BSF troops and their initiation of unprovoked ceasefire violation in Pakistan’s Charwa Sector opposite IIOJK Jammu Sector on 3 May at 0556 Hours. In a communiqué to the High Commission of the Republic of India in Islamabad, the Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the troops from Indian BSF post in Square-9530 located in IIOJK Jammu Sector opposite to Pakistani Charwa Sector fired approximately 30×rounds of the small arms and 4× bombs of 60 millimeter mortar at Pakistani post in Square-9630 without any provocation. The communiqué said that the incident happened when 15×BSF troops with 3×tractors crossed Working Boundary and started ploughing on Pakistani side. It said when Pakistan Rangers Punjab troops tried to persuade BSF troops to return through loud hailers and whistles, Indian BSF troops responded by firing small arms and mortars at Pakistani post without any provocation. The same BSF post, it added, took a sniper shot at Pakistani post with the aim to score causality. The MoF lamented that to their further surprise, there was news circulating on Indian media, accusing Pakistan of violating the ceasefire Understanding. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/03/pakistan-expresses-concern-over-unprovoked-ceasefire-violation-by-india/

4.     COVID19 vaccination ceased: May, 4, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, in another act of repression against the Kashmiri people  Indian government has not only stopped supply of Covid-19 vaccine to the territory but is also diverting the allocated stocks to other Indian cities. A top health official of IIOJK’s anti-coronavirus operations said, vaccine supplies from outside of Kashmir have been stopped since last Thursday, resulting into halt of vaccination in the occupied valley, which is currently under lockdown, https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/04/iiojk-runs-out-of-covid-vaccine-as-india-diverts-fresh-supplies/

5.     Youth martyred; May, 5, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Sopore town of Baramulla district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Nathipora area of the town. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/04/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-sopore-2/

6.     Sehrai : May, 6, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, senior APHC leader and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Chairman, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai has been laid to rest in tight military siege in his ancestral village Tekipora in Lolab area of Kupwara. The occupation authorities had put strict restrictions on the movement of the people and the whole area was cordoned off. At the time of the arrival of the dead body and its burial the electricity in the village was completely cut off, plunging the area in total darkness. Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai was deprived of all medical facilities and even basic human facilities in Udhampur jail which became the cause of his failing health. His dead body was brought in police custody from Jammu to his native village.The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has fervently appealed to the people of Kashmir to come out of their homes and hold large protest against the cruelty of Modi regime. The APHC has asked people to hold Gaibana Namaz-e-Janza (funerals in absentia) in every nook and corner of the occupied territory.The appeal has also been made to the Kashmiri and Pakistani diaspora and peace loving people all across the globe to hold protests and Gaibana Namaz-e-Janaza all across the globe. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/06/ashraf-sehrai-laid-to-rest-amid-tight-military-siege-in-iiojk/

7.     Three youth martyred: May, 6, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The occupational forces martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kanigam village of the district.https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/05/indian-troops-martyr-3-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian/

8.     Why Muslims Rebel: The Struggle for Self-determination?;Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai ; May 4 2021 :First of all, let me clarify that not all Muslims rebel, but some do. Not all rebellions are about self-determination, but some are. Civilization and international peace and security will pay a steep price if the only answer to Muslim discontent is bloody fists, not democratic openings. A survey past and present edifies. Today, most refugees are Muslim, for example Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, etc. Most American military bases are hosted by predominantly Muslim countries, for example, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, etc. But refugees are also Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, animists, or otherwise. And American military bases exist in important non-Muslim countries too, for example, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. In other words, turmoil and belligerency crosses religious or ethnic lines. The same can be said of self-determination and democracy struggles. East Timorese were Christians opposing domination by Indonesia’s Muslim majority. Namibia gained self-determination by defeating South Africa’s apartheid. Muslim Eritrea gained self-determination against Christian Ethiopia. The Mexican, American, and Chinese revolutions were engineered without Muslim faces. In sum, peoples of varying religions, races, and cultures have sought self-determination or democracy.  The struggles are not idiomatic with Muslims.  In sum, oppressed peoples rebel and seek self-determination irrespective of religious creed. Some so-called experts ask: Are Islam and democracy compatible? The answer is, yes. Think of Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bosnia, and Kosova. Islam contains the seeds of democratic practices and habits every bit as much as non-Islamic religions. Islamic scholars cite the principal of shura or consultative decision-making. Islam also erects no stark hierarchy of religious authority like the Roman Catholic Church. In fashioning the compact of Medina, the Holy Prophet Mohammad employed revelations from God to create a timeless constitution, yet also sought the consent of all who would be affected by its implementation. Thomas Jefferson thus borrowed from the Holy Prophet in the Declaration of Independence in speaking of government by the consent of the governed.  The credibility of proponents of democracy in the Islamic world is impaired by their historical and contemporary equivocations or hypocrisy. Britain was no tribune for Islamic democracy during its colonial heyday in India, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Yemen, or the Persian Gulf emirates. France struggled against Muslim self-determination and democracy in Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. The Netherlands neglected to celebrate democracy in Indonesia. The United States supports flagrantly anti-democratic regime today in Egypt and elsewhere. In sum, western democracies place self-interest and national security considerations above Islamic democracy when the two clash.  Civil strife and tumult is risked if democracy does not take the Muslim world by storm.  By an overwhelming majority, Muslims covet democracy and are willing to make enormous sacrifices towards that end.  Indeed, a comprehensive survey published in 2003 by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found that many Muslims polled clamored more loudly for political freedoms than Eastern Europeans, most notably Bulgarians and Russians. The Pew findings were echoed in 2004 surveys conducted by Pipu Norris of Harvard University and Rob Inglehart of the University of Michigan.  Muslims decisively prefer democracy to any other form of government, and many nations in the Muslim world claim a democratic mantle, including Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Muslims are receiving inconsistent messages from the west. First, they are told that immediate democratization is urgent. Then they are told Islam is incompatible with democracy, and thus free elections are to be feared because risking a reprise of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and rule by benighted mullahs and Grand Ayatollahs. Algeria employed that excuse to cancel 1992 elections, which were destined to be captured by an Islamic party and Egypt did the same in 2013.  Muslims do not dislike the United States or Great Britain or the West, but they often oppose their foreign policies that pursue national interests over consistency or moral justice. The United States rejoiced at jihad to oust the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, but then denounced it against itself. The United States aided Saddam Hussein when he invaded Iran because fearful that the Khomeini revolution might gobble up the Persian Gulf, but then warred twice against Saddam over Kuwait, weapons of mass destruction, and support for terrorism.  Non-democratic regimes in Muslim countries are explained not by religion, but by history, politics, culture, and economic traditions. The United States, like every other country, forges ties with those regimes, which support its interests. Human rights, accountability, and democracy are subordinated. International relations are not exercises in altruism. What might be changed is the United States perception of what are its best interests in the Muslim world. Thus, the United States stumbled in believing that replacing the democrat Mossadegh with the monarchical Shah would advance its global agenda in the long run. It did not. Dr. Nazir Gilani has warned: “Although we hold an undisputable  belief that human rights are for all, should know them, demand them and defend them, yet we see this universal faith being savaged under pressures of economic interests.” At least 750 million Muslims thrive in democratic societies of varying genres. That discredits the effort by some western scholars and ideologues to present Islam as inherently inferior to western liberalism, authoritarian, and anti-democratic. It I a historical fact that Benazir Bhutto was the first female head of the state elected in a Muslim majority country. – Pakistan. And America still waits.  Muslims, like others, cherish self-determination. Self-determination of peoples has been an established human right since World War I and President Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points. The concept played a leading role in the post-war settlement, and a few plebiscites were held in disputed border areas. The United Nations, formed after World War II, celebrates self-determination in Article 1.2 as a major objective. Self-determination has been enshrined in countless international documents and treaties that an enumeration must be forgone as a concession to the shortness of life. However, largely, self-determination was honored more in the breach than in the observance. The woolly principle of self-determination, like the principle of nuclear non-proliferation, has been employed according to big power politics, not according to high moral standards or consistency. Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and Bosnia have been recognized as separate nations out of former Yugoslavia by the United Nations, but Kosova has not been. Likewise, big powers agreed in 1948 that the people of Kashmir have the right to self-determination but this pledge was never fulfilled until iodate. Dr. Nazir Gilani refers to a historical debate “when United States and Great Britain decided in November 1947 and August 1951 to take the Kashmir issue to ICJ. Over the years, these two countries have been dragging feet on the human rights situation in Kashmir and do not want to disturb Indian market by challenging India under her responsibilities under the Charter, under the limited Instrument of Accession and under the UN template on Kashmir.” The international community and the United States in particular employ double standards, as is customary in human beings individually in both public and private life. The gist of the double standard is this. The Muslim world is urged to practice democracy, yet told to abandon the practice if likely to lead to the election of parties or candidates feared by the United States. Algeria in 1992, Iran in 1953 and Egypt in 2012 are exemplary. I am not against the idea of self-determination, if tempered by prudence and practicality.  Indeed, I believe self-determination is the answer, not the problem in Kashmir and some other convulsed territories. But the world of politics and international relations do not lend themselves to Euclidean formulas. In the end, I can say with confidence that people of any religion will turn to violence when peaceful avenues of dissent or opposition are closed.  We must listen carefully as well as speak forcefully for all international conflicts, be it Palestine, Myanmar or Kashmir. Dr. Fai is the Secretary General of Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at 1-202-607-6435  or  gnfai2003@yahoo.com, www.kashmirawareness.org

9.     UN : May, 8 2021: General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir has said that the status of Jammu and Kashmir should not be changed while acknowledging the 1972 Simla Agreement between India and Pakistan making it a bilateral issue."I call on all parties to refrain from taking steps that could affect the status of Jammu and Kashmir," he said at a news conference here on Tuesday."I support dialogue and diplomacy, and I encourage both Pakistan and India, neighbours, to resolve this dispute through peaceful means," he said    . IANS https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/un-general-assembly-president-says-kashmir-status-should-not-be-changed-acknowledges-simla-pact-248475 

Kashmir Update 125: Week Apr.,26, 2021 to ay.,2,2021

1.     Rape and Indian Army; Apr 30 2021:#RapistIndianArmedForces. Indian armed forces’ personnel are rapists in uniform and even women officers of the forces are not safe from their barbarity. A report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said that earlier this week, a woman pilot of Indian Air Force (IAF) moved the High Court of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir after facing sexual harassment by a senior officer. She also raised objection to the way the Internal Complaints Committee of the Armed Forces conducted its inquiry. The report said that last year in December, an Indian Army colonel was booked for raping friend’s Russian wife in Uttar Pradesh.“The Indian armed forces have no specific provisions pertaining to sexual harassment. Sexual assault victims rarely receive justice within the Indian armed forces,” it added. The report pointed out that Indian forces’ personnel frequently indulge in inhuman and brutal acts of rape in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. It maintained that the Kashmiri women are facing unending ordeal of trauma due to sexual violence at the hands of Indian forces. It said that Indian troops are using rape as a weapon of war in IIOJK to humiliate the Kashmiris and suppress their struggle for securing their right to self-determination. It said 11,236 cases of rape, gang-rape and molestation by Indian forces have been reported since January 1989 till date in IIOJK. The report said that the Kunanposhpora mass rape, Shopian double-rape-and-murder and gang-rape and murder of a minor girl in Kathua are some examples of this barbarity perpetrated by Indian forces’ personnel in the occupied territory. Around a hundred women were raped by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Kunanposhpora area of Kupwara district on the night of February 23 in 1991. Two young women Aasiya Jan and Neelofar were abducted by Indian men in uniform in Shopian when they had gone to tend their orchard on May 29, 2009. They were gang-raped raped and subsequently murdered in custody. Their dead bodies were recovered from a shallow stream. An eight-year-old girl, Aasifa Bano, of Kathua was abducted, gang-raped and subsequently murdered by Indian police personnel and fanatics affiliated with Hindu extremist organizations in January 2018. The report said that the world community must wake up to contain sexual violence being perpetrated by Indian Army in IIOJK. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/29/indian-soldiers-are-rapists-in-uniform-report/

2.     Youth martyred in April; May, 1, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism martyred 18 Kashmiris during the last month of April. during the period, at least 64 persons were injured due to firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells by Indian troops and police personnel on peaceful protesters while 92 persons were arrested in the territory. The Indian forces’ personnel destroyed and damaged 9 houses and other structures during so-called cordon and search operations in the month. The troops also molested 4 women during the period. Hurriyat leaders, Javaid Ahmed Mir, Mir Shahid Saleem and Khawaja Firdous, in their statements appealed to the world human rights organizations to take cognizance of the plight of Kashmiri political detainees and play role in their immediate release. In Brussels, the Kashmir Council Europe organized a protest demonstration to express solidarity with the illegally detained Kashmiri prisoners lodged in Indian jails. Talking to the media at the conclusion of the protest, the Council Chairman, Ali Raza Syed, said as the coronavirus is widely spreading in the Indian prisons, threats to the life of the Kashmiri prisoners have increased and their immediate release is essential for safety of their life. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/05/01/indian-troops-martyr-eighteen-kashmiris-in-april/


Kashmir Update 124: Week Apr.,19, 2021 to Apr.,25,2021

1.     Youth martyred: Apr 20, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Zeipora village of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/19/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-iiojk-7/

2.     Pakistani conditions for talks; Apr 4 2021:Islamabad is willing to hold formal bilateral talks with New Delhi to resolve long-standing issues including the Kashmir dispute if the latter takes certain steps to “ease lives The sources gave “examples” of concrete Indian actions that could move the “communication” between the two countries forward.

3.     First, a permanent halt to demographic change in IIOJK, where India in April 2020 introduced a new domicile law that would allow long-term migrants from other parts of the country to gain permanent residence.

4.     “This would inevitably be necessary to move forward,” a Pakistani source said. Second, Indian authorities would have to release political and other prisoners being illegally held since it imposed a curfew in the Muslim-majority region. Third, the removal by India of blockades on communication and movement in the occupied region. Fourth, giving back full statehood rights to IIOJK, which were also revoked as part of the August 2019 actions, and “recognising that it is subject to an internationally recognised territorial dispute with Pakistan”. Fifth, a reduction in occupation forces deployment in IIOJK, where hundreds of thousands of security forces personnel have been deployed following the August 2019 imposition of lockdown after India’s Article 370 was revoked.“The markers I have mentioned, these are what we define as ‘the enabling environment’,” said a source.“This is the next step. Whatever conditions that India creates, must also be acceptable to the Kashmiris. Without this, it is unlikely that Pakistan can move forward. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2296388/pakistan-reveals-pre-requisites-for-talks-with-india-report

5.     RSS and minorities: Apr., 25 2021: The relationship between the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the BJP is that of the soul and the body. The BJP disposes of what the RSS proposes. Most chief ministers, governors, and civil appointees, including the president of India were recommended by the RSS. The RSS is at the forefront of every election in India. Founded in 1925, the RSS has been overtly and covertly supporting the Hindutva parties. RSS’s ideological offshoot BJP took nearly 89 years to form d a Govt in 2014 at the Center with 282 majority seats of its own. The BJP fulfilled the RSS’s desire to abolish 370 and the conversion of the Babri mosque into Ramjanam Bhoomi (god Ram’s birthplace  Lashing out at PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, RSS’s Muslim Rashtriya Manch chief Indresh Kumar on Monday, termed Mufti a ‘traitor to Islam and India’ for not raising the national flag in Jammu-Kashmir. Lauding her decision to not contest elections till Article 370 is restored, he said it was for the greater good if Mufti remains away from electoral politics throughout her life. A massive controversy has broken out between BJP and PDP over Mufti’s remark to ‘not raise Indian flag till Kashmir’s state flag is restored’.  The RSS’s idea of Hindu Rashtra is to expel all minorities from India. It wants the minorities to revert to Hinduism or leave India. While speaking at the RSS’ annual Vijayadashami (foundation anniversary) at Nagpur, the RSS’ then chief and ideologue Mohan Bhagwat listed various “noteworthy incidents” like Article 370 abrogation, Ram Mandir Bhoomi puja, Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that took place in the last one year. The RSS leaders declared former IHK chief minister Mahbooba Mufti a traitor. It then rushed its goons to hoist India’s national flag at his party’s headquarter.  Muslims are even forced to perform Durga pooja.  The anti-Muslim amendments in India’s Citizenship Act were contrived by the RSS. The RSS’s ideologue talks of India’s Constitution, but the amendments are repugnant to provisions of India’s Constitution. The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) goes against the principle of constitutional secularism envisaged by the framers of the Indian Constitution. The CAA emerged out of a new, refined Hindutva ideology, formulated by the RSS. The RSS and the BJP   avoided talking explicitly talking about Hindutva. The reason was that it was associated with Savarkar and Hindu Mahasabha. But, after the judgment of the Supreme Court in 1997 on Ayodhya, the BJP formally accepted Hindutva as its philosophy.  Bhagwat is so clever that he does not make any direct comment on citizenship in formal sense. Instead, focuses on explaining a few core values of Hindutva. He says, “According to us, Hindutva has three basics: patriotism, the glory of our ancestors, and respect for culture… The collective notion of values belonging to the religions (sampradaya) that are sprung from the entirety, that is India, is known as Hindutva. … This is the mark of India. And, India belongs to that.” Bhagwat refines the punyabhumi (pious land) argument of Savarkar. He invokes the distinction between the Indian origin of a few religions as originally Indian to describe Islam and Christianity as alien  This new Hindutva-driven ‘national consensus’ actually points towards a new package of Hindutva politics (the Ayodhya conflict, Article 370, and triple talaq/Uniform Civil Code, the CAA). Bhagwat’s queer logic is that he “Hindutva does not want a Hindu state; instead, it wants a constitutional state of Hindutva nation”.  RSS’s growing influence over all realms of life in India indicates that would compel the BJP to amend the Constitution in accordance with its whims. Under RSS and Hindutva’s influence, the judges in India increasingly pass judgments in favor of the fanatic Hindus. The Courts dabble in Muslim religious matters. They may one day pass a uniform religious civil code upon all minorities. Under the RSS’s influence, the syllabi in India have already been amended to include Hindu myths and distorted history as Hindu religion. https://www.globalvillagespace.com/exploring-the-unholy-nexus-between-rss-and-modis-bjp/

6.      

 

7.     Human rights violations   

HR Violations

(From Jan 1989 till 31 Mar 2021)

Total Killings*

95,758

Custodial killings*

7,169

Civilian arrested

161,580

Structures Arsoned/Destroyed

110,400

Women Widowed

22,925

Children Orphaned

107,814

Women gang-raped / Molested

11,236

*Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody

(Mar 2021)

Total Killings

11

Custodial killings*

3

Tortured/Injured

51

Pellet Injured :

0

Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged

0

Persons whose one or both eyes are injured

0

Civilian arrested

110

Structures Arsoned/Destroyed

12

Women Widowed

1

Children Orphaned

1

Women gang-raped / Molested

1

*Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody​

Casualties : Jan 2015 till Mar 2021

Casualties from Jan 2015 till Mar 2021

After BJP assumed power in IIOJK

Total Killings

1620

Custodial Killings*

143

Tortured/Injured

32494

Civilian arrested

33605

Arson (Houses etc)

4370

Kidnapped or Missing

11

Women Widowed

133

Children Orphaned

304

Women disgraced / Molested

1107

*Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody

Atrocities Post 5 Aug 2019

 

Total Killings

325

Custodial Killings*

41

Tortured/Injured

1753

Total pellet Injured

446

Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged

19

Persons whose one or both eyes are injured

144

Civilian arrested

14636

Arson (Houses etc)

1008

Women Widowed

17

Children Orphaned

39

Women disgraced / Molested

106

*Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody

Casualties Post-Burhan

(From 8 July 2016 - 31 Mar 2021)

Total Killings *

1366

Custodial Killings

101

Tortured/Injured

29492

Inured by pellets

11400

Eye-sight damaged
(Partially)

2000

Arrested

26525

Structures Arsoned/Destroyed

4322

Women Widowed

108

Children Orphaned

244

Women gang-raped / Molested

1043

 

*Including killings in fake encounters, extra-judicial operations and custody

Kashmir Media service

Kashmir Update 123: Week Apr.,12, 2021 to Apr.,18,2021

1.     Youth martyred: Apr., 11, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred five more Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Islamabad districts, taking the number of the martyred youth in the territory to 12 since Thursday. Three youth were martyred by the troops during cordon and search operations in Hadipora area of Shopian while another two youth were martyred in Bijbehara area of Islamabad district.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/11/indian-troops-martyr-five-more-youth-in-iiojk/

2.     Russia on Kashmir: Apr., 13, 2021: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's two-day visit to Islamabad augurs well for the relations between Pakistan and Russia as well as the region. The hallmark of the visit was that the two countries agreed to boost their relationship in diverse area such as trade, counterterrorism, energy, and defense.The past year saw a record 46 percent growth in the bilateral trade which reached 790 million U.S. dollars. Similarly, construction of the Stream Gas Pipeline project (formerly North-South gas pipeline), the flagship project in the energy sector, is in the advanced stages of negotiation. Not only that, Russian companies have evinced interest to participate in the modernization of the energy sector and the archaic railroad system of Pakistan. Cooperation in the COVID-19 was another area where the two countries are cooperating. Russia has provided 50,000 anti-COVID vaccines while Pakistan intends to buy half a million more with the provision of producing the vaccine in Pakistan. Apart from counterterrorism cooperation, peace and stability in Afghanistan were other areas where the two foreign ministers found common avenues to work together. Similar messages were conveyed to Lavrov by the Prime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa when he called on them. Significantly, Lavrov visited Islamabad from New Delhi, where he had detailed discussions on bilateral and regional issues. He specifically hinted at emerging alignments cobbled together by the United States against China and Russia. He was frank in expressing his concerns over Indo-Pacific alliance and the QUAD, to which India is a member. It was a friendly nudge to India that it should be careful before entering into new alliances. Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar's evasiveness on Russia's S-400 missile defense system was another indicator of Indian dilemma of running with the hare and haunting with the hound. It was obvious that the threat of American sanctions was uppermost in their minds if they opted for the S-400. Another significant development which India must have grudgingly noticed was Lavrov's remarks on Kashmir dispute. In an interview with Pakistan's English daily, The News, Lavrov said: "…we are convinced that disagreements between states in any region of the world including, of course, South Asia, should be resolved in a peaceful, civilized manner based on international law." While it may not be an outright change of Russian policy on the Kashmir dispute, it nevertheless reminded the Indians that even strategic partners could redefine their interests and priorities as per the evolving situation. It was also a message to India that if it can find the U.S. as an ally, it cannot take Russian support for granted. It was also obvious that India and Russia did not see eye to eye on Afghanistan situation when Lavrov, while answering a question from the Indian journalist in New Delhi, reminded his audience that Taliban were a part of the Afghan society and that the U.S.' decision to delay withdrawal from Afghanistan by May 1 would have negative consequences. If the Indian side expected that FM Lavrov would be critical of the Taliban, they were in for disappointment. For Russia, stability in Afghanistan is more important than supporting a pro-Indian stance of keeping Ashraf Ghani in power; even the Americans are not supporting such an idea. Russia's role in the Troika Plus meeting in Moscow held in March and the emerging consensus among the immediate neighbors of Afghanistan that the U.S. troops' stay beyond the May 1 deadline would not augur well for future peace in the country is also gaining traction. However, neighbors of Afghanistan would support an understanding reached between the U.S. and Taliban allowing extension of U.S. troops' stay for a short period, say for three-to-six months. Hopefully, this would allow time to the interlocutors in the intra-Afghan dialogue to reach to an amicable solution about the future contours . https://news.cgtn.com/news/2021-04-12/Lavrov-s-visit-to-Pakistan-augurs-well-for-the-region--Zp1zkX4FOM/index.html



Kashmir Update 122: Week Apr.,5, 2021 to Apr.,11,2021

1.     India Pakistan back channel dialogue: Apr., 5, 2021: You have been involved in India-Pakistan diplomacy for 40 years, and the back-channel dialogue for more than a decade. According to you, is there a back channel in place now, and as reports suggest, facilitated by a third country like the UAE? With regards to the current scenario, my knowledge of the specifics is limited to what I read in the newspapers. I can tell you about the dialogue we had (2005-2014  If you were to ask me, even now, it is probably a bilateral dialogue, although it may be influenced by the Biden effect.  I believe the important state of J&K on our border deserves full statehood. We had even thought that if we had a deal, we would have wanted all the former Prime Ministers to be represented, so that we could show that there was a broad unanimity. But General Musharraf’s decision to sack his Chief Justice (Iftikhar Chaudhury) took matters off the rails in Pakistan and the deal we had, could not be signed. This is accepted as a reason for the failure even by analysts in Pakistan and the outside world.  I have no advice to give. If true, I believe that a back channel dialogue between Mr. Doval and General Bajwa would be a good combination. Our two countries have different power structures, and therefore we need people who have seniority in their own systems, direct access and confidence of the leadership. They need to be able to take on the spot decisions. I have worked with Mr. Doval in the 1980s, at the High Commission in Islamabad, including a hijacking situation in Lahore (1981), and later on the situation in Afghanistan post Bonn conference. General Bajwa has had an extension. As I said, given all our differences, they would be a good combination as interlocutors, or to oversee the dialogue.    But I still firmly believe that with a neighbour, particularly when there is an unfriendly relationship, you have to have a via media to exist. Otherwise, we both hurt ourselves. Engagement is necessary particularly with an adversary and I am glad it is being done now. I think we must take the dialogue process slowly, begin with some people-to-people initiatives and emphasis on economic relations. We need to have at least a limited beginning in encouraging travel, allowing people to meet each other. India’s biggest friends and ambassadors are Pakistanis who visit India and then return to tell others about all that we have achieved. At a suitable occasion, respective High Commissioners should be reinstated. Track – II dialogues should be held. There is no need to shy away from any discussion, because our fundamentals are strong. We expect that no help will be given to promote terrorist activities in our country. I agree that there are spoilers in both the systems. However, I have observed that in the present elections, there has been no real Pakistan-bashing other than a few stray comments made during the campaign, and that will also ease along the current process.” https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/doval-bajwa-a-good-combination-to-oversee-back-channel-dialogue-says-former-special-envoy-to-pm/article34238728.ece

2.     25 Years later: Getting Away with Extrajudicial Execution of Jalil Andrabi:Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai:April 7, 2021: One of the darkest chapters of Indian judicial partiality was left hanging half closed and banging in the wind when Major Avtar Singh, the killer of internationally known human rights activist and Chairman of Kashmir Commission of Jurists, Advocate Jalil Andrabi, was found dead after he killed his wife and two children, and finally himself on June 9, 2012, in Selma, California. Avtar Singh, a fugitive from justice, who lived in the hot dry central California community, a suburb of Fresno, was clearly haunted by his past, a past that had seen the blood spilled of more than one man by his own hands. He had killed four others to hide the murder of Andrabi, and then he had killed his own family.
In killing Jalil Andrabi, Avtar Singh certainly did not act on his own volition. He was only a major. His act was no doubt a response to orders from above and occurred in a longstanding climate of impunity that the Indian army enjoys in Kashmir. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which gives any Indian soldier the right in Kashmir to take a Kashmiri’s life under any circumstance, has enabled such a climate for decades. And Jalil Andrabi had become a hated, despised man by the Army, a man dangerous to the status quo of continued murder and torture that had been taking place in Kashmir’s jails, interrogation centers and detention facilities for many years.
Arshad Andrabi, Jalil Andrabi’s brother, has said that the real killers are still at large, and he is right. The real killers are not just army officers but all those from the highest office in India on down through Parliament who had arranged his escape from Kashmir to Canada before he moved illegally to the United States, or looked the other way and refused to extradite him when California authorities notified India that they had their man. They are guilty of maintaining murderous policies, defending hideous acts that take place, encouraging even more grotesque behavior by the mere act of covering up what does occur and failing to prosecute those who have used the law vindictively and without justifiable reason. One wonders whether the government of India is in control of its own policies or is intimidated by the grip of a military industry that has its own agenda. Had the government acted in a timely manner, more lives would have been saved, and perhaps a new horizon in the Indian judicial system would have finally appeared. Some say that Avtar Singh’s death was “poetic justice,” and perhaps in some small way it was, but it’s extremely difficult to see the death of his wife and children as anything but just another sad tragedy, and another great stain on the history and reputation of the world’s largest “democracy.”  Arshad Andrabi touched the heights of magnanimity when he said that he was extremely pained by the death of not only his brother but the deaths of the murderer’s own family as well. This also symbolizes the compassion of not only Arshad but the heart and character of the Andrabi family. Jalil Andrabi, his primary victim, had been a friend of mine. His trip to Geneva in August 1995 shortly before his murder to attend the ‘47th session of the United Nations Sub-Commission on Human Rights ‘was at my invitation, as were other international engagements he had attended in Washington and elsewhere. On one such occasion, we had traveled by car together, along with my wife, to attend a convention which was held between September 1 - 4, 1995 in Columbus, Ohio, in order to talk and exchange views intimately on various issues on which we shared an interest. It was on this trip that I gained a much deeper appreciation for Jalil Andrabi’s character. He was a man of deep compassion and vision, high intellect and deep judicial insight and had been personally responsible for bringing many human rights violations in Kashmir into the light of day.
During the United Nations Sub-Commission, Dr. Nazir Gilani, President, JKCHR hosted a dinner in honor of Jalil Andrabi which was attended by many international NGO’s. Dr. Gilani played an important role during the Commission to declare Jalil Andrabi as a ‘UN Protected Person’. Following year Dr. Gilani organized a memorial for Jalil Andrabi on April 1, 1996 in Geneva to pay respect to his friend who fell to a death under torture for cause – that we all – so dearly uphold. During the Commission, Jalil Andrabi made two interventions, one on August 7, 1995, under agenda item 18, which was on the issue of ‘Freedom of Movement.’ On that occasion he had said, “Mr. Chairman, the Kashmiris are waging a legitimate struggle for achieving the exercise of their right of self-determination, and the atrocities which constitute war crimes forbidden under the Geneva Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are being inflicted upon them only because of this struggle. Therefore, besides, calling upon India to put an end to the crimes against humanity, it is necessary to compel India to allow the people of Kashmir an unfettered exercise of their right of self-determination under the UN auspices.” ”The atrocities,” he said, “which are perpetrated upon my people are not aberrations but rather integral components of a systematic policy. These atrocities are being perpetrated as a weapon of war in order to break the will of the people.”  Jalil Andrabi also spoke under the agenda item, ‘The Administration of Justice’ on August 17, 1995 and said, “ The laws conferring and unrestricted and arbitrary powers on the armed forces continue to remain in operation in Jammu & Kashmir, with full impunity to the perpetrators of crimes against the humanity and violations of fundamental human rights, threatening the very existence of Kashmiri people.” Advocate Jalil Andrabi knew firsthand the facts. He had been documenting the human rights violations by taking information from victim’s families and witnesses. In personal conversations he had told me how very difficult it was for lawyers to meet with the detainees and how much they are under pressure, and he had also told me that because of his political views the Indian Army had often harassed him. He knew that his life was on the line, in fact, and had spent a month in New Delhi just prior to his murder, hoping to escape India’s wrath. He had only returned to Kashmir to celebrate Eid with his family and friends. It was in response to information he had gathered that in 1994 he filed a petition in Jammu & Kashmir High Court of Jammu & Kashmir demanding greater access to prisoners. The evidence he presented was substantial and his arguments convincing, and the High Court ordered that all district committees consisting of judicial police and medical authorities make regular visits to jails, detention and interrogation centers, and police stations all across the state. This was a huge victory. It brought the state government to its knees. Once he had opened the floodgates, much more evidence of torture and other crimes became public and it was then, no doubt, that the Army wanted him dead. The target of guilt had been placed squarely on their backs, and there was no escape. Many more cases of torture and other human rights violations became known. Jalil Andrabi was a Muslim but his compassion and love transcended all religious boundaries. During his intervention in Geneva he said, “My people are intelligent, industrious and peace loving.  The ethical concept of human brotherhood beyond the bonds of closed religious groupings has always animated Kashmiris.” During his visit to Geneva Jalil Andrabi met with more than a dozen United Nations experts, hundreds of members of NGOs, and various delegations representing different governments. We also had a meeting with UN High Commissioner on Human Rights, Jose Ayala Lasso. Jalil Andrabi was so convincing in his argument because he presented every detail with documentation and logic that I felt it would be helpful for the cause of Kashmir to invite him to the United States. In Washington we had meetings with members of Congress, the State Department, the National Security Council and members of think tanks and human rights organizations. Jalil Andrabi also spoke during the national annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America on Labor Day weekend, 1995, in Columbus, Ohio, which was attended by more than 20,000 people who came from all across America. I wanted to invite him again in 1996 to attend the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, but unfortunately in March of that year, while he was returning home to Srinagar with his wife, the car was stopped, and he was taken into custody. Twenty days later, his dead body was seen floating in the Jehlum River. His hands were tied, he had been shot, and his eyes were gouged out. He had been tortured mercilessly, an inhuman brutality which can never properly be explained. Here in Washington, the spokesperson of the State Department, Mr. Nicholas Burns issued a statement on March 29, 1996, condemning the killing of Jalil Andrabi and called upon the government of India to conduct a full and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Andrabi’s abduction and murder. Mr. Burns expressed hope that Andrabi’s murderers would be quickly apprehended and punished. Such a statement was also issued by the UN Human Rights Commissioner Jose Ayala Lasso condemning the murder and calling for an impartial investigation. Various members of Congress, including Congressmen Donald Payne, James Moran, Dan Burton and Dana Rohrabacher wrote a joint letter to then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao of India on March 27, 1996 conveying their profound dismay at the death of Jalil Andrabi. They asked that the Indian government thoroughly investigate this shocking murder and bring the perpetrators to justice. Members of Congress also wrote a joint letter to Secretary of State Warren Christopher on March 27, 1996 and said that Mr. Andrabi’s death was a shocking reminder of India’s brutal conduct in Kashmir. They requested that the Secretary of State call upon our ambassador to India and raise this matter with the government of India. They hoped that the Secretary of State would express their shock at this extrajudicial killing to his counterpart in India and call for a thorough investigation to bring the killers to justice. Amnesty International also issued a statement on March 28, 1996 condemning the killing and asked for an impartial investigation. Unfortunately despite this condemnation at a global level, the government of India not only did not punish the perpetrator but did not even arrest the main culprit. When the Jammu & Kashmir High Court found Major Avtar Singh to be the person who killed Jalil Andrabi, the High Court ordered his arrest in 1997. The judge who did so was punished by immediately being transferred from Kashmir to India. In addition, because Indian army personnel have full immunity in Kashmir, the government of India arranged a passport despite the court order for his arrest, and facilitated his exit from India to save him from any legal proceedings. In 2011, the Selma police in California informed the government of India that they had Avtar Singh in custody and were aware of his fugitive status, a discovery that was made through Interpol when his wife filed a domestic abuse complaint against him. India failed to respond to this notice. He w as never extradited. The U.S. Immigration Service could have deported him, but again did not, refused comment when contacted and clearly did not act. Avtar Singh is reported to have said at the time, “The law here is on my side. The case against me will not stand in court here.’’ The writer interviewing him, Hartosh Singh Bal, asked him, “what if the extradition does go through? He does not hesitate: ‘There is no question of my being taken to India alive, they will kill me.’ Who will, I ask him. ‘The agencies, RAW, military intelligence, it is all the same.’ ‘If the extradition does go through, I will open my mouth, I will not keep quiet.’” [Source: http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/nation/the-man-who-knows-too-much ] The foundation of America’s greatness was established long ago in the Bill of Rights and its underlying recognition of human rights. Whenever America applied these principles, it set the bar for the highest moral standing in the global community. But unfortunately today America seems to worry more about a corporate agenda of business deals and trade than it does human rights. India is being encouraged to take over America’s battle in Afghanistan and restrain the encroachments of China. Global hegemony takes precedence. The pot can no longer call the kettle black. It fails to appreciate or uphold those golden values of universal human rights and democratic values. Yet, paradoxically, it is important to note that it was our State Department, which in 1995 not only condemned the murder of Jalil Andrabi but asked for an impartial investigation and had hoped the murderers would be quickly apprehended and punished.  It was kind of them to say so. But apparently, it doesn’t take much moral strength or political will to utter mere words. Twenty-five years later, the justice has not been served. We hope now that the inaction and passivity of the world powers will prick the conscience of Biden Administration and motivate her to end these crimes against humanity. Their justice is awaited. Dr. Fai is the Secretary General, of Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435 or  gnfai2003@yahoo.com

3.     Three young men martyred: Apr., 9, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, today. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/08/indian-troops-martyr-3-youth-in-shopian-today/

4.     Kashmir in Canadian elections: Apr., 10, 2021: Condemnation of the Indian government over last year’s farm deregulation laws that have sparked protests, as well as the 2019 revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s semiautonomous status are among the resolutions that feature on the agenda of the Canada-based New Democratic Party’s (NDP) national convention starting on Friday. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/indias-farm-laws-kashmir-s-status-to-come-up-at-canada-based-ndp-s-convention-101617864873552.html

5.     Seven youth martyred: Apr., 10, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Pulwama districts, today, taking the number of the martyred youth in the territory to 7 since yesterday. The troops martyred two more youth during the continued cordon and search operation in Jan Mohalla area of Shopian. The troops killed three youth in the same area, last evening. The troops also damaged a mosque in the area during the operation. Indian troops martyred two other youth during a similar operation at Naibugh in Pulwama district, today.https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/09/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-today/

6.     Assessment: Apr., 10, 2021: India and Pakistan may stumble into a large-scale war neither side wants, warns a US intelligence report while exploring the possibilities of miscalculations leading to a war in South Asia. The assessment is included in a Global Trends report produced every four years by the US government's National Intelligence Council, released in Washington. The report, released on Wednesday, focuses on both immediate and distant futures and is designed to help policymakers anticipate the forces likely to shape the world in the next five to 20 years. “India and Pakistan may stumble into a large-scale war neither side wants, especially following a terrorist attack that the Indian government judges to be significant,” the report warns. The ability of some militant outfits to conduct attacks, New Delhi’s resolve to retaliate against Islamabad after such an attack, and Islamabad’s determination to defend itself “are likely to persist and may increase” in the next five years, the report adds.“Miscalculation by both governments could prompt a breakdown in the deterrence that has restricted conflict to levels each side judges it can manage.”The report warns policymakers in Washington that “a full-scale war could inflict damage that would have economic and political consequences for years.” The US policy in Afghanistan and its impact on the neighbouring countries is top on a list of key uncertainties in South Asia that are underlined in the report. “US actions in Afghanistan during the next year will have significant consequences across the region, particularly in Pakistan and India,” the report states. This would be “especially true” if a security vacuum emerges in Afghanistan that results in a civil war between the Taliban and its Afghan opponents, expanded freedom of manoeuvre for regional terrorist networks, or criminals and refugees flowing out of the country, it adds. The report predicts that such an outcome would exacerbate political tensions and conflict in western Pakistan and sharpen the India-Pakistan rivalry by strengthening longstanding judgments about covert warfare in Islamabad and New Delhi. “An abrupt US exit probably would also amplify concerns that the United States will lose interest in South Asia generally,” the document says.  The US intelligence community estimates that India and China may also slip into a conflict that neither government intends, “especially if military forces escalate a conflict quickly to challenge each other on a critical part of the contested border”.In June 2020, a short military exchange resulted in the deaths of at least 20 Indian soldiers, exacerbated the strategic rivalry between Beijing and New Delhi and sharply affected international perceptions of both countries. The report puts the prospects for increased regional trade or energy cooperation in South Asia during the next five years as low, “due in part to the high probability of ongoing hostility between India and Pakistan". Trade within South Asia is already the lowest of any region in the world. The US intelligence community warns that water insecurity in the region is also an increasing risk. The assessment includes forecasts by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that Pakistan could face absolute water scarcity by 2025, given a combination of poor water conservation practices, rising temperatures, and decreased rainfall. The US intelligence community notes that information technology is fuelling authoritarian tendencies by making it easier for South Asian governments to influence their populations. It points out that in 2019, India “led the world in Internet shutdowns by a wide margin” — with several months-long crackdowns to suppress protests, including in occupied Kashmir. Pakistan has deployed Huawei’s Safe Cities technology, raising public fears of increased surveillance. The report notes that the balancing approach, particularly in relation to China, also affects regional dynamics. Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka probably judge their countries “can more easily deflect New Delhi’s demands or block its regional leadership aspirations by maintaining ties with Beijing”. For its part, New Delhi probably will look for ways to mitigate Chinese influence given China’s expanding foothold in the Indian Ocean, the report adds. For example, India almost certainly will continue to encourage Japan to offer economic investment and some military cooperation to other South Asian countries to push them to align more closely with New Delhi and Tokyo. The report predicts that despite their growing interest in China, almost every government in the region will seek to maintain ties with the US as part of their balancing efforts. The United States is the biggest export market for Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and most South Asian leaders continue to cultivate and publicly tout their relationships with Washington. US intelligence analysts predict that during the next five years, slowing economic growth and growing polarisation will pose an increasing risk to traditions of democratic and independent governance in several countries in South Asia. Many countries will strengthen their efforts to hedge and balance their relationships with multiple external powers, including China, Russia, Japan, and the US. Through 2025, South Asia will have to manage the challenges that internal security problems, the risk of inter-state war, and the effects of climate change and pollution pose to at least some countries’ longer-term democratic and economic development. The report projects that economic growth in South Asia will remain slow during the next five years and will be insufficient to employ the region’s expanding workforce — especially as the world emerges from the pandemic. Before the Covid-19 outbreak, unemployment in India had reached a 40-year high until GDP growth slowed markedly in the latter half of 2019, and India’s strict lockdown from March to May 2020 temporarily drove unemployment up to 23 per cent. The report argues that the region’s economy is hampered by outdated legal systems, severe pollution, water shortages, and highly bureaucratic regulatory environments — all increasing investor uncertainty. “No government in the region is prepared to undertake economic reforms on the scale required to generate robust growth,” the report adds. It notes that almost all the economies in the region remain focused on agriculture, with the bulk of their workforces dependent on farming. Most countries’ agricultural sectors are underproductive in relation to the large share of government funds and natural resources they consume. According to the report, this disparity is driven by a variety of factors, including growing water scarcity, environmental damage and climate change effects, and government failure to reform agricultural subsidies that benefit rural constituents at the expense of growing urban populations. “Strongperson leaders, even those elected in largely free and fair contests, probably will push majoritarian agendas that widen factional divides — potentially weakening political stability in societies already split along sectarian and ethnic lines,” they warn. “This political polarisation is rooted in strongly felt nationalist narratives that have become prominent in recent years and met little effective resistance from opposition parties or the courts.”  “In India and Sri Lanka, Muslims are likely to continue to experience growing political and economic discrimination from Hindu and Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist ruling parties.” The report notes that Afghanistan too is seeing an intensification of ethnic tensions between Pashtuns and other ethnic groups, a trend that is accelerating as Afghans prepare for the withdrawal of Western troops. It notes that some of these leaders have applied majoritarian political formulae, whereas others have undermined independent judiciaries, election commissions, and politically neutral militaries and bureaucracies, weakening potential future resistance. https://www.dawn.com/news/1617288/india-pakistan-may-stumble-into-large-scale-war-warns-us-intel-report

7.     Russia India relations: Apr., 11, 2021: Russia is no longer a strategic ally for India as underlined by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s visit to New Delhi earlier this week. Gupta explained that over the last four years, the global power balance has changed. “It’s been a confused world for the past four years, but it’s now quite clear that it is again becoming a bipolar world.” The United States is one pole and China is the other pole. Meanwhile, Russia has resigned itself to being “the junior partner of China”, observed Gupta. India is an aspiring big power and the world is increasingly looking at it as a “balancing new power”, he added . Gupta explained that during the Cold War, India was very friendly with what was then the Soviet Union as it helped grow its public sector steel plants with advanced technology, among other things.  For decades, India had wanted Washington D.C. to de-hyphenate it with Pakistan and put an end to the concept of “two country rule”, explained Gupta. “Post Cold War, Indian foreign policy worked very hard to get these two things out of the way as they would irritate India,” explained Gupta. This has worked out well as Pakistan has started to disappear from India-US joint statements and American dignitaries who come to India no longer also make a trip to Pakistan, he added. “But what was America, has now become Russia,” said Gupta. Though Moscow and New Delhi have shared a “special” relationship with elements of “nostalgia”, the former has started to hyphenate India with Pakistan, he said. “This became obvious with Lavrov’s visit,” he added. Lavrov first visited India and then Pakistan and his statements in both countries were markedly different, explained Gupta. While in Pakistan, Lavrov said Russia sees Pakistan as an “important friend”, seeks to continue exercises called ‘friendship druzhba’ and is willing to supply Pakistan high-tech or specialised military equipment to fight terrorism. Asked about a potential security agreement between Russia and China at a press conference in India, earlier this week, Lavrov denied it but referred to alliances like the “Asia NATO” as disruptive, said Gupta. “That was a platitudinous statement… you know that he was turning the knife a little bit into India,” he added. Gupta also observed that Lavrov did not get an audience with PM Modi on the pretext that the former was campaigning in West Bengal. “In January 2020, when Lavrov came to India, he had been given an audience by Modi. On the other hand, when he goes to Pakistan, he meets… the Army Chief who matters most of all, and the Prime Minister.  “Russians have let it be known that they are skeptical of the Indo-Pacific concept and Quad and see it as a destabilising entity.. .and an anti-China grouping,” said Gupta. https://theprint.in/opinion/why-russia-is-no-longer-a-strategic-ally-for-india-in-new-bipolar-world-led-by-us-and-china/636906/  

 

Kashmir Update 121: Week Mar.,29, 2021 to Apr.,4,2021

1.     Social media and Kashmir: mar 28 2021: For decades, India has sought to obfuscate what is happening in Kashmir. Since 1947, it has worked hard to appropriate Kashmir’s history, culture, and identity and distort them. It has sought to muffle Kashmiri voices speaking out against the oppression of the Kashmiri people and whitewash its crimes. With the advent of social media, Kashmiris found a much-needed platform for free expression where they were able to share their plight with the world. Kashmiri solidarity pages proliferated and conversations about the Kashmiri struggle moved online. But this newly found freedom did not last long.  Social media platforms, under the pressure of the Indian government, started shutting down Kashmir-related pages and the accounts of Kashmiri activists. In 2016, amid a crackdown on protests in Kashmir, Facebook took down pages focusing on Kashmir and posts about the ongoing events. Journalists reported that videos of police brutality were blocked. Academics and intellectuals also saw their accounts disabled. Following the Indian government’s abrogation of Kashmir’s special status on August 5, 2019, and the imposition of a brutal lockdown, social media platforms were quick to censor content on Kashmir once again. As Kashmir was cut off from the world, with the internet and mobile communications suspended, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter started to remove posts, block videos and shut down accounts trying to shed light on the dire situation in the region. social media platforms have continued to purge Kashmir-related content. In the latest episode of censorship, Twitter shut down the accounts of Kashmir Civitas, Stand With Kashmir, the Kashmir Podcast, the account of young Kashmiri academic Ifat Gazia, and my personal Twitter account @fchak in March. By removing content and accounts critical of India’s policies in Kashmir, Facebook and Twitter are complicit in suffocating those Kashmiri voices that are resisting the military occupation and settler-colonialism of their land. By censoring these voices, social media networks are curtailing the right to freedom of speech. Our organisation, Kashmir Civitas is a non-governmental civil society and strategic advocacy entity registered in Canada and committed to the socio-political, and economic empowerment of the peoples in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir. As such, our organisation champions the democratic principles of freedom, equality and the inherent dignity of all human beings, irrespective of race, religion, gender or creed. It aims to lobby, facilitate and work for the moral, educational, economic, cultural and political uplifting of Kashmiri society on both sides of the ceasefire line and among the diaspora  It is in this in dire situation that platforms like Twitter and Facebook are choosing to side with the repressive Indian government, which – amid its rising authoritarianism – still claims to be democratic. By shutting down the accounts of collectives like Kashmir Civitas and Stand With Kashmir, Facebook and Twitter are siding with undemocratic forces that seek to silence not just Kashmiris but anyone who dares to oppose them. Although the accounts are now reinstated, we must remain vigilant and ensure that power does not remain unchecked. By doing the bidding of the Indian government, Twitter and Facebook have gone against their own “commitment to freedom of expression” and to “defending and respecting the user’s voice”. https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/3/27/why-is-twitter-silencing-kashmiri-voices

2.     Youth martyred; mar 29 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two Kashmiri youth in Shopian district. The troops martyred the youth during a siege and search operation in Wangam area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/27/indian-troops-martyr-another-kadhmiri-youth-in-shopian/

3.     US HRs report: Mar., 31, 2021: governments also placed severe restrictions on religious freedom and freedom of movement. Corruption within the bureaucracy, lack of investigation and accountability for violence against women were also common. Problems identified in India include trafficking in persons; crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting members of racial and ethnic minorities. The chapter on India also mentioned crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex persons by nonstate actors. The report noted that in both countries, efforts to address the abuses were marred by “a lack of accountability as official misconduct persisted at all levels of government, contributing to widespread impunity.” ” https://www.dawn.com/news/1615606/us-report-highlights-serious-rights-violations-in-india-and-pakistan

4.     Protests: Apr.,1, 2021: Pakistani-Kashmiri, Bangladeshi and Sikh rights groups have vowed to stage demonstrations across the United Kingdom (UK) on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to attend G7 summit 2021. Tehreek- e- Kashmir TeK (UK) President Raja Fahim Kayani, Dalkhalsa Chairman Gurcharan Singh, and Former Councillor and Chief Advisor of British Bangladeshi Community Alliance, Mozaquir Ali held a discussion on Wednesday to chalk out the campaign under the banner of United Front against Modi, on the occasion of his scheduled visit to the UK in the Coastal Town of Carbis Bay Cornwall to attend the G7 Summit being held on June 11-13. Dalkhalsa Chairman Gurcharan singh, representing Sikh's in the UK, said that he would like to call on the British people to oppose PM Modi's visit to the UK. “Modi is a fascist dictator whose sole aim in politics is Hindu supremacy and creation of a Hindu state.” https://tribune.com.pk/story/2292574/protests-planned-for-modis-visit-to-attend-g7-summit-in-uk

5.     Focus on Jammu & Kashmi by Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai: April 1, 2021: Once again, the United States Department of State, 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, issued on March 30, 2021 has reproached India on her human rights record. The country report contains graphic documentation of human rights violations being committed by the Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu & Kashmir. This is a significant step towards greater international recognition of the serious abuses committed against Kashmiris at the hands of Indian army. This report will take the veil of secrecy off of India’s crimes against humanity. The country report cites various examples where the authorities intimidate and threaten the media. The report says, “Journalists working in Jammu and Kashmir continued to face barriers to free reporting through communications and movement restrictions. Criminal prosecutions were often used to gag journalists critical of the authorities, including the use of a section of the penal code that includes sedition punishable by life imprisonment. In February the Kashmir Press Club stated security agencies had routinely deployed intimidation tactics such as threats, summonses, and physical attacks on journalists in Jammu and Kashmir.” The country report in particular describes an incident when “On April 18, police in Kashmir booked photojournalist Masrat Zahra under the UAPA for indulging in “antinational activities” on social media. In a statement police accused Zahra of “uploading antinational posts with criminal intention, uploading posts that glorify antinational activities and dent the image of law enforcing agencies besides causing disaffection against the country.” Zahra maintained she was sharing archival images that had already been published in different local and international social media platforms. The investigation continued at year’s end.” “On April 10, authorities arrested pregnant student leader Safoora Zargar under the UAPA for allegedly conspiring to incite the Delhi riots. The Delhi High Court released her on June 23 after the central government did not object to her release.”The country report details many instances where the use of draconian laws has given sense of total impunity to the Indian army in Kashmir. It states Under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), the central government may designate a state or union territory as a “disturbed area,” authorizing security forces in the state to use deadly force to “maintain law and order” and to arrest any person “against whom reasonable suspicion exists” without informing the detainee of the grounds for arrest. The law also provides security forces immunity from civilian prosecution for acts committed in regions under the AFSPA.” The Public Safety Act (PSA), which applies only in Jammu and Kashmir, permits authorities to detain persons without charge or judicial review for up to two years without visitation from family members.” The country report underscored that “There were allegations of enforced disappearance by the Jammu and Kashmir police. Although authorities denied these charges and claimed no enforced disappearances had occurred since 2015, the International Federation for Human Rights reported that cases of enforced disappearances continued through 2019.” “In February the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances identified seven cases under its standard procedures concerning individuals who were arrested, detained, or otherwise deprived of rights. The Working Group had not received permission to visit the country since it first submitted a request to the government in 2010.”The country report cites specific incidents where the Indian Government violated the very principles of human decency and democratic freedom against the people of Kashmir. The report states that, “In responding to demonstrations that started in July 2016, Indian security forces used excessive force that led to unlawful killings and a very high number of injuries. … One of the most dangerous weapons used against protesters during the unrest in 2016 was the pellet-firing shotgun.” The country report was very concerned about arbitrary arrests and detention. It says, “Following the central government’s August 2019 abrogation of a special constitutional provision that provided autonomous status for Jammu and Kashmir, authorities used a public safety law to detain local politicians without trial. Most detainees were released during the year. Media reports indicated those released were required to sign bonds agreeing not to engage in political activity.” The country report talks about the denial of fair public trial. It says, “In April, Mohammed Yasin Malik, leader of the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), was arrested and charged with murder in the death of four Air Force officials in 1990. Malik was denied the right to be physically present in court. Human rights groups in Kashmir, including the JKCCS, expressed concern regarding whether Malik was receiving a fair trial.” Political prisoners are facing many hardships. Their relatives do not have free access to meet with them even on special occasions. The report says, “NGOs reported the central government held political prisoners and temporarily detained individuals in Jammu and Kashmir under the PSA. On September 15, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed parliament that 223 political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, who had been detained after August 2019, remained in detention but added “no person is under house arrest.” The country report quoted international experts and NGOs who have not been able to visit Jammu & Kashmir. The report says, “Various domestic and international human rights organizations continued to express serious concern at the use of pellet guns by security forces for crowd-control purposes in Jammu and Kashmir. In March the Jammu and Kashmir High Court dismissed the public interest litigation petition seeking a ban on the use of pellet guns on protesters, asserting that police have the right to administer force in self-defense when facing violent protests.” The country report cites many examples of torture which has been used against civilians in Jammu & Kashmir. The report says, “A May 2019 report by the JKCCS and the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons alleged that police, military, and paramilitary forces in Jammu and Kashmir used torture against civilians and opposition over the past four decades. The report documented 432 testimonies from individuals who claimed to have been tortured. There were continued allegations of physical abuse and torture following the government’s enhanced security measures in Jammu and Kashmir after the August 2019 move to abrogate Article 370 of the constitution.” As we all know that Internet ban has been a serious problem. The report says, “The center reported the longest shutdown occurred between August 4, 2019, and March 4 in Jammu and Kashmir.” The right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are basic human rights. The report says, “Jammu and Kashmir was an exception, where the state government sometimes denied permits to separatist political parties for public gatherings, and security forces reportedly occasionally detained and assaulted members of political groups engaged in peaceful protest (see section 1.g.). During periods of civil unrest in Jammu and Kashmir, authorities used the law to ban public assemblies and impose curfews.” International NGO’s including the United Nations Special Rapporteurs have been denied entry into Kashmir. The report says, “The government continued to decline access by the United Nations to Jammu and Kashmir and limit access to the northeastern states and Maoist-controlled areas. In an August statement, UN human rights experts called on the government “to take urgent action to address the alarming human rights situation in the territory.” The UN special rapporteurs noted that since August 2019, “the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir has been in free fall,” and they were “particularly concerned that during the COVID-19 pandemic, many protesters are still in detention and Internet restrictions remain in place.” The group appealed to the government “to schedule pending visits as a matter of urgency, particularly of the experts dealing with torture and disappearances.” It is well documented that the bloody occupation has resulted in massive human rights violations, particularly targeting women and children. The sanctity of women has been violated, in a gruesome and unforgiving fashion. It is our hope that the State Department Country Report will mobilize the policy makers and the members of Congress to do everything in their constitutional power to stop the killings in Kashmir. It is further our hope that the Biden Administration will look to solving the root cause of the problem – the unfulfilled promise of self-determination as guaranteed by successive United Nations Security Council resolutions. We believe that history is not predestined, and it is up to us to make peace its destiny in Kashmir through all of our energies, goodwill, wisdom, and compassion for the tragic afflictions of that once glorious land. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai is the Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum, Washington, D.C. He can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435  or gnfai2003@yahoo.com

6.     Three youth martyred: Apr., 2, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kakapora area of the district. The troops also blasted a house with explosive material during the operation. The killing of the youth triggered forceful anti-India demonstrations in the area. Several persons, including a woman, were injured, some of them critically, due to the firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells by the troops on the demonstrators. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/04/02/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk-3/

Kashmir Update 120: Week Mar.,22, 2021 to Mar.,28,2021

1.     Four youth martyred: Mar., 23, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The youth were killed by the troops in a fake encounter during a violent cordon and search operation in Manihal area of the district. The operation was jointly launched by Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and Indian police. The troops destroyed many houses during the operation. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/22/indian-troops-martyr-four-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-3/

2.     Middle East Oil and India: Mar., 27, 2021: Indian state refiners are planning to cut oil imports from Saudi Arabia by about a quarter in May, in an escalating stand-off with Riyadh following OPEC's decision to ignore calls from New Delhi to help the global economy with higher supply. Two sources familiar with the discussions said the move was part of the government's drive to cut dependence on crude  from the Middle East. Indian Oil Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp., Hindustan Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd are preparing to lift about 10.8 million barrels in May, the sources said on condition of anonymity. State refiners, which control about 60% of India's 5 million barrels per day (bpd) refining capacity, together import an average 14.7-14.8 million barrels of Saudi oil in a month, the sources said. India, the world's third-biggest oil importer and consumer, imports more than 80% of its oil needs and relies heavily on the Middle East. Hit hard by rising oil prices, India's oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan has repeatedly called on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known as OPEC+, to ease supply curbs. He has blamed Saudi's voluntary cuts for contributing to a spike in global oil prices. OPEC+ decided this month to extend most cuts into April. Responding to Pradhan's request, Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman suggested India dip into strategic reserves filled with cheaper oil bought last year. https://www.livemint.com/industry/energy/india-plans-to-cut-saudi-oil-import-as-stand-off-escalates-11615949230271.html

3.     Youth martyred: Mar., 28, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one Kashmiri youth in Shopian district on Saturday evening. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a siege and search operation in Wangam area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/27/indian-troops-martyr-another-kadhmiri-youth-in-shopian/

4.     Human right violations in IOK:  Mar., 28, 2021:  In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, unrelenting military siege imposed by Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government on August 05, 2019, continues to take a heavy toll on daily life of the people in the territory. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the completion of 600 days (almost 20 months) to the military siege, today, revealed that Indian troops martyred 323 Kashmiris including 7 women during the period. It said that most of the victims were killed by the troops in fake encounters and in extra-judicial manner in the garb of so-called cordon and search operations. The report maintained that most of the youth were picked up from their homes and then eliminated after falsely labeled as mujahideen or over-ground workers of mujahid organizations. It said that the killings during the period by the troops during the last 600 days rendered 17women widowed and 39 children orphaned. The report pointed out that at least 1,753 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force including firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells by Indian troops on peaceful demonstrators in the territory. It said that at least 14,621 persons including Hurriyat leaders, activists, women, students and young boys were arrested and thousands of them were booked under black laws. The troops damaged 1,008 houses and structures and molested or disgraced 106 women in the period, it added. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/27/323-kashmiris-martyred-by-indian-troops-during-600-day-siege/

 

  

Kashmir Update 119: Week Mar.,15, 2021 to Mar.,21,2021

1.     Youth martyred: Mar., 15, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today( Sunday). The troops martyred the youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Rawalpora area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/14/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-iiojk-6/

2.     Youth martyred: Mar., 16, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir; Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today, raising the toll to two in the past two days. The troops martyred the youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Rawalpora area of the district while body of one youth was recovered on Sunday from the debris of a house destroyed by the troops.  Wilayat Lone alias Sajad Afghani has been killed in the three-day long operation in Rawalpora area of Shopian district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/15/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-shopian/

3.     Kashmir Can Unlock War in Afghanistan: Mar 18, 2021:  The Kashmir question is one of the oldest unresolved international problems in the world. The experience of nearly seven decades has shown that it will not go away and that an effort is urgently required to resolve it on a durable basis. ‘Durable’, in this context is synonymous with ‘equitable’. It is imperative, whatever be the rights and wrongs in the equation as far as arguments go, real populations with a pronounced sense of identity of their own, with their suffering and their aspirations rather than just legal title and merit are involved.  Kashmir dispute primarily involves the life and future of the 23 million people of the land. Bcause of its impact on relations between India and Pakistan, however, it directly affects the peace and stability of the region of South Asia that includes Afghanistan as well.This is a region, which contains one-fifth of the total human race.  When the Kashmir dispute erupted in 1947-1948, the United States championed the stand that the future status of Kashmir must be ascertained in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of the territory. The United States was the principal sponsor of the resolution # 47 which was adopted by the Security Council on 21 April 1948 and which was based  on that unchallenged principle. Following the resolution, the United States as a leading member of the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan (UNCIP), adhered to that stand. The basic formula for settlement was incorporated in the resolutions of that Commission adopted on 13 August 1948 and 5 January 1949. The part played traditionally by the United States Government is apparent from: The appeal made by President Harry Truman and British Prime Minister, Clement Attlee that any contentious issues between India and Pakistan relating to the implementation of the agreement on Kashmir must be submitted to arbitration; the appointment of an eminent American, Admiral Chester Nimitz, as Plebiscite Administrator on Kashmir; the appeal personally made in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy to the President of Ireland to the effect that Ireland sponsor a resolution on Kashmir in the Security Council reaffirming the resolutions of the Commission; the forceful advocacy by the U.S. Delegation of points regarding the demilitarization of Kashmir preparatory to the plebiscite at countless meetings of the Security Council from the years 1947-48 to 1962 and its sponsorship of twelve substantive resolutions of the Council to that  effect; the protracted negotiations conducted by another distinguished American, Mr. Frank Graham, from 1951 to 1958 in the effort to bring about the demilitarization of Kashmir, making possible the holding of a free and impartial plebiscite. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles stated on 5 February 1957 that: "We continue to believe that unless the parties are able to agree upon some other solution, the solution which was recommended by the Security Council should prevail, which is that there should be a plebiscite. On 15 June 1962, the American representative to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson, stated that: " ... The best approach is to take for a point of departure the area of common ground which exists between the parties. I refer of course to the resolutions which were accepted by both parties and which in essence provide for demilitarization of the territory and a plebiscite whereby the population may freely decide the future status of Jammu and Kashmir. This is in full conformity with the principle of the self‑determination of people which is enshrined in Article I of the Charter as one of the key purpose for which the United Nations exists.” Unfortunately, all these pronouncements and commitments by the United States remain unfulfilled until today and Kashmir dispute has brought both India and Pakistan to the brink of nuclear catastrophe. Now, it is being said that peace between India and Pakistan could help unlock another conflict with even higher stakes for the United States: the war in Afghanistan. Indeed, a growing chorus of experts has begun arguing that the road to Kabul runs through Kashmir — that the U.S. will never stabilize the former without peace in the latter. Suddenly, bringing India and Pakistan together seems to be very much in America's interest. Which makes the Biden administration's determination to avoid the issue increasingly hard to fathom. There is a convergent thinking among Indian, Pakistan and American scholars that key to progress of peace in Afghanistan lies in Kashmir. On one hand, Indian Independent thinker and writer, Pankaj Mishra wrote in :the New York Review of Books, “As always, the road to stability in Pakistan and Afghanistan runs through the valley of Kashmir,” and on the other hand, Pakistani journalist, Ahmed Rashid wrote in ‘Foreign Affairs’ on October 11, 2010, “The road to Kabul runs through Kashmir…There can be no peace in Afghanistan until these two neighbors (India & Pakistan) sit down and talk about a common approach to both Kabul and Kashmir, rather than negotiating by proxy war.:And see the similarities of idea with an American journalist, Jonathan Tepperman who wrote in Newsweek on February 10, 2010, “To understand why Kashmir is so important to Afghanistan, start with the fact that the U.S. can't defeat the Afghan insurgency without Pakistan's help. Fear of India also keeps Pakistan from putting enough troops on its 2,250-kilometer-long Afghan border, which the Taliban still cross at will… Yet even he (Richard Holbrooke) concedes that Kashmir makes Afghanistan "more difficult to resolve," and Washington simply can't afford to avoid it if it hopes to leave the region any time soon.” And Dutch Independent write and researcher, Laura Schuurmans is equally passionate to suggest to the world powers to intervene in both crisis: Kashmir and Afghanistan. She wrote in November 2013, “The world will have to take notice of this issue if it really wants stable and durable peace in Afghanistan, south Asian subcontinent and consequently the whole world….A new beginning can start from Kashmir and therefore, peace and stability can return to Afghanistan through the valleys of Kashmir.” Incidentally, it was just on March 8, 2021 that Zalmay Khalilzad, US Negotiator on Afghanistan met with General Bajwa of Pakistan and discussed the issue of Afghanistan and matters of mutual interest. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken has announced to sponsor a meeting on Afghanistan. Foreign minister of India and Pakistan along with foreign ministers of China, Iran, Russia and United States are invited. It has been suggested that the meeting will take place in Turkey. Turkey’s President Erdogan has already said on March 1, 2021, "Developments in Afghanistan are closely related to the security and stability of the region. We closely follow the developments in friendly and brotherly Afghanistan. We hope that the peace process which aims to put an end to the ongoing conflicts of more than 40 years succeeds." President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, March 1, 2021. We hope that Turkish meeting on Afghanistan will take the into consideration the recommendations made by Professor Patrick J Larkin, Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, California, he made in March 2013, “The U.S. will not be able to achieve a lasting peace in Afghanistan without the unilateral support of Pakistan and India. If the conflict in Kashmir can be reconciled, this will aid U.S. objectives of a secure Afghanistan…Only by finding a final status on Kashmir with South Asia be able to achieve a real, lasting peace. I believe that the time has come that the United Nations and world powers, particularly the  United States intervenes in Kashmir to bring peace and prosperity not only to Kashmir but also to the whole region of South Asia, including Afghanistan. In this regard, President Biden can listen to Steve Coll, Dean of the Columbia University Graduate Scholl of Journalism, who wrote in ‘New York Review of Books on September 30, 2010,  “Silence and indirectness about the conflict is no longer workable…. The United States does not need to intervene directly in Kashmiri negotiations to support the Indo-Pakistani peace process. It does, however, need to rediscover the sense of urgency and international leadership that characterized its engagement with Kashmir in the 1950s and early 1960s.” And we hope that President Biden will heed to the advice of  President Barack Obama who said on October 30, 2008, “The most important thing we're going to have to do with respect to Afghanistan, is actually deal with Pakistan… We should probably try to facilitate a better understanding between Pakistan and India and try to resolve the Kashmir crisis so that they can stay focused not on India, but on the situation with those militants.” President. Dr. Fai is the Secretary General, Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum. He can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435 or gnfai2003@yahoo.com

4.     Women in IOK: Mar., 21, 2021: The panelists discuss the issue of 'half-widows' of Kashmir atan online conference. The conference was moderated by prominent peace activist Marijan Lucas from the Netherlands and Ali Raza Syed who is the chairman of Kashmir council EU. Mashal Malik, head of the Peace and Culture Organisation, says that women in Occupied Kashmir have been facing a lot of hardships.The woes of Kashmiri 'half-widows' is a very serious issue and should be immediately addressed. The term "half-widow" is used for Kashmiri women whose husbands have disappeared and still missing during the ongoing conflict in Kashmir. These women are called "half-widows" because they have no idea whether their husbands are dead or alive. Assabah Khan from Srinagar, who is a human rights activist for the last 20 years, narrated her story. Khan’s husband, Farooq Ahmed Dar, is in an Indian jail. She also mentioned the names of some women in the occupied valley who are fighting for the release of their loved ones. Assabah also highlighted that in an alarming sign, there are currently 18,000 Kashmiri children in Indian jails whose mothers are worried. Hawala Siddiqui from Canada, the co-founder of the Silk Organisation, said that people should highlight the issues of women in Occupied Kashmir, especially sexual violence against them, through social media. Over 10,000 Kashmiri men have been missing and their wives, mothers, and sisters were still waiting because they did not know if they were dead or alive, Hawala said. Suraya Siddiqui, another Kashmiri woman from Canada, also stressed the need for global action against violence against Kashmiri women. https://www.geo.tv/latest/340574-panelists-discuss-hardships-faced-by-half-widows-of-iok-at-virtual-conference

5.     Women’s rights in conflict area, a case study of Indian Administered Jammu and Kashmi by Dr. Shagufta Ashraf : March 20, 2021:Kashmiri women are the biggest victims of the ongoing conflict. They have suffered human rights abuses under the impunity of the suffocating Indian military presence in Indian administered Kashmir. According to statistics from Jammu and Kashmir state commission from women, a now defunct government institution is established to protect women and children rights to ensure quick prosecutions. Cases of domestic violence and general violence have been rising more than three thousand a year during the previous clampdowns in 2016 and 2017. Ever increasing number of widows and half widows in Indian Administered Kashmir is a matter of great trauma as it reduces the grace and color of life of a woman. There is a long way to get freedom for women from the clutches of suppression and humiliation committed against them. Women of Indian Administered Kashmir die in silence. The economic, social and psychological status of widows devastates under the social patriarchy and inequality. In most of the cases she loses the property rights. There is no existence of initialization and rehabilitation. Most of the widows and half widows are from poor. Kunan and Poshpora in the India-administered Kashmir was such an incident that had changed the social and mental life of our women when 150 girls and women were raped that night; nearly 200 men were tortured. Barns became torture chambers. The next morning, as one can well imagine, was marked by immense horror and paralyzing pain. And yet, justice is elusive over all these years, as the Indian army has continued to exercise brutality and has enjoyed complete impunity, thanks to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). The controversial law lets Indian Army personnel enter any premise at any time in the Valley, without a search warrant, and use lethal force, if they deem it necessary. The Indian state has continuously avoided responsibility for abuses at the hands of the Army. Human rights groups have repeatedly condemned extrajudicial killings by Indian forces [BBC report]. The Shopian rape and murder case is the abduction, rape and murder of two young women allegedly by local Indian army, in mysterious circumstances between 29 and 30 May 2009 at Bongam, Shopian district in the Indian administered state of Jammu and Kashmir. Two women who were sisters-in-law went missing from their orchard on the way home on 29 May 2009. The next morning, their bodies were found both one kilometer apart. Local police rejected the allegations saying that the women appeared to have drowned in a stream. There has been no justice since and that is what they mean when they say justice denied. “The killers, the rapists are the ones who are doing the investigation,” says the father of one. How can you trust a system that is run by the very people who are part of the society that questions the integrity of a woman who has been raped?, Eight year A. was kidnapped and gang raped and then murdered by the priest and government servants in a temple in Kathua, in Indian-administered Kashmir. On the morning of 17 January, Muhammad Yusuf Pujwala was sitting outside his home in Kathua when one of his neighbors came running towards him. He stopped in front of Me Pujwala and broke the news: they had found his eight-year-old daughter, A. B.. Her body lay in bushes in the forest, a few hundred meters away. The Indian Administered Kashmir valley has a turmoiled relationship with India - the way women and children have been targeted.  I demand an impartial investigation of all these cases by international organizations. The way women and children are used as weapons of war are alarming. Indian rule from 1989 to 2020 has increased pain among women and their families by arresting their only bread earners and kept in different Indian jails. Despite the fact that 187 countries have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), discrimination against widows has been ignored. Before conclusion it needs to be emphasized that every conflict has many consequences. Oppression and state sponsored terrorism are responsible for increasing the population of widows, half widows and rape victims. Enlightened opinion of the world must converge to resolve the conflict by redeeming their democratic right to choose their future as per United Nations Charter and United Nations resolutions. :She can be reached at:xhagufta@yahoo.com

6.     US and India: Mar,21, 2021: India on Saturday resolved to intensify defence cooperation with the U.S. Central Command in Florida and with the U.S. Commands in the Indo-Pacific region and Africa. The announcement in this regard was made by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who held talks with U.S. Secretary of Defence General (Retd.) Lloyd James Austin III who described the partnership as a “central pillar” of the American policy for the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. Defence Secretary also addressed the issue of human rights in India during his meetings with Cabinet Ministers here on Saturday. An informed source said the issue also came up during his conversation with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar which also covered a broad range of topics like the situation in Afghanistan and the West Asian tension. Earlier, addressing a select group of American and Indian media outlets, Mr. Austin said he raised the violation of human rights of the Muslims in Assam with the Indian side. “I did have a conversation with other members of the Cabinet on this issue,” Mr. Austin was quoted saying by the NDTV. He however clarified that he “did not have an opportunity to talk to” Prime Minister Narendra Modi on reports of human rights violations targeting minority communities.

 

Kashmir Update 118: Week Mar.,8, 2021 to Mar.,14,2021

1.     China on India: Mar., 8,2021 China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday said India and China needed “to create enabling conditions for the settlement” of the boundary dispute, even as he reiterated China’s view that “the rights and wrongs” of last year’s crisis were clear. His comments came at his annual press meet along the sidelines of the on-going convening in Beijing of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the ceremonial Communist Party-controlled legislature. Mr. Wang addressed China’s relations with the United States, the EU, Japan and India among other issues. “The China-India relationship is essentially about how the world’s two largest developing countries get along and pursue development and rejuvenation together,” he said to a question on the on-going disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Mr. Wang reiterated the statement he made during a February 25 call with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar that “the boundary dispute, an issue left from history, is not the whole story of the China-India relationship”. “It is important that the two sides manage disputes properly and, at the same time, expand and enhance cooperation to create enabling conditions for the settlement of the issue,” he told reporters. “The rights and wrongs of what happened in the border area last year are clear, so are the stakes involved. It again proves that initiating confrontation will not solve the problem. Returning to peaceful negotiation is the right way forward. China’s position is very clear. We are committed to settling the boundary dispute through dialogue and consultation. At the same time, we are resolved to safeguard our sovereign rights and interests.” India has conveyed a different message, underlining that without full disengagement along the LAC, and then de-escalation, restoring normalcy in the relationship would not be possible.

2.     Australian Ex Senator on Kashmir: Mar., 8, 2021: Former Australian Senator Lee Rhiannon in her message on the eve of International Women Day has said that the idea of IWD 2021 should speak for the Kashmiri women’s demand for self-determination. Senator Lee Rhiannon in her video message on the occasion urged the world to mark International Women’s Day 2021 by standing with Kashmiri women.“The need is to expose the crimes against Kashmiri women on International Women’s Day 2021,” she added. Since 1990, around 10,000 Kashmiri women have been raped and 27,000 have been made half-widows. She added that Indian military personnel have committed these shocking crimes, but no one was charged. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/07/former-aussie-senator-speaks-for-kashmiri-women/

3.     Youth martyred: Mar., 10., 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Sopore town of Baramulla district, today.The troops martyred the youth identified as Ghani Khawaja during a cordon and search operation in Tujjer area of the town.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/09/indian-troops-launch-caso-in-baramulla-5/

4.     Britain on Kashmir: Mar., 10, 2021: Raising the Kashmir issue in his first press briefing after assuming charge as new High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to India, Alex W Ellis has said that the British government is concerned about the matter and is keen to analyze the ground situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.In his first press interaction in New Delhi, Ellis laid emphasis on changing global order and finding a just solution to the Kashmir conflict, Indian media reported. The UK envoy also expressed the desire to travel Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “We are keen to go. I think you know we talked to the government about Kashmir. We are keen to get up there to have a look,” he remarked. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/09/british-govt-concerned-about-situation-in-iiojk-says-new-envoy/

5.     Children in Kashmir: Mar., 11, 2021: The Jammu and Kashmir Police have arrested as many as 39 youths on charges of being involved in the stone-pelting incident at Srinagar city’s Jama Masjid last Friday, Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar said here on Wednesday. According to the senior police official, of them 15 youth have been slapped with the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA). “We will not allow stone pelting at any cost. We have arrested 39 stone-pelters in Srinagar recently. Fifteen of them will be booked under PSA,” IGP Kumar said during a press conference in Srinagar. The youths have been accused of stone-pelting during last Friday’s clashes between locals and government forces at Nowhatta locality on the day senior Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was expected to address the weekly congregation at the central Jama Mosque. He was, however, detained at his Nigeen residence, leading to protests. IGP Kumar also claimed that the police had arrested a group of persons who were part of a module of the terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). According to the police the group was planning a Pulwama-like IED attack in the region. “We arrested a first year bachelor’s student who was motivated through social media applications. After interrogating him four more youth were arrested,” Kumar said   https://www.newsclick.in/kashmir-fifteen-39-youths-arrested-stone-pelting-charged-PSA

6.     China’s new Five-Year Plan: Mar.,12, 2021: China on Thursday formally approved the outline of its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025)  which highlights a number of key strategic projects to be pursued as a priority, including the first dam in Tibet on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo or Brahmaputra, a Sichuan-Tibet railway line near the India border, and a push for self-sufficiency in emerging industries such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

7.     Two youth martyred: Mar., 12, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today. The youth were martyred, today, during a cordon and search operation launched by the troops in Kandipora area of the district, yesterday. A house was also damaged in the operation. The authorities suspended internet service in Islamabad district immediately after the killing. The martyred youth were identified as Adil Ahmad Butt, a resident of Bijbehara and Zahid Ahmad Rather, a resident of Sirhama, Islamabad district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/03/11/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-iiojk-5/

 

 

Kashmir Update 117: Week Mar.,1, 2021 to Mar.,7,2021

1.     Children in Kashmir : Feb., 28, 2021:  Speakers at a webinar hosted by Kashmir Institute of International Relations (KIIR) and World Muslim Congress (WMC) made a passionate appeal to the international community urging it to stand up for the rights of Kashmiri children who have been the worst victims of the lingering dispute and Indian state terrorism. Hosted in Islamabad as a sideline event of the ongoing 46th Session of United Nations Human Rights Council, the webinar titled “Forgotten children of Kashmir conflict” was participated and addressed by noted human rights activists, scholars, academicians and international experts including His Excellency Ambassador Dr Shahid Ameen Khan, World Chairman and Ambassador at Large, International Human Rights Commission; Ms Danielle Khan Special Assistant to Dean Eliot A Cohen at Johns Hopkins Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies; Rana Shama Nazir, Chairperson British Kashmiri Women Council, UK; Barrister Nida Salam, British-Kashmiri Barrister; Ms Marrina Zucca, Human Rights Activist Italy; Dr Shaheen Shora, Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Lead for Mental Health Services, Hertfordshire, UK; Mr Ahmed Bin Qasim, son of political prisoners Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo and Aasiya Andrabi; and Prof Shugafta Ashraf, Amb. Ibhrim Dadu Said of Lebanon, whereas the event was moderated by the KIIR Chairman, Altaf Hussain Wani. The speakers while highlighting the plight of Kashmiri children said that decade-old conflict has left the life of Kashmiri children completely devastated. “Besides affecting the mental and physical health of children the unending violence has rendered their future bleak”, they said adding that the life of Kashmiris especially the children who have always been at the receiving end has sadly been crippled by the long-running dispute.“The fact remains that no facet of life in Kashmir has been left unaffected from the brutal war. However, being a vulnerable segment of the society children in Kashmir have been the worst victims of direct and indirect forms of violence and brutality, which has left indelible imprints of war on their memory. The atmosphere of violence has virtually robbed them of their childhood activities and cherished memories. Grown up witnessing nothing but the sounds of gunshots, killings and cries of the injured, the children have literally lost the meaning of childhood,” they said. The speakers maintained that like other parts of the world, children of Kashmir deserve the right to live a peaceful life in a violence-free environment. They said, these silent sufferers of the conflict deserve the right to health and education. “Hundreds of innocent children have fallen to the bullets of Indian army while thousands of others have become orphans after losing their parents, and many have been left to rot in detention and interrogation centers without any fault. Young generation of Kashmir has been searing in the flames of withering injustice, discrimination,” the deplored. The speakers said apart from dire economic impact, the violence has cast a dark shadow on the physical and mental health of Kashmiri children. “Having seen their loved ones killed by firing of the Indian army the Kashmiri children have been under tremendous mental depression. Anxiety, fear and trauma occupy their early emotional state has led to other psycho-social problems. The conflict has snatched from them the most cherished childhood days,” they added. Referring to impact of violence on education of children, the speakers said that due to many psycho-social problems many orphan children could not continue their education and some of them are studying in orphanages run by socio-religious organizations. Ahmed bin Qasim, son of political prisoners Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo and Aasiya Andrabi, highlighted the suffering of his parents and family. He said his mother has spent over 12 years of her life in prison and his father was jailed just two months after Ahmed was born. “The people of Kashmir call my father the Nelson Mandela of Kashmir – I just hope he too is a free man one day in a free Kashmir. Now my father is serving a life sentence and was recently shifted to a jail outside Indian illegally occupied Jammu and I am not alone Kashmiri – every Kashmiri child has such harrowing stories of the atrocities inflicted on us by the occupying Indian forces,” Qasim added.The speakers said that like other parts of the world, children of Kashmir deserve the right to live a peaceful life in a violence-free environment. They said that it was incumbent upon the global community to play its due role to help secure the future of Kashmiri children and make India accountable for its crimes against humanity in IIOJK. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/27/webinar-seeks-end-to-violence-against-children-in-iiojk/

2.     LoC  ceasefire: Mar., 2, 2021:   ceasefire suddenly reinstated on Thursday is holding along the Line of Control (LoC) which divides the hotly disputed state, mystery surrounds the circumstances in which the South Asian foes agreed to call a halt to the thousands of skirmishes that have taken place along the LoC since their air forces clashed in February 2019. Coming so soon after the February 11 agreement between India and China to end their military stand-off in the Ladakh region, the timing of the ceasefire reinstatement with Pakistan suggests the moves may have been choreographed with China, analysts said. The analysts also believe the newly installed administration of US President Joe Biden was in the loop, if not actively involved, because it wants Pakistan fully invested in persuading its Taliban allies to agree to a political settlement for Afghanistan “The surprise would be if the four capitals did not discuss all these elements – especially since this conversation, as we know from Trump’s super-public statements, has been ongoing for a while, in one way or the other,” said Indian security analyst Praveen Swami. “From India’s perspective, it may make sense to lower temperatures with Islamabad to free up more policy space to focus on the China issue,” said Michael Kugelman, senior South Asia associate at the Wilson Centre, a Washington-based think tank.  “The onus of creating an enabling environment for further progress rests with India,” Khan said. “India must take necessary steps to meet the long-standing demand and right of the Kashmiri people to self determination.”  Analysts in India, Pakistan and the United States  are in consensus that the restoration of the ceasefire is the result of months of secretly conducted diplomacy involving Modi’s national security adviser Ajit Doval. His Pakistani counterpart Moeed Yusuf has denied taking part, so it remains unclear who represented Pakistan. The decision to participate would undoubtedly have come from its top military leadership, which exercises a veto over foreign and defence policymaking. The first indication of a thaw between the two countries came in a February 2 speech by Pakistan’s army chief of staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, by far the country’s most powerful decision maker. “It is time to extend a hand of peace in all directions,” he told an audience of Pakistan Air Force cadets. The ceasefire restoration deal “is a huge development in South Asia. India-Pakistan relations have been really bad, especially since August 2019. In addition, 2020 was a bloody year on the LoC. Both armies and civilians along the border suffered substantial losses, said Asfandyar Mir, a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University in California. “The real question is why did India agree to this now? Given the infiltration levels along the LoC are down and Pakistan has taken some action against one major jihadist group, it is possible India believes it has obtained some nominal goals so it is time to take an off-ramp,” Mir said. Last year, Pakistani courts convicted and jailed leaders of Jamaatud Dawah on charges of financing terrorism. The group was responsible for the November 2008 terrorist attacks on Mumbai in which 166 people were killed. Echoing Kugelman of the Wilson Centre, Mir said it was more likely that “India’s continued engagements with China led Indian policymakers to believe that they need to lower the level of hostility with Pakistan.” Many analysts believe the restoration of the LoC ceasefire is the first step of a broader re-engagement between India and Pakistan that is likely to follow a scheduled set of tentative confidence-building measures, such as the posting of ambassadors after a two-year hiatus. “It is likely to be received positively by the new Biden administration and China,” Mir said  https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3123558/china-behind-mystery-kashmir-ceasefire-between-india-and?utm_medium=email&utm_source=mailchimp&utm_campaign=enlz-scmp_china&utm_content=20210302&tpcc=enlz-scmp_china&MCUID=5db4b6f7af&MCCampaignID=2a393a0d70&MCAccountID=3775521f5f542047246d9c827&tc=26

3.     US on Kashmir; Mar., 5,2021:The United States has welcomed the steps taken to return Jammu and Kashmir to full economic and political normalcy consistent with India's democratic values. It also said that there is no change in its policy on J&K and it will continue to follow the developments in the region closely. "We continue to follow developments in Jammu and Kashmir closely, our policy has not changed. We welcome steps to return the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to full economic and political normalcy consistent with India's democratic values," US State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Thursday. While stressing that the United States has a strategic partnership with India, Price asserted that they will continue to work with Pakistani authorities for shared interests."They are not a zero-sum proposition when it comes to US foreign policy. We have productive, constructive relations, and productive and constructive relationships with one do not detract from the relationship we have with the other. It does not come at the expense of the relationship we have with the other," Price said. https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/we-continue-to-follow-developments-in-jammu-and-kashmir-closely-policy-not-changed-us-state-department/727798

4.     Journalists in IOK: Mar., 7, 2021: Two journalists in Srinagar were allegedly manhandled by the Jammu and Kashmir police on Friday when an incident of stone-pelting broke out outside the Jamia Masjid. Shafat Farooq, a multimedia journalist at BBC Urdu, said doctors at Bone and Joint Hospital Srinagar diagnosed him with a “soft injury” on his back and gave him medication. The Wire has seen a copy of his hospital card confirming the injury. According to Farooq, he was caught on the wrong side of the clashes between police and protesters and was assaulted. “I joined my fellow journalists when the police came towards us and started chasing us,” he said. “While they ran away, I pulled up near a police van near a safer area and that’s when I felt something heavy ramming against my back. It was butt of a gun that a cop was holding. I immediately fled,” he said. Saqib Majeed, a photojournalist whose work has been featured in several international publications, alleged that a police officer held him violently to point of “choking”.  “There was already a ruckus inside the mosque because worshippers were probably angry when they realised that Mirwaiz was not arriving,” Majeed said. “Then we heard a commotion and went outside. I put myself on the side of the police. That’s what we always do. When police began chasing the protesters, I also raced down the street leading to the mosque for a better angle. That’s when an officer wrapped an arm around my neck,” he said. A group of journalists later confronted the police over the assault. The confrontation was filmed and put on social media showing cops engaging in a heated verbal exchange with the reporters and camerapersons. The incident has renewed concerns over the decline in press freedom in the erstwhile state, which has been subject to several restrictions that critics believe severely undermine the ability of journalists to report without fear. The police also summoned Fahad Shah, the editor of Kashmir Walla, an English language weekly in connection with a video story and a news item that appeared on the outlet’s Twitter handle and the website.  When his colleagues put out tweets and raised alarm over his summoning to the Safa Kadal police station in Srinagar, the Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based watchdog, took notice of the matter and urged authorities to release Shah immediately. “Srinagar police summoned Fahad Shah, the editor of The Kashmir Walla, today at 6:30 pm in relation to a news story published by the outlet, according to his colleague Yashraj Sharma,” it said in a tweet. “Shah is yet to come out of the police station, Sharma added. CPJ demands his immediate release.” At 10:02 pm, Fahad tweeted out the confirmation of his release. “They had called me in connection with an FIR filed on May 19 when the police objected to our coverage of the gun-battle that had taken place in Nawa Kadal,” he told The Wire. “Police said I was exaggerating the incidents”  Shah is an alumnus of SOAS University of London where he was enrolled as a Felix scholar in 2013. He has also edited an anthology, Of Occupation and Resistance: Writings from Kashmir, published by Tranquebar Press. He is currently working on two books. He is also a correspondent at the Christian Science Monitor, an American newspaper and has been featured in publications like Time Magazine, Atlantic, Guardian and Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy. “I can simply go and work in the US and UK. But I feel I should stay in Kashmir and contribute to this place in spite of such a suffocating and press-averse environment,” he said. India’s press freedom ranking has seen a consistent decline over the last few years. Last week, Freedom House downgraded India’s status from ‘free’ to ‘partly free’ and among the reasons listed for this demotion was Modi government’s crackdown on “expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society groups, and protesters”. Authorities in J&K have also issued a slew of new policies that restrict media freedom. In 2020, the Department of Information and Public Relations J&K enacted a media policy that threatens to strike off newspapers from official empanelment and punish reporters and editors for “anti-national” coverage. Last year J&K police charged two Kashmiri journalists under anti terrorism laws. FIRs have also been lodged against Peerzada Ashiq, a reporter with The Hindu, Sajad Gul, journalism student at Central University in Ganderbal, Yashraj Sharma, senior editor at Kashmir Walla and Mir Junaid and Qazi Shibli, who work for The Kashmiriyat, an online news venture. Previously, the J&K government also pulled advertisements from newspapers allegedly over their coverage. Last month, authorities de-empanelled 34 newspapers, suspended ads for 13 and issued notices to 17 for alleged “malpractice”. Last year, the government also seized the office of the Srinagar bureau of the Kashmir Times newspaper. https://thewire.in/rights/srinagar-journalists-allege-manhandling-by-police-amidst-clashes-at-jamia-masjid

 

 

5.   

Kashmir Update 116: Week Feb.,22, 2021 to Feb.,28,2021

1.     Iran on Kashmir: Feb., 21, 2021: Iran has called for the need to respect the rights of the people of Kashmir in ‘determining their own destiny’ and their human rights. The foreign Minister of Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Javed Zarif while answering a question during an interview with state-run Press Tv said, “Our policy has been very clear. We emphasise the need to respect the rights of people of all places, including Kashmiris, their human rights, and their right to determine their own destiny.” Last year Iran’s Foreign Ministry had expressed concerns over the tear-gassing and pellet firing on a Muharram procession in Kashmir. https://thekashmirwalla.com/2021/02/iran-respects-right-of-kashmiris-to-determine-their-own-destiny-foreign-minister/

2.     Arms denied to India: Feb., 21, 2021: In a big snub to India, over its “poor human rights record” in the illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the German government declined license to two firms planning small arms export. Though Germany is India’s sixth-largest trading partner and its largest trading partner from the European Union, it feared that their small arms could be used against the civilian population in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). According to a report published in Telegraph India, the concerns over the security forces’ human rights record in Jammu and Kashmir had raised a barrier before Germany’s small arms exports to India.Two Indian security officials familiar with the bar on German small arms producers said these companies had failed to obtain export licences from their government on account of the “poor human rights record” in Kashmir. The report also revealed that a Belgian arms manufacturer too had recently walked out of a deal to supply arms to India’s army amid concerns in the Belgian government that the weapons would be used in Jammu and Kashmir. Belgium’s FN Herstal had signed the Rs 70-crore deal in 2020 to supply small arms and assault rifles to the army’s Special Frontier Force (SFF). Reports have said that German arms manufacturer Heckler and Koch, whose MP5 submachine guns have been part of the armoury of the National Security Guards (NSG) and Marine Commando (Marcos) units, has withdrawn from the Indian market saying it lacked approval from the German government. In November 2019, three months after the Centre had revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and restricted movement and communication, Germany had expressed reservations about the clampdown and concern for the people of the region. Germany had earlier too restricted arms export to India citing poor human rights records in states such as Gujarat, Manipur, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. According to the Telegraph India, a defence ministry official recalled that Germany had, during the Kargil conflict of 1999, halted technology transfer for India’s indigenously made Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv and withheld replacement parts and supplies for German equipment.   https://dunyanews.tv/en/World/589069-Germany-declines-arms-export-to-India-for-poor-human-rights-record

3.     Dr Fais solution: Feb., 22, 2021: Kashmir is internationally recognized as a disputed territory whose final status is yet to be determined by the people. Both India and Pakistan have nuclear weapons and have fought three wars during the past 73 years. This is a matter that urgently needs to be put on a road to find a just and viable solution.. Any effort to resolve the conflict requires confronting the issue directly and honestly, and that is something that seems difficult for the Government of India to do. India does not want to resolve the Kashmir conflict but to dissolve it. India wants Kashmir issue to be buried under the rug when the issue is raised in the international community by alleging that it is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and no one else’s business. It could be strictly a bilateral issue if forthrightness was involved. It may also be mentioned here that India presents a wholly false picture of the situation in Kashmir. The agenda of the Indian government and its various mouthpieces to mislead the public about the conflict in and about Kashmir continues on unimpeded. New Delhi has tried to weave a smokescreen with some unfounded myths, which seek to discredit the genuine struggle of the people. But these ploys will never be able to cover up the reality and sufferings of people in the Jammu & Kashmir. India has particularly failingly tried to equate Kashmiri people with fundamentalism. I want to debunk this myth created by India that Kashmir is an issue of fundamentalism. Here are few latest shining examples of diversity in Kashmir: Daily Kashmir Observer reported that Muslims helped a Hindu family in the cremation process of a man who died in the Maisuma area of Srinagar city on February 8, 2021. According to reports, one Rakesh Kumar breathed his last on Monday. Muslim neighbours arranged everything required for the cremation process. Locals said they arranged a priest and shouldered the dead body upto the cremation ground;  India’s leading newspaper, Hinsdustan Times reported on May 1, 2020. Muslim men help Hindu man’s kin conduct his funeral rites in north Kashmir’s Uri. Due to the lockdown, the relatives of the deceased could not reach the place for his funeral and no vehicle was available to carry the body to the cremation ground. Members of the Muslim community helped in performing the last rites of their Hindu neighbour (54-year-old Shekhar Kumar) in north Kashmir’s Uri town amid the nationwide lockdown. Deceased’s son Ghautam Kumar said that the Muslim community has always helped them in tough times. ‘It was not possible to perform my father’s last rites without their support,’ he said; India’s another daily, The Hindu, reported on June 5, 2020. “Local Muslims made special arrangements to perform the last rites (of Mrs. Rani Bhat– a Hindu). Firewood was arranged for cremation. The body was also shouldered by Muslims. It’s our duty to ensure that we are with our Pandit neighbours in thick and thin,’ Abdul Qadir, a Muslim villager, said. Joginder Singh Raina of the All Party Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) said “Kashmir is about Kashmiriyat which means brotherhood…Sikhs settled in city during the turmoil but never went away but now Kashmiri Pandits should also come and live together like us.”  I believe the best solution of this dilemma is that the Pandit brethren should return to the Valley and the majority community must open their hearts and minds in order to give them moral support and sense of security. The rights and culture of Kashmiri Pandits must be respected and protected at all costs. Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani, President, JKCHR has expressed the sentiments of the majority community in these words. “ My teachers at the Higher Secondary School, College and at the University were Kashmiri Pandits. Men and women of great character and stature. Many close friends were Kashmiri Pandits. They would let me into their homes except their kitchen. It did not bother me. The trusting atmosphere was overwhelming and I did not have time to consider the merits of ‘kitchen’ being a no go area. I felt sorry for their exodus in 1990. The sense of glee and emotion is uncontrollable, whenever a Kashmiri Pandit visits his or her home in Kashmir. Therefore, I raised the issue of their rights at the UN Human Rights Commission and Sub Commission in Geneva.” The Biden administration faces two options with regard to Kashmir. First, it can continue the Trump administration policy of ignoring the Kashmiri dispute while warning India and Pakistan against going to war with each other. Besides condoning the atrocities being committed in Kashmir, this policy rests on a tacit agreement between India and Pakistan that war between them is unacceptable. With the growth of fascist ruling party in India, however, such an agreement is extremely vulnerable. The prospect of a nuclear exchange in the subcontinent, which contains a fifth of the world's population, cannot be dismissed in the event of an outbreak of hostilities. The second U.S. option is to play a more activist mediating role by initiating a new peace process for Kashmir. This could take the shape of a quadrilateral dialogue involving the U.S., India, Pakistan and Kashmir, or an appropriate use of the new mechanisms and abilities of the United Nations. In either case the U.S. would supply the necessary catalyst for a settlement.

 

4.     UN report on Kashmir: A UN report on held Kashmir has greatly damaged India’s narrative on Kashmir which it was trying to build for two years. In the report, the UN experts voiced their concern over India's decision to revoke the occupied Kashmir's autonomy and enact laws that could curtail the political participation of Muslims and other minorities. They also said Muslims and other minority groups stood to lose on issues such as employment and land ownership. The statement by Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on minority issues, and Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, was released as diplomats from nearly two dozen countries concluded a two-day visit to the occupied valley arranged by the Modi Sarkar. Thus, it had more impact and greatly hurt the narrative that India was building for the foreign diplomats. The UN experts noted that on August 5, 2019, India "unilaterally and without consultation" revoked the constitutional special status of the region and passed the so-called domicile rules in May 2020 which removed protections given to those from the occupied territory. Subsequent changes to land laws are further eroding these protections in the only state in India with a Muslim majority. “The loss of autonomy and the imposition of direct rule by the government in New Delhi suggests the people of Jammu and Kashmir no longer have their own government and have lost power to legislate or amend laws in the region to ensure the protection of their rights as minorities,” the UN experts said.“The number of successful applicants for domicile certificates that appear to be from outside Jammu and Kashmir raises concerns that demographic change on a linguistic, religious and ethnic basis is already under way,” the statement added.“These legislative changes may have the potential to pave the way for people from outside the former state of Jammu and Kashmir to settle in the region, alter the demographics of the region and undermine the minorities’ ability to exercise effectively their human rights,” the experts said.  The festering problem has led to the barbaric killings of thousands of people in the valley, including women and children. They said India, to counter the impact of the Kashmir Solidarity Day in Pakistan, arranged the visit, which was immediately sabotaged by the UN rights report. Soon after the diplomats’ visit, three policemen were killed in attacks in the disputed region, two of them in held Srinagar, showing the conflict was not frozen in time and no matter how many guided tours were arranged, ground realities in the disputed region remained the same. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/793711-un-report-on-held-kashmir-setback-for-india

5.     Modi’s visit to Kashmir: Feb., 23, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference has reiterated its appeal to the people of Jammu and Kashmir asking them to observe complete shutdown on the proposed visit of Narendra Modi, the fascist and killer Prime Minister of India, black day would be observed while black flags be displayed in every nook and corner of the territory as a mark of strong protest against the visit.The spokesman while condemning the barbaric and ruthless behaviour of the fascist regime of India, said that after the abrogation of Article 370 and other land laws, the demography of the territory witnessed drastic changes on the ground level.“Millions of domicile certificates have been issued to the non-state subject Hindus to convert the Muslim majority status of Jammu and Kashmir into a minority area.” Terming the Indian policy on Kashmir as a replica of Israel’s policy, the spokesman urged the United Nations Secretary General to take a legal action against India’s illegal intervention in the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir.The spokesman said India has unleashed a reign of terror and violence particularly after August 5, 2019 to suppress the will of the people by its military might. The spokesman reiterated the APHC stance that the people of Kashmir, as a matter of their birth right, demand free and fair plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nations to find out the solution to the Kashmir dispute. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/22/aphc-reiterates-call-for-shutdown-on-modis-visit-to-iiojk/

6.     Turkey on Kashmir: Feb., 24 2021: The Legal Forum for Oppressed Voices of Kashmir (LFOVK) Tuesday extended its gratitude to foreign minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu for expressing the aspirations of Kashmiris at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to seek an end of illegal Indian occupation from Jammu and Kashmir. "We reiterate our call to the Indian government to ease the current restrictions in Jammu and Kashmir. We wish the resolution of the issue through peaceful means on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions and legitimate expectations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," said a news release while quoting Turkey foreign minister address to 46th session of the UNHRC on February 22. The Turkey statement  comes on the heels of observations made by Genocide Watch (an independent US-based watch dog) that; "The Indian government's actions in Kashmir have been an extreme case of persecution and could very well lead to genocide. At present the [Kashmir] valley is suffering from a 'pre-genocidal' situation." Turkey's stand on Kashmir should awaken the UNHRC, and world community, on Kashmir which must call a special session to discuss the humanitarian crisis in the region and seek implementation of right to self-determination in the disputed region, it added. The LFOVK sought establishment of war crimes tribunal under UNHRC and international support to prosecute the Indian occupational forces to take them to task for the heinous crimes committed in the occupied territory. These vicious crimes must shake conscious of UNHRC members and they must do what is necessary: hold India accountable. According to LFOVK research, more than 470 people, including armed rebels and occupational Indian troops, were killed in gunfights and "staged" clashes in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020. Indian forces also killed some 65 civilians "extra-judicially", meaning in staged gunfights.  https://www.urdupoint.com/en/kashmir/lfovk-hails-turkeys-call-for-justice-on-kash-1175514.html  

7.     Youth martyred: Feb., 25, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a violent cordon and search operation in Srigufwara area of the district. Occupation authorities suspended internet service in the district to prevent dissemination of information about the brutalities of Indian forces in the area.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/24/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iiojk/

8.     Cease fire: Feb., 26, 2021: Pakistan and India have agreed to the strict observance of all agreements, understandings and ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) and all other sectors, with effect from Wednesday midnight. “In the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders, the two Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns which have propensity to disturb peace and lead to violence,” a joint statement said, referring to the military operations heads of the two countries. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the DGMOs of the two countries held discussions over the established mechanism of hotline contact. "Ninety two per cent of the figures shared occurred between 2014 and 2021," he said, adding that 49 women and 26 children have been martyred in the last four years. He said that the year 2019 witnessed the most ceasefire violations while 2018 had the most casualties. "After the understanding between the two countries, it has been agreed to implement the 2003 ceasefire in letter and spirit," he said. 33 civilians martyred, 260 injured by Indian shelling in AJK in 2020.Indian troops committed more than 2,900 ceasefire violations across the LoC in 2020, leaving as many as 33 innocent civilians martyred and another 260 wounded in different parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). “Not only the civilians, they also targeted the UN military observers in this year while they were on a routine monitoring mission along the LoC,'' the minister had said, referring to the Dec 18 shooting at a UN vehicle in Poonch district. https://www.dawn.com/news/1609331/pakistan-india-agree-on-strict-observance-of-all-agreements-ceasefire-along-loc-ispr

9.     OIC on Kashmir : Feb., 26, 2021: The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Dr Yousef bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen has reaffirmed the OIC’s commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms, including in Jammu and Kashmir. The OIC Secretary General made the statement in his address to the High-Level Segment of the ongoing 46th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). The UNHRC’s session, which commenced on February 22, will continue till March 23 in a virtual mode. He said, this session takes place at a time when the world is facing numerous challenges affecting peace, security, human rights and development. “The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on all aspects of life and especially on human rights. It has exacerbated social inequality and vulnerability,” he said.Dr Al-Othaimeen highlighted the massive Israeli human rights violations against the Palestinian people, the human rights situation in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the post-conflict rehabilitation and reconstruction in Nagorno-Karabakh of Azerbaijan, the situation of the Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar and other Muslim communities in non-OIC member states. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/25/in-address-to-unhrc-oic-chief-mentions-hr-situation-in-iiojk/

10. US role in Thaw; Feb., 27, 2021: A little more than a month into Joe Biden’s presidency, the United States has played the Big Brother by bringing quarreling south Asian nations — India, Pakistan, and China — on the dialogue table to ensure greater stability in the region long considered a nuclear flashpoint. India and Pakistan have reached an agreement to uphold the ceasefire on the de facto borders of Jammu and Kashmir for “mutually beneficial and sustainable peace”, potentially bringing an end to several years of hostilities and countless loss of lives and property. The two countries, partitioned in 1947, have agreed to address “each other’s core issues”. Pakistan has stated that its only dispute with India is over Kashmir. New Delhi is yet to react to the statement but has sent out feelers for possible diplomatic negotiations. On India’s eastern front, it has reached an agreement with China to de-escalate the border situation in Ladakh, formerly a part of J-K. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed that India hasn’t lost any territory to China but independent reports suggest otherwise.The US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that the Biden administration since the outset had urged India and Pakistan to reduce tensions. Biden took oath as the president on 20 January this year. “You’ve heard me say from this podium and others from this administration say that we had called on the parties to reduce tensions along the LoC by returning to that 2003 ceasefire agreement,” he said at a press briefing in Washington yesterday. Sushant Singh, a senior fellow at the New Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research, wrote in the India Forum that “more public engagements and meetings are likely to be announced soon” between India and Pakistan.   administration’s indifference in its wake led Pakistan further closer to China. The hyper-nationalist Modi government — famous for its “we will attack them on their territory” stance on its neighbours – projects itself as immune to foreign intervention but has softened its stand after Biden won the historic general election in the US. https://thekashmirwalla.com/2021/02/us-role-evident-in-india-pakistan-bonhomie/

11. UNHRC on Kashmir: Feb., 28, 2021: Bachelet also spoke on the situation in Kashmir, noting that restrictions on communications and clampdowns on civil society activists “remain of concern”. She observed that despite the restoration of 4G access for the first time since August 2019 in Kashmir, the “communications blockade has seriously hampered civic participation, as well as business, livelihoods, education, and access to health-care and medical information”.”Raids against human rights defenders in October and November exemplify the continued restrictions on civil society, and resulting impact on the rights of the people of Kashmir to impart and receive information, and to engage in free, open debate on Government policies affecting them,” she noted.   https://thewire.in/rights/un-human-rights-chief-michele-bachelet-farmers-protests-sedition-charges-social-media-curbs-kashmir

12. Journalist: Feb., 28, 2021: The Clooney Foundation for Justice will monitor the trial of  award winning Kashmiri journalist Aasif Sultan who has been detained in Kashmir for over two and a half years and faces the death penalty if convicted. Sultan is a journalist who reported on human rights and political issues for the Kashmir Narrator. He has been imprisoned since his arrest in August 2018 and was only indicted five months later. He is now charged with supporting the terrorist group, Hizbul Mujahideen, and conspiring to kill a police officer. If convicted after trial, he faces the death penalty. Press and human rights organisations believe the charges actually stem from Sultan’s reports on the killing of a Kashmiri militant by Indian security forces. The killing set off anti-government demonstrations in Kashmir in July 2016. The indictment cites Sultan’s social media posts and letter pads of the Hizbul Mujahideen at his home as evidence of his involvement with the banned group. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), after the group called for Sultan’s release in The Washington Post, the Jammu and Kashmir police  responded on Twittersaying that Sultan was not being held for his work but for “hatching a criminal conspiracy, harbouring and supporting terrorists who martyred a police constable.” He is one of a number of journalists in Kashmir who appear to have been detained, investigated, or prosecuted in connection with their journalistic activities under counterterrorism and related laws. https://thewire.in/media/clooney-foundation-to-monitor-trial-of-kashmiri-journalist-detained-for-over-2-years

   

Kashmir Update 115: Week Feb.,15, 2021 to Feb.,21,2021

1.     37th. anniversary of Mqbool Bhat commemorated: Feb., 15. 2021: Kashmiri diaspora commemorated the 37th anniversary of the martyrdom of Kashmiri icon Maqbool Butt with a renewed commitment to achieve the hero's dream: self-determination as prescribed by the United Nations, international law, and moral justice. Since his execution, February 11 has been observed b y all Kashmiris as a black day of mourning for the martyr of a brave Kashmiri statesman. This year’s webinar was attended by speakers from the United States and abroad. Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum said, “11 February is a somber day but at the same time a day of remembrance and a day to revitalize our resolve to be true to the mission of Martyr Maqbool Bhat. Maqbool Bhat's life has inspired countless Kashmiris to persist in the struggle for self-determination against India's intransigence. His vision of a free and fair Kashmiri self-determination on its sovereign destiny did not die with his death. He gave his life for the cause because he believed in it with all sincerity and honesty.” Maqbool Bhat gave a lesson to the generations to come that it is very hard but only choice to accept martyrdom instead of slavery. His courage demonstrated such savagery would backfire, and intensify the Kashmir resistance.  Dr. Fai added, while we must pay rich tributes to the memory of this great martyr, our true tribute will be emancipation of the Kashmiri people from under the Indian brutal occupation and senseless subjugation. Javed Rathore continued: “Indian authorities could jail Maqbool Bhat and silence him by execution but they could not silence his ultimate desire - the struggle for the people of Kashmir. The spirit of Maqbool Bhat is alive. Today, he is an inspiration to millions of Kashmiris and those striving for human rights and human dignity. Claire Bidwel, Chairperson, “Let Kashmiris Decide” Scotland,discussed in detilas her initiative to shake the conscience of the world leaders to come to rescue the leader of Kashmiri political resistance movement – Mohammad Yasin Malik. Her signature campaign has already received thousands of responses all over the world. Ariful Haq Arif, senior most journalist who knew Maqbool Bhat personally when he met him in Karachi, quoted him saying, “We faced every form of torture with the belief that this (new) challenge we are facing will ultimately bring revolution to our thinking.” Arif said that Maqbool Butt was certainly a charismatic leader who gave his today for the betterment of tomorrow. His dastardly death will inspire living Kashmiris for ages. Dr. Zulfiqar Kazmi, a well-known scholar said that Maqbool Butt was undoubtedly, a selfless leader and we, the people of Kashmir miss him dearly. His dastardly death will inspire living Kashmiris for the ages, just as Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination did in the United States. Sardar Shoaib Irshad, the organizer of the webinar, quoted Maqbool Bhat Shaheed, “The children of oppressors are provided with all the luxuries and comfort of the world, but the children of resistance leaders are not attracted to these kinds of luxuries and comfort. They get satisfaction from struggling against the system of oppression.” Dr. Akhlaq Barlas, prominent Kashmir scholar and leader said, Maqbool Butt was hanged by India's authorities for protesting their illegal and iron-fisted occupation of Kashmir since 1947. Kashmiri diaspora must get united and seek representation from all zones of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. Mohammad Arshad Shah, (Canada) said, Maqbool Bhat had previously been tortured and inhumanely imprisoned as part of India's state sponsored terrorism in the disputed territory of Kashmir. We must intensify our activities so that his mission remains alive. Sardar Naseem Iqbal (England), a well-known community leader, urged everybody to take a leaf from the long history of Kashmir which is full of trials and tribulations. Those who contemplate on the past will ultimately come closer to achieve their objective – the freedom for the people of the State of Jammu & Kashmir. Sardar Zulfiqar Roshan Khan spoke from Islamabad that the sacrifice of Shaheed Maqbool Bhat will never be wasted. The blood of Kashmiri martyrs brings the goal for freedom and justice nearer. Sardar Zubair Khan said that the lesson of the martyrdom of Bhat Sahib is that we should be consciously ready to give sacrifices for the cause as was demonstrated by our leader. Sardar Aftab Roshan Khan said that Maqbool Bhat has given us an important message that we may have to give more sacrifices till the whole nation is liberated. Tariq Khan, Canada said that the decision of Raja Farooq Haider, the prime minister of Azad Kashmir to announce February 11th a holiday is the right step in the right direction. But on this day, we must highlight the contribution of Maqbool Bhat to our younger generation through organizing seminar, debates and conferences. Raja Liaqat Kiyani, President, Kashmir House, Washington said that people of Azad Kashmir are united in pursuing the mission of Maqbool Bhat irrespective of their party affiliations and political beliefs. Sardar Zarif Khan, President, Washington Chapter of Kashmir Solidarity Council and the emcee of the event, said Maqbool Butt was undoubtedly, a selfless leader and we, the people of Kashmir miss him dearly. While paying tribute to Shaheed Maqbool Bhat, Zarif said that worldly luxuries meant nothing to Bhat. He always preferred a day of freedom to a life of luxuries without any freedom. At the conclusion of the event, it was demanded that the Government of India return the mortal remains of Shaheed Maqbool Bhat and Shaheed Afzal Guru to their relatives in Kashmir. It has been a sacrilege to have kept them in India for thirty-seven callous years respectively. Other speakers included:Hamid Malik; Shakeel Ahmed Janjua ; Sajjad Baloch; Zahid Khan; Aftab Khan; Azmat Khan; Mujeeb Kazi; Raheel Shaikh

2.     4G restoration: Feb., 16, 2021: Asaduddin Owaisi said that instead of taking an all-party delegation to J&K the saffron party is presenting its third report card to European diplomats. Calling it “embarrassing”, Owaisi further claimed that 4G mobile Internet service in the Union Territory was restored after US pressure. https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/bjp-internationalised-kashmir-issue-says-owaisi-claims-restoration-of-4g-was-done-under-us-pressure/720200

3.     US and China on Kashmir: Feb., 16, 2021: There is more to: Biden’s telephone call to Modi; and the LaC troop pullback by China and India., than meets the eye. Since then 4G has been restored and Shah has claimed that full statehood is around the corner for J&K.  Chinese actions related to the LaC are said to stem from: distrust of the BBP – Modi government; and to the change in status of J&K. The Chinese deem these are unilateral changes made to an area that is in dispute between three States and has UN and International recognition as a disputed area. The recent agreement to pull back troops from one part of the LaC and subsequent Interior Minister Shah’s statement on the status of J&K seems connected. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had both made some statements related to the Kashmir issue (and on status of minorities in India) during the election campaign.  . The recent telephone call between Biden and Modi , was reported to be about bilateral issues but :democratic values’ and human rights were mentioned. The restoration of 4G (since then partly withdrawn) has something to do with this telephone call.

4.     EU: Feb., 17, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, complete strike will be observed, tomorrow, on the expected visit of a selected European parliamentary group to the territory. The visit has been arranged by the Indian authorities.  the EU parliamentarians’ arranged visit is a ploy to hoodwink the international community. They pointed out that the paid visit is a disgrace to the world because those who call themselves true democrats are making entertainment trips to the imprisoned paradise on earth.    https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/16/complete-shutdown-in-iiojk-tomorrow/

5.     EU Kashmir visit: Feb., 18, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, complete strike was observed, today, to register protest against the visit of a selected European parliamentary group completely controlled by Modi-led fascist Indian government to mislead the international community about the ground situation of the territory. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/17/complete-shutdown-observed-in-iiojk-today/

6.     UN : Feb., 19, 2021”“The loss of autonomy and the imposition of direct rule by the Government in New Delhi suggests the people of Jammu and Kashmir no longer have their own government and have lost power to legislate or amend laws in the region to ensure the protection of their rights as minorities”, Fernand de Varennes, Special Rapporteur on minority issues, and Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, said in a statement. https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/02/1085112

7.     EU: Feb., 19, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Harriet Conference has said that the complete and exemplary shutdown in the territory on Wednesday against the nefarious designs and ploys of India to hoodwink the international community is an eye-opener for New Delhi as well as the visiting team of European envoys. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/18/exemplary-shutdown-in-iiojk-an-eye-opener-for-india-eu-delegation-aphc/

8.     Tlaib on Kashmir: feb., 19, 2021:  US Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) spoke at the February 5 webinar sponsored by Justice for All, Tlaib introduced a resolution in Congress “condemning the human rights violations taking place in Jammu and Kashmir and supporting Kashmiri self-determination.”  Ahmed bin Qasim, a journalist with the Turkish   TRT World, joined Tlaib at the Kashmir solidarity  .During the webinar, UK parliamentarian Afzal Khan described J&K as “one of the oldest unresolved dispute[s] on the UN books.” He added, “the suffering of the Kashmiri people is not new, but it’s been going on for more than 70 plus years. And what is sad is that the suffering is actually increasing by the day.” “We have truth on our side and we always will because every single child that is harmed will continue to speak the truth even years later as they try to pretend it never happened,” Tlaib said. “And as a daughter of Palestinian immigrants, I see it happening to my ancestors, my family, every single day.” https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/02/18/rashida-tlaib-speaks-at-kashmir-event-featuring-jihad-supporters/

9.     Youth martyred: Feb., 20, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/19/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiris-in-iioj 

Kashmir Update 114: Week Feb.,8, 2021 to Feb.,14,2021

1.     US on Kashmir: Feb., 8, 2021: The US State Department has stressed India to fully protect the basic human rights in Held Kashmir. “Pakistan and India should work out for the reduction of tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) and start positive dialogue on the Kashmir issue,” the Urdu spokesperson of the State Department Zed Tarar stated in an exclusive interview with The News in Dubai. He said Pakistan and India are partners of the United States and both must formulate the strategy to ease tensions through dialogues. Speaking on the human rights and digital blockades in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), Zed Tarar demanded that Indian government should lift the internet blockade in the region and “freedom of expression” must be respected and protected in the Valley https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/786368-us-asks-pakistan-india-to-begin-talks-on-kashmir-issue

2.     China on LaC: Feb, 9, 2021: After Union minister V.K. Singh claimed that India has “transgressed” more times than China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Beijing responded by saying that it was an “unwitting confession” and alleged that New Delhi’s “frequent acts of trespass” was at the root of border tensions. Minister of state for road transport and highways, V.K. Singh told reporters in the city of Madurai on Sunday that China had transgressed several times across the un-demarcated border “with his own perception of the LAC”. He added, “Similarly, none of you come to know how many times we have transgressed as per our perception. Chinese media does not cover it”.The former army chief underlined, “Let me assure you, if China has transgressed 10 times, we must have done it at least 50 times”. In response to Singh’s remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated that this was an acknowledgement of encroachment by India. “This is an unwitting confession by the Indian side. For a long time, the Indian side has conducted frequent acts of trespass in the border area in an attempt to encroach on China’s territory and constantly created disputes and frictions, which is the root cause of the tensions at the China-India border,” he stated at the daily briefing on Monday. He added, “We urge the Indian side to follow through on the consensus, agreements and treaties it reached with China, and uphold peace and stability in the border region with concrete actions”.   https://thewire.in/security-security/vk-singh-lac-transgression-china-india-border

3.     OIC: Feb., 8, 2021: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir, which held a virtual meeting in New York, has reaffirmed its unwavering support to their just struggle for the exercise of their right to self-determination under the United Nations resolutions, media reports said. The meeting, in which permanent representatives of Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Niger and Azerbaijan took part, was organized on Friday to commemorate Kashmir Solidarity Day, the reports added.  A statement issued by the Contact Group in New York expressed deep concern at the continued violations by India of the fundamental human rights in Jammu and Kashmir. “The Contact Group called on the UN Secretary General, the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council to urge India to halt the human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir, rescind the unilateral and illegal measures taken on and after August 5, 2019, and to implement the Security Council resolutions calling for a plebiscite to enable the people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir to exercise their right to self-determination,” the reports said. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/08/oic-urges-un-to-persuade-india-to-revoke-illegal-actions-in-iiojk/

4.     US Kashmir Policy: Feb., 12, 2021: The United States State Department has clarified that there has been no change in America’s Kashmir policy and Washington still considers both Jammu and Kashmir as a territory disputed between India and Pakistan.  . But the clarification on the Kashmir issue shows that the Biden administration is not insensitive to Pakistan’s concerns either. “I want to be very clear, there has been no change in US policy in the region,” said State Department spokesperson Ned Price when reminded at a briefing that a tweet the department posted earlier on Wednesday did not mention the region’s disputed status . ". “I would say generally that around the world we are committed to supporting democratic values, including freedom of expression,” Price said. “When it comes to Twitter’s policies, we’d have to refer you to Twitter itself .   https://www.dawn.com/news/1606744

5.     J&K Statehood; Feb., 14, 2021:  Indian Home Minister Amit Shah told Lok Sabha on Saturday that the government would restore full Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir at an appropriate time. Shah was replying to a discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha .“This legislation has nothing to do with statehood, and Jammu and Kashmir will be accorded the status at an appropriate time,“ Shah said. The J&K Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill seeks to merge the all-India services J&K cadre with the Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram Union Territory (AGMUT) cadre. He said the region’s union territory status was temporary, just as the Article 370 that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir was supposed to be. Jammu and Kashmir has been a top priority for the current government since it took power in 2014, the Minister said.

6.     Human rights violations: Feb., 14, 2021: Indian brutalities at peak in IIOJK https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/13/indian-brutalities-at-peak-in-iiojk/

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Kashmir Update 113: Week Feb.,1, 2021 to Feb.,7,2021

1.     Farooq: Jan.,31, 2021: Wamiq Farooq   On January 31, 2010, after offering noon-time prayers at a mosque and eating lunch with his family, Wamiq tucked a cricket ball into his pocket, waved to his mother through the window and left. He never returned. Later that evening, Wamiq was hit on the head by a tear-smoke shell that was allegedly fired at close range by constable Mohamad Akram of the Jammu and Kashmir Police on the orders of ASI Abdul Khaliq. The police later justified their action in the FIR (12/2010), claiming that “in order to disperse the unruly mob, the mild force was used such as tear-smoke shells, as a result, thereof one shell hit a boy who was taken by the locals to the hospital…” However, key eyewitnesses have contested the narrative, “There was no mob or any incident of stone-pelting, even the nearby shops were open, everything was normal.”  On August 22, 2013, the chief judicial magistrate of Srinagar issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Abdul Khaliq Sofi and Mohammad Akram after the prima-facie guilt of the accused was established based on a judicial inquiry and police probe.  However, no arrests were made.  The case also went to the Supreme Court, and on April 7, 2015, it asked the trial court Srinagar to proceed with a trial in the case “uninfluenced” by findings of the SIT and observations of the J&K high court.  As a result, on his 11th death anniversary, justice still evades Wamiq Farooq and his family. https://thewire.in/rights/wamiq-farooq-killing-kashmir-2010-justice

2.     HR violations: Feb., 2, 2021:In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, unrelenting military siege imposed by Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government on August 05, 2019, continues to take a heavy toll on daily life of the Kashmiri people in the territory. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service , today, revealed that the Indian troops martyred 308 Kashmiris including 7 women during the period. Most of the victims were killed by the troops in fake encounters or in custody. Youth are picked up from their homes during so-called cordon and search operations and are eliminated after being labeled as mujahideen or over-ground workers. The killing by the troops during the period rendered 16 women widowed and 38 children orphaned. The report maintained that at least 1,701 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force, bullets, pellets and teargas shelling by the Indian troops on peaceful demonstrators in the territory. The troops damaged over 993 houses and structures and molested or disgraced 103 women and arrested 14,489 people during the period. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/02/01/indian-troops-martyr-308-kashmiris-during-18-months-siege/

3.     China deploys tanks: Feb., 3,2021: China has deployed a huge number of troops, armored tanks, and military trucks along the Line of actual control in eastern Ladakh According to a report by Times Now, a video has surfaced which shows that People’s Liberation Army (PLA) continues to build up military assets close to the LAC. Quoting their correspondent, the news channel reported that China’s military has deployed around 350 tanks near the border. Beijing has deployed a sizeable number of its most sophisticated main battlefield tank ‘Type 99’ close to the Indian border. The PLA has deployed its tanks in many areas, including Despang Area and South Bank.  https://thekashmirwalla.com/2021/02/china-deploys-350-battlefield-tanks-near-indian-border-in-ladakh-report/?fbclid=IwAR12Hbw1FSSsdyJm6OXwDExqbRyysMZuKPKxlEKQ-GtJ-Xi7oT0Eo0x2bYM

4.     KASHMIR DAY: Feb., 5, 2021: Kashmir Solidarity Day, or Kashmir Day, is a national holiday in Pakistan on 5 February each year. It is in observance of Pakistan's support of and unity with the people of Indian administered Kashmir. The extraordinary struggle for freedom of the Kashmiri people is recognized and those who lost their lives to barbaric oppression are remembered. Human rights violations like rape, blinding, illegal detention and communications lock down are condemned.

5.     Plebiscite: Feb., 6, 2021: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said Pakistan will allow Kashmiris to decide between choosing to join Pakistan or remaining independent even after they vote in favour of Pakistan in a future plebiscite. Premier also reminded the United Nations and the international community that they had failed to provide the promised right to the people of Kashmir to determine their own future. He recalled that the world had promised Kashmiris in 1948 that they would get the right to decide their own future as per UN Security Council   https://www.dawn.com/news/1605627/kashmiris-may-choose-pakistan-or-independence-pm-imran

6.     New York State Assembly: Feb., 7, 2021:  The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday said that the New York State Assembly's decision to adopt a resolution marking Feb 5, 2021, as “Kashmir-American Day” was a "welcome development" and proof that India cannot hide "its gross and systemic violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people anymore". “The resolution appreciates the courage and perseverance of the Kashmiri people and recognises their unique cultural and religious identity. It also underscores that 'the State of New York endeavours to champion human rights including the freedom of religion, movement, and expression for all Kashmiri people'," said FO spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudri.  On Wednesday, New York became the first state in the United States to proclaim February 5, 2021, as “Kashmir-American Day” when Pakistani and Kashmiri communities across the world observed Kashmir Solidarity Day, voicing full support to the just struggle of Kashmiri people for the exercise of their UN-promised right to self-determination. The New York State Assembly marked Feb 5 as “Kashmir-American Day” by adopting a resolution through a voice vote, a significant development which was the result of years of efforts by the American-Pakistani Advocacy Group.“The State of New York endeavours to champion human rights including the freedom of religion, movement, and expression for all Kashmiri people,” the resolution said. APAG is a non-profit social service and advocacy organisation based in New York https://www.dawn.com/news/1605819/pakistan-hails-new-york-assembly-resolution-marking-feb-5-as-kashmir-american-day

 

Kashmir Update 112: Week Jan.,25, 2021 to Jan.,31,2021

1.     LaC : Jan., 26, 2021:  On Jan 20 Indian and Chinese troops were involved in another brawl on their contested Himalayan border, leaving injuries on both sides, military officials said on Monday. The Indian military played down the latest skirmish as a “minor face-off” at Naku La pass, which connects Sikkim state with Tibet on the Chinese side. Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said he didn’t have anything to offer on the incident but urged India to exercise restraint.“I would like to stress though that China’s border troops are committed to upholding peace and tranquillity along the border with India. We urge the Indian side to work in the same direction as us and refrain from actions that might escalate or complicate the situation along the border,” he told a regular news briefing. “We hope both sides will take proper actions to manage their differences and take concrete actions to safeguard peace and stability along the border.” China and India, who fought a border war in 1962, blame each other for the increased tensions and each has poured tens of thousands of extra troops into border zones. The latest de-escalation talks between military commanders were held on Sunday but there have been no signs that either side is ready to back down. India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said last month that relations between the neighbours had been “significantly damaged” by the events of the past year.  https://www.dawn.com/news/1603536/india-says-troops-had-minor-face-off-with-china-in-sikkim-border-areat Indian ports. China has in turn warned that India will suffer economically from the dispute.

2.     Black day: Jan., 27, 2021: Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and the world over observed India’s Republic Day as Black Day, today, to send a loud and clear message to the world that they categorically reject illegal occupation of their motherland by India. The leaders urged the UN and other human rights organizations to take cognizance of gross human rights violations by brutal Indian forces in the territory and resolve the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.While speakers at an international online seminar, organized by Kashmir Council Europe, emphasized that all the issues related to Kashmir including media gag should be raised in Europe. The webinar was attended by a number of European and Kashmiri political figures, intellectuals, experts on international and regional affairs and journalists. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/26/kashmiris-observe-black-day-across-globe/

3.     US VP: Jan., 29, 2021: Some hope has sprung in Kashmir, residents of the valley say, as Kamala Harris, the new American vice president and critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken office. Harris, who was inaugurated as US President Joe Biden’s deputy last week, has been critical of the Indian government’s discriminatory policies toward the country’s Muslim minority and its annexation of Kashmir in 2019. she called for international intervention “to remind Kashmiris that they are not alone in the world” soon after New Delhi revoked Kashmir’s special autonomous status and split it into two Union Territories in August 2019. Her role in the US administration as well as the recent appointment into Biden’s team of Sameera Fazil and Aisha Shah — both of Kashmiri descent — have raised some cautious hope for change in the region” https://www.arabnews.com/node/1798186/world

4.     Youth martyred: Jan., 30, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Tral area of Pulwama district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Mandoora area of Tral.   Indian police arrested a youth from a check-post in Patushahi area of Bandipora. . https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/29/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk/

Kashmir Update 111: Week Jan.,18, 2020 to Jan.,24,2021

1.     UK and Kashmir: Jan., 29, 2021:  MP Debbie Abrahams of the All Party Parliamentary Kashmir Group has raised concerns about human rights violations, revocation of special status and illegal detentions in Indian held Kashmir in an official letter to UK PM Boris Johnson. MP Debbie Abrahams in her letter said that the Group consists of parliamentarians from all faiths and Kashmiri Indian and Pakistani heritage. Our focus has been on promoting human rights across all parts of Kashmir. She said. “While I fully support your endeavours to strengthen international relations which support jobs and investment across the UK I need to make you aware of the strongly held views parliamentarians of all political parties have regarding the primacy of human rights and that these cannot be compromised in any trade deal. The Group is particularly concerned about escalating violence across Indian administered Kashmir (particularly Jammu and Kashmir) and most recently at the Line of Control.“I am sure you will agree with me that for the world s largest democracy to be reported to be behaving in these ways is very alarming. “Given our key role in the international community we believe it is essential that you and the government more widely raise these very serious concerns directly in your on-going discussions with Prime Minister Modi and his government. I also repeat the concerns raised by Group members that the protection of fundamental human rights must not be traded for economic gain and would like your reassurance that any trade deal will make this explicit. As the UK government embarks on a year for Global Britain on the world stage, it is essential that we set out our stall with the rule of law and human rights at its heart. “I draw your attention to the warning that your own High Commission in Pakistan made to the Group delegation in February 2020 and which I reported to Lord Ahmad the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan both nuclear powers makes Kashmir the number one security concern in the world. The recent conflict between India and China adds to this. I urge you to raise these matters with Prime Minister Modi in your ongoing discussions and when you visit India.” https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/776474-boris-urged-to-talk-held-kashmir-abuses-with-modi

2.     Arrests: Jan., 21, 2021: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops arrested two more innocent youth in Islamabad district.The troops laid nakas at multiple places and intensified checking in different areas of the district. The troops arrested two youth, Ayaz Ahmed and Rayees Ahmed, during the checking.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/20/indian-troops-arrest-two-youth-in-iiojk/

3.     Biden’s Team: Jan., 21, 2021: Kashmiri origin Sameera Fazili, who is the newly appointed Deputy Director of the National Economic Council of the Biden administration, has played an important role in anti-India protests in the US over the Kashmir issue. Sameera Fazili played a key role in one of the protests within four days of abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. She supports ‘Stand with Kashmir’ (SWK), a Kashmiri diaspora-led international solidarity movement’. In August 2019, following the abrogation of Article 370, which granted special status to Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) introduced her as a member of SWK. “We urge people of conscience to come out and show support and solidarity for the people of Kashmir as authoritarianism and Islamophobia rise around the world, from India to the United States to Europe. Come show your support for human rights, international law, and democracy,” Fazili had said then.Pertinently, in the Obama-Biden administration, Fazili served as a senior policy advisor on the White House’s National Economic Council and as a senior advisor at the US Treasury Department in both Domestic Finance and International Affairs. Prior to that, she was a clinical lecturer of law at Yale Law School. Originally from Buffalo, Fazili is a graduate of Yale Law School and Harvard College. She also worked at Shore Bank, US first CDFI (community development financial institution) bank. Meanwhile, Joe Biden has inducted a second Pakistani American, Salman Ahmed, into his foreign policy team. Ahmed, who served as head of strategic planning in the Obama National Security Council, is joining the US State Department as director policy planning. Ahmed was chief of staff of the US https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/20/biden-picks-fazili-in-team-who-opposed-abrogation-of-iiojks-status/Mission to the United Nations and senior policy adviser to the US Permanent Representative to the UN.

4.     China and Arunachal Pradesh: Jan., 22, 2021:  China on Thursday said its construction of a village across the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradesh was “beyond reproach” because it had “never recognised” Arunachal. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said earlier this week it was aware of the construction “along the LAC”. This followed a report showing satellite images of the village, built between November 2019 and November 2020 and located a couple of kilometres across the LAC, beyond what India sees as the border separating Arunachal Pradesh and Tibet, on the banks of Tsari Chu river in Upper Subansiri district in Arunachal. Indian officials said this area has been under Chinese control since 1959. There are close to two dozen spots along the entire length of the LAC in all sectors where India and China do not agree on its alignment. Indian officials said China had earlier built a permanent construction of military barracks in this area. The construction of the village has been seen by analysts as a move to bolster China’s claim to the area, and part of a broader recent push by China to build civilian settlements in disputed frontier areas, which it has also done with Bhutan. The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Thursday said at a press briefing, to a question about the construction, that China’s “position on Zangnan [or South Tibet, as China refers to Arunachal] region is consistent and clear”. “We never recognised the so-called Arunachal Pradesh,” spokesperson Hua Chunying said. “China’s development and construction activities within our own territory are normal. This is beyond reproach as it is in our territory.” The site of the village is close to where China had attacked an Assam Rifles post in 1959, in what is known as the Longju incident, said south India-based Tibet scholar Claude Arpi. He said it is at least 2 km south of the McMahon Line, which China doesn’t recognise. After the 1962 war, India stopped patrolling the area. Arpi said the construction appeared to be part of a program  by China to build what it calls “poverty alleviation” villages. He estimates that under the initiative, launched after a Tibet economic work conference in 2015, some 600 villages have been built, of which around 100 are in border areas.

5.     Gaw Kadal massacre: Jan., 22, 2021:In occupied Kashmir, complete shutdown is being observed in Gaw Kadal and its adjoining areas in Srinagar, today, on the completion of 31 years to the horrible Gaw Kadal massacre. Call for the shutdown has been given by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and supported by other Hurriyat organizations. Indian troops had killed more than 50 innocent people in Gaw Kadal area of Srinagar on this day in 1990 by opening indiscriminate fire on peaceful demonstrators who were protesting against the molestation of several women by the troops on the previous night. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/21/shutdown-in-srinagar-on-gaw-kadal-massacre-anniversary/

6.     UK MP: Jan., 23, 2021: KEIGHLEY MP Robbie Moore has called on the Government to press for a UN-led investigation into allegations of genocide by the Indian authorities in Kashmir. Speaking in Parliament, Mr Moore said the situation in the region was “harrowing”.It is claimed that several hundred Kashmiris have been killed and many more injured, plus hundreds of homes destroyed, since special status for Kashmir was revoked. It’s also alleged that thousands of people have been arrested “without due cause”.“A number of local organisations and individuals have contacted me over the past 12 months in relation to this issue. I know it is close to the hearts of many of my constituents who originated from Kashmir. “I would like to see UN human rights officials get access to both sides of the line of control, to find out the facts. https://www.keighleynews.co.uk/news/19030627.keighley-mp-seeks-probe-kashmir-genocide-claims/

7.     Human rights in India : an., 23, 2021: The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), an advocacy organization dedicated to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos, has launched a report titled, “Crushing Dissent: 2021 Status Report on Human Rights in India,” detailing human rights abuses in India. At the launch of this report, UN Special Rapporteur Ms. Mary Lawlor called upon the Indian government to immediately release 16 human rights defenders who have been imprisoned on charges of terrorism in the ‘Bhima-Koregaon Case’. “These people should not be in jail. They are our modern-day heroes and we should all be looking to them and supporting them and demanding their release,” Mary Lawlor, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders, said on Thursday. Along with Father Stan Swamy, the octogenarian Jesuit priest against whose “arbitrary detention” in this case she has already written to the Indian Government, Ms. Lawlor said 15 others jailed in the same case must also be released. Ms. Lawlor while read out the names of the imprisoned rights activists who have worked to uphold the rights of the others should be acknowledged and they are Surendra Gadling, Rona Wilson, Sudhir Dhawale, Mahesh Raut, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Fereria; Supreme Court lawyer Sudha Bharadwaj; authors Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde; poet Varvara Rao; academicians Hany Babu and Shoma Sen; and theater artistes Ramesh Gaichor, Sagar Gorkhe and Jyoti Jagtap. The so-called Bhima-Koregaon case refers to violence at a public meeting called three years ago by low-caste Hindus at a village known as Bhima-Koregaon in Maharashtra state. Several civil rights investigations have established that upper caste Hindus allied with India’s ruling party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP, carried out the violence. Police have; however, targeted human rights defenders, who deny their involvement. Ms. Lawlor, whose three-year term as UN Special Rapporteur began last May, also called out the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), under which the Bhima-Koregaon accused have been charged, as among the “several prominent pieces of legislation that would appear on paper and in practice to undermine rights contained in the covenant and the work of human rights defenders.”Amendments to the UAPA made in 2019, which granted “greater powers” to designate individuals as terrorists “despite the definition of a terrorist act not being precise or concrete,” failed to “comply with the principles of legal certainty,” Ms. Lawlor said. “This has opened up the Act, which was already being used to target human rights defenders, to greater abuse. In 2020, it continued to be applied against human rights defenders with the extremely damaging effect of conflating the defense of human rights with terrorist activities,” Ms. Lawlor said, adding, there was “a very concerning deterioration of the environment for defending human rights” in India. Saying that India’s human rights “situation is very serious,” Ms. Lawlor said she sent “six communications” to the Indian Government since May to “convey our concerns on human rights issues”. India had responded to just one. In June she wrote to the Indian Government raising concerns over the arrest of 11 human rights defenders for protesting the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. “However, this communication has gone unanswered.” Noted human rights defender Teesta Setalvad said “among human rights defenders who are today incarcerated, besides those mentioned by Mr. Lawlor, we have a list of almost 23 very young and dynamic human rights defenders incarcerated in post February 2020 anti-Muslim pogrom in Delhi. Among the 23, almost 19 happened to be young Muslims activists, who actually came into the forefront of leadership to resist the draconian citizenship Amendment Act. These young activists were deliberately targeted by the state because of their clarity, courage and determination. “The lower caste (the untouchables) have been singularly targeted for thousands of years and subjected to othering and discrimination by the dominant caste. Then, it is the Muslim community who is facing discrimination and marginalization for the last 40 years. And since the 1990s, Indian Christian community has also been subject to this kind of othering. added Teesta. The Indian Government had arrested Father Stan Swamy only because he had worked for four decades for the uplift of the poor tribal people in Jharkhand state, Father Cedric Prakash, a Jesuit priest and a human rights defender, said. Fr. Swamy became an obstacle for successive governments who, “in collusion with vested interest, especially those who deplete the forests of the precious resources, like the mining mafia, the timber merchants,” wanted to wrest control of the forests from the tribal people. “Fr. Swamy was fighting for the release of more than 3000 tribal youth, struggling for their rights, accompanying them in their legal battles, and so on.” Former Australian Senator Lee Rhiannon said “the notion that India is a great secular democracy has become a cloak to conceal the extent of the injustice.” The foundation on which is India’s judiciary, parliamentary and education systems have been “extensively eroded” as Mr. Modi’s government’s “passing discriminatory laws, neutralizing judges and cultivating a BJP controlled police force is at an advanced stage.” IAMC National General Secretary Mohammad Jawad said “This exhaustive report’s coverage of all the aspects — from the sedition laws and hate speech, to national security legislation and the criminalization of dissent, from the questions on the independence of the judiciary to the dilution of labor laws and the universal health policies — demonstrates how the Modi government is set to undo decades of positive and progressive work in India.” IAMC will share the 2021 Human Rights report, “Crushing Dissent”, with members of US Congress, the White House, the Department of State, the National Security Council, think-tanks, the US academia and research community and the civil rights activists and NGOs, he added. https://twocircles.net/2021jan22/440701.html

 

Kashmir Update 110: Week Jan.,11, 2020 to Jan.,17,2021

1.     Non judicial murder: Jan., 11, 2021: Preliminary investigations conducted by the army’s Court of Inquiry, as well as the J&K police, have found that Captain Bhoopendra Singh of 62 RR regiment, aided by two civilian informers, had “staged” the July 8 encounter in Kashmir’s Amshipora and “killed” three daily wage laborers working in apple orchards, allegedly to claim a cash bounty of Rs 20 lakh granted by the army as reward for killing terrorists. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/army-captain-stage-managed-jk-encounter-for-rs-20-lakh/articleshow/80203557.cms

2.     UN: Jan., 2021: India’s bid to assume the chairmanship of some of the most important subsidiary bodies of the UN Security Council could not muster support from other members of the 15-nation body, according to diplomatic sources.The sources said that the Indians pushed for, but failed to secure the chairmanship of the powerful “1267” Al-Qaeda/Da’esh Sanctions Committee and the “1540” Non-proliferation Committee, and also to become the custodian of the Afghanistan file in the Security Council. Aware of India’s narrow bilateral agenda to utilise the Al-Qaeda and Da’esh Sanctions Committee for its own purposes, the vast majority of Council members were opposed to giving India the chairmanship of this key committee. A Council source told APP's correspondent at the United Nations, that India tried its utmost, until the very last moment, to get this position, lobbying intensively in New York and in the capitals of the Council’s members, but it failed to convince them. According to the source, it is no secret that New Delhi’s bid for the post was designed to advance India’s own agenda, mainly against Pakistan.“The work of the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee is too important to be given in the hands of the Indians,” an African diplomat remarked. Pakistan last year submitted four listings of Indians nationals for supporting the Tehreek-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA) in Afghanistan. But these listings were blocked by some of India’s friends in the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee. Similarly, India’s bid for the Non-proliferation Committee encountered resistance in the Security Council, diplomats said. Many Western countries considered that India was not suited to head this important panel since it is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ( NPT). This raises a serious question mark regarding New Delhi’s nuclear status. India also wanted to manage the Afghanistan issue in the Security Council but found that even some of its close friends felt that India’s role would not be positive in advancing the Afghan peace process. The Afghan file was given instead to two European countries, which the Council members consider will play a more impartial and constructive role in the present delicate phase of the situation in Afghanistan. As a sop to India’s wounded pride, it was given the chairmanship of the 1988-Taliban Sanctions Committee, where the proposals for listing and de-listing of individuals rests mainly with the US and other permanent members of the Council and the chair’s role is minimal. About the hype created by the Indian UN Mission about assuming the chairmanship of the “1373” Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC), a Western diplomat noted that India has been given only a one-year rather than the normal two-year term as the chair of this currently dormant committee, and that too deferred until next year when the incumbent chair leaves the Council. In addition, India will head the Libya sanctions committees which is also lying dormant. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2279394/unsc-members-rebuff-indias-bid-to-secure-leadership-of-key-committees-sources-reveal?fbclid=IwAR0M9AK6Wl8uxPdh2l6pd1L7y0dGbHZK3IRKR8M7GvSosgx8xedkz1n3o_I

3.     UK debate on Kashmir: Jan., 15, 2021: The UK has demanded of India to lift all restrictions in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and allow a team from its High Commission in Delhi to visit the Valley for a first-hand assessment of the situation. The demand was made by the UK Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland, while replying to a debate on the “political situation in Kashmir” in the Westminster Hall by Members of Parliament (MPs). The debate took place a day after the UK MPs discussed “Persecution of Muslims, Christians and Minority Groups in India”. Last week, the UK MPs had lobbied for repeal of India’s farm laws. “We continue to talk frankly to India about our human rights concerns and call for all remaining restrictions to be lifted as soon as possible.” https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/14/uk-urges-india-to-lift-restrictions-allow-its-team-to-visit-iiojk/

4.     Turkey in Kashmir: Jan., 15.2021:   The Washington-based World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF) has expressed sincere appreciation to the bold and courageous statement given by Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, on the Kashmir dispute during 2nd Trilateral Meeting of the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey held in Islamabad. The WKAF Secretary General, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, in a statement issued in Washington said, “We in particular would like to express our thanks to the government of Turkey for reiterating that the peaceful settlement of Kashmir dispute has to be explored in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions.” “This is consistent with the statement issued by the UN the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres on August 8, 2019 that the position of the UN is that the Kashmir dispute should be resolved under the United Nations Charter and under applicable UN resolutions,” he said. Dr Fai also thanked Jeyhun Bayramov, the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, who joined Mevlüt Cavusoglu and Shah Mehmood Qureishi, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, in issuing a joint statement of solidarity with the oppressed people of Kashmir and reaffirming the fact that Kashmir dispute needs to be resolved under the UN resolutions. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the foreign minister of Turkey during 2nd Trilateral Meeting of the foreign minister of Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey said, “We expressed our full solidarity with our Kashmiri brothers and sisters in the face of worsening human rights situation and demographic change, especially in the last two years. We believe unilateral steps complicate the situation further. We reaffirm our concern and expectation, which were also addressed during the OIC ministerial meeting in Niger. We believe in dialogue and peaceful settlement of Kashmir dispute within the framework of the United Nations Security Council resolutions.” https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/14/turkish-fm-deserves-our-sincere-appreciation-dr-fai/

5.     Kashmiri nomads: Jan., 16, 2021: Nomad forest dwellers in Indian-administered Kashmir are pinning their hopes on the implementation of a 14-year-old law to save their land and homes, as the government announces plans to evict tens of thousands of people it says are encroaching on protected land. Last month, the forest department of the disputed federal territory published a list of about 63,000 people it says are living and farming “illegally” on a total of 15,000 hectares (37,000 acres) of forest land. Now the tribal communities living in the region’s forests are looking for protection under India’s Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006, which is coming into effect in the region more than 10 years after it was enacted elsewhere in India. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/1/15/kashmir-forest-dwellers-hope-long-delayed-law-will-stop-evictions

6.     UK debates: Jan., 16, 2021: Earlier in the week, UK Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Owen from the Labour party made a moving speech in Westminster Hall, where a discussion took place on the situation in occupied Kashmir.  A vocal supporter of the Kashmiri people who has in the past expressed solidarity with those living under occupation, she called on the British government to do more to condemn the situation in Kashmir. In her speech, Owen highlighted how the pandemic had affected the everyday realities of Kashmiris. “Muslims have reported being turned away from hospitals. This is shocking at the best of times, but especially so during a pandemic,” she said, adding: “There are numerous reports of Kashmiri women and girls being raped. Senior officials in the BJP put on record their intentions to make Kashmiri women a part of this conflict. And I have heard [that there are] women in Kashmir that are terrified of being assaulted by the thousands of soldiers on their doorstep. Women fear for their lives and do not feel safe.”  https://www.dawn.com/news/1601662

7.     Biden team: Jan., 16, 2021: Sameera Fazili, a Kashmiri origin woman, has been appointed by United States President-elect Joe Biden in his core team ahead of his oath-taking ceremony scheduled for January 20. Sameera Fazili will be the deputy director of the National Economic Council (NEC) focussed on manufacturing, innovation and domestic competition. Earlier in December 2020, another Kashmir-born woman, Aisha Shah, was inducted into Biden’s team as partnership manager of Digital Strategy team of White House. There has been much speculation in New Delhi and Srinagar’s power corridors that under a Democratic Party government, there could be a boost to international human rights groups’ activism on Kashmir. The appointment of two Kashmiri-born experts in Biden’s core team is being seen as an indicator of the same. It is pertinent to add that Sameera Fazili in one of her previous stints worked at Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, and while posted there she testified before the U.S. Congress on the religious freedom of Muslims in western Europe. Her experience in international human rights and development includes work at the World Health Organisation and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. Her work has taken her to human rights violation hotspots such as Palestine and Kashmir https://frontline.thehindu.com/dispatches/us-president-elect-joe-biden-inducts-second-kashmir-born-expert-in-his-team-leading-to-speculation-of-a-boost-to-international-human-rights-groups-activism-on-kashmir/article33579468.ece

8.     HRW Report: Jan., 16, 2021: A prominent international human rights watchdog has denounced Narendra Modi-led Indian government for intensifying repression in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, targeting Muslims in India and for harassing, arresting and prosecuting activists, journalists, and others critics. In its World Report 2021, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Indian government continued to impose harsh and discriminatory restrictions in IIOJK since revoking special status of the territory in August 2019. The report said scores of people remained detained in IIOJK without charge under the draconian law Public Safety Act, which permits detention without trial for up to two years. It said, the Indian government announced a new media policy in Kashmir in June 2020 that empowers the authorities to decide what is “fake news, plagiarism and unethical or anti-national activities” and to take punitive action against media outlets, journalists, and editors. “The policy contains vague provisions that are open to abuse and could unnecessarily restrict and penalize legally protected speech. The government also clamped down on critics, journalists, and human rights activists,” it said. “The restrictions, including on access to communications networks, since August 2019 adversely affected livelihoods, particularly in the tourism-dependent Kashmir Valley. The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries estimated that the first three months of the lockdown to prevent protests since August 2019 cost the economy over US$2.4 billion, for which no redress was provided. Losses nearly doubled since the government imposed further restrictions to contain the spread of Covid-19 in March 2020,” it added. The report said the pandemic made access to the internet crucial for information, communication, education, and business. However, even after the Supreme Court said in January that access to the internet was a fundamental right, the Indian authorities permitted only slow-speed 2G mobile internet services, leading doctors to complain that the lack of internet was hurting the Covid-19 response, it said. The report maintained that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act continued to provide effective immunity from prosecution to Indian forces, even for serious human rights abuses. In July, the forces’ personnel killed three people in Shopian district, claiming they were militants, it said. “However, in August, their families, who identified them from photographs of the killings circulated on social media, said they were laborers. In September, the army said that its inquiry had found prima facie evidence that its troops exceeded powers under the AFSPA and it would take disciplinary proceedings against those “answerable”,” it added. The HRW said that the Indian forces also continued to use shotguns firing metal pellets to disperse crowds, despite evidence that they are inherently inaccurate and cause injuries indiscriminately, including to bystanders, violating India’s international obligations. In the 761-page World Report 2021, its 31st edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries.In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth argues that the incoming United States administration should embed respect for human rights in its domestic and foreign policy in a way that is more likely to survive future US administrations that might be less committed to human rights. Roth emphasizes that even as the Trump administration mostly abandoned the protection of human rights, other governments stepped forward to champion rights. The Biden administration should seek to join, not supplant, this new collective effort. The HRW pointed out that the attacks continued against minorities, especially Muslims, in India even as authorities failed to take action against BJP leaders who vilified Muslims and BJP supporters who engaged in violence. The Covid-19 lockdown disproportionately hurt marginalized communities due to loss of livelihoods and lack of food, shelter, healthcare, and other basic needs, it said. “The Indian government seems determined to punish peaceful criticism using draconian laws, while sending a broader message that chills dissent,” Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “Instead of addressing growing attacks on Muslims, minorities, and women, Indian authorities increased their crackdown on critical voices in 2020,” she added. The report said that last February communal violence in Delhi killed at least 53 people, with over 200 injured, properties destroyed, and communities displaced in targeted attacks by Hindu mobs. While a policeman and several Hindus were also killed, the vast majority of victims were Muslim. The attacks came after weeks of peaceful protests against the Indian government’s discriminatory citizenship policies. “Violence broke out after BJP leaders openly advocated violence against the protesters, while witness accounts and video evidence showed police complicity. The Delhi Minorities Commission reported that the violence was “planned and targeted” and found that the police were filing cases against Muslim victims, but not taking action against the BJP leaders who incited it,” the report said. The HRW said that crimes against Dalits increased, in part as backlash by members of dominant castes against what they might perceive as a challenge to caste hierarchy. “Crimes against women increased too. In September, a 19-year old Dalit woman died after being gang-raped and tortured, allegedly by four men of dominant caste in Uttar Pradesh. The authorities’ response highlighted how women from marginalized communities faced even greater institutional barriers to justice,” it added. The report maintained that the intensifying repression in India resulted in international criticism, including by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, who raised concerns over human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, arrests of activists, and restrictions on civil society. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/15/hrw-slams-india-for-hr-abuses-in-iiojk-attacks-against-muslims-and-crackdown-on-critics/


Kashmir Update 109: Week Jan.,3, 2020 to Jan.,9,2021

1.     Land Grab: Jan., 4, 2021: “A housing colony for soldiers on even 10 acres of land is a big problem for us. Soldiers will need security and that means a continuous movement of soldiers. If they are attacked, we will have to face the music,” Dar said. A similar proposal had in 2016 triggered protests by pro-freedom groups.  Masood Khan,   “expressed serious concern over Indian government’s move to build the first military settlement in Budgam.” Abdul Samad Malla, an elderly resident of Rakh-e-Arth, told Anadolu Agency that an exclusive housing colony for retired Kashmiri soldiers at Rakh-e-Arth could be a precursor to similar projects for retired soldiers from outside.“This is an explosive situation. We won’t allow any soldiers’ settlement here. The government has failed to develop this piece of land for decades. Rather than developing this Noted human rights activist Ahsan Untoo questioned the need for a soldiers housing colony in the “most militarized region in the world.” “When an army convoy passes by on highways, all traffic comes to a standstill. This is a gross human rights violation. Patients, office goers, students suffer. Now imagine the situation of a soldiers’ colony in the midst of a civilian settlement,” he said. Untoo cited examples of several places in northern Kashmir, like Kupwara, where India military camps in the proximity of civilian areas have curtailed people’s movement. Three Sainik colonies already exist in the Jammu province of the Jammu and Kashmir region. Several Indian states also have colonies where subsidized housing is provided for retired soldiers. A plan to build the first one in Kashmir fell through after protests by pro-freedom groups in 2016. At the time of the protests, Tarun Vijay, a Hindu right-wing member of Indian parliament, who had mooted the idea of setting up such colonies in Kashmir in parliament, had told the media that “a Sainik colony would be like planting saffron in Kashmir.” Saffron is the sacred color for Hindus and several of the ruling Hindu right-wing’s symbols, like flags, have saffron color. Vijay had said a Sainik colony would bring "fragrance of Indianness and principal mainstream of patriotic India to overcome the smell of stone-pelting and guns.”  https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/kashmir-residents-say-they-won-t-allow-soldiers-colony/2095766

2.     Protest: Jan., 5, 2020: Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and the world over will observe the Right to Self-Determination Day, tomorrow, with the pledge to continue their liberation struggle till it reaches its ultimate goal. It was on 5th January in 1949 when the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution supporting the Kashmiris’ right to decide their future by themselves through UN-sponsored plebiscite. The day will be marked by various activities including rallies, seminars and conferences across the world to remind the UN that it must implement its relevant resolutions to settle the Kashmir dispute to save the Kashmiris from the Indian brutalities. https://kmsnews.org/news/2021/01/04/un-asked-to-prevent-bloodshed-in-iiojk-by-ensuring-kashmiris-birth-right/

3.      

 


Kashmir Update 108: Week Dec.,28, 2020 to Jan.,2,2021
1. China and Kashmir Dec., 30, 2020: 45% of Kashmir is under Indian brutal occupation while 35% of Kashmir is under Pakistani control and China occupies 20% of Kashmir. Kashmir, the earthly heaven is under Indian evil shadow and the Indian Dracula has long been quenching its bloody thirst with Kashmiri blood. The emerging superpower China has great concerns over Kashmir. China considers India as an archrival in the region due to Indian malicious dreams of Asian supremacy and world military power. Chinese interests in Kashmir are purely strategic and energy-related. The Indian policy of confrontation and subjugation has brought China and Russia closer to Pakistan. Kashmir carries vital strategic significance in the region. Asian rivalry is anticipated to destroy world peace and security if Kashmir the nuclear flashpoint is not resolved. China shares its border with Kashmir and it also occupies one-fifth part of that territory. The two world powers the US and China are strengthening their hold in South Asia. The US wants to strengthen India to confront China with the help of Israel while China is supporting Pakistan to maintain the balance of power in the region to avoid some drastic situation, which could shatter the very core of peace in Asia. Chinese Kashmir policy can be observed under some crucial events. In 2009 China first officially invited Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, the leader, and president of All Parties Hurriyat Conference. This event internationalized the Kashmir issue and it is also an indicator that China has great concerns regarding the Kashmir issue. During the same year, China adopted a separate visa policy for Indian-occupied Kashmiris while no such policy was adopted for Azad Kashmir. This explicitly reflects the official Chinese stand on Kashmir. China refused to issue a visa to the head of Indian Army Northern Command serving as Lt. Gen B S Jaswal. China is the giant investor of trillions of dollars in various energy and power generation projects in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. The Chinese interests in the region are closely connected with Kashmir. The Silk Route, which allows China to maintain a preferable military position over India, passes through Kashmir as well. China can smoothly attack India knee-deep through Gilgit Baltistan. The Siachen Glacier is also very significant for China from a strategic point of view. In the future, China can create a greater and powerful force against Indian designs in collaboration with Pakistan. China being the world’s fastest-growing economic power requires natural reserves to maintain its position and Kashmir can play a crucial role in this regard. Initially, China was following natural policy over Kashmir, but the Hindu mindset compelled China to align with Pakistan over the Kashmir issue as it was in the best interests of both. China has played a vital role in normalizing tensions between the two archrivals after its nuclear tests. Chinese policies on Kashmir have been changing. China has adopted at least six major policies over Kashmir. Indo-China brought a clear shift in Chinese policy on Kashmir and it aligned itself with Pakistan. There was a sudden shift in Chinese policy regarding Kashmir during the 80s when China reconsidered relations with India. China supported the settlement of Kashmir according to the Shimla Accord but the Hindu ideology can no longer remain unclear to China and it reshifted to its previous policy. There occurred no change in Chinese Kashmir policy after 9/11. After 2002 the ten tensions between Pakistan and India, China announced its clear-cut official stance on the Kashmir issue through a dialogue process. China is following its Kashmir policy on five fundamental principles. China favors peaceful solutions to the bone of contention. China is not adopting an aggressive stance on Kashmir, as it wants smooth relations with all Asian states. Kashmir is a triangular conflict between Pakistan, China, and India. China can offer certain incentives to India for the resolution of the Kashmir issue as it is the peaceful emerging economic power of the world in the 21st century. China can help India out in securing a seat in UNSC, it can help her out in technology and oil exploration and it can also help India in supporting certain regional and international organizations. CPEC is the crucial initiative in this regard which has its projects in Azad Kashmir. China also wants to minimize European markets in South Asian regions to boost up its market in South Asia, the Middle East, and then penetrate in other parts of the world. China can be called a cool economic intruder in the 21st century. India has cut a sorry finger after skirmishes with China. https://www.globalvillagespace.com/op-ed-china-cant-make-up-its-mind-about-its-policies-on-kashmir/ 2. India and War: Dec., 30, 2020: In his latest book, National Security and Conventional Arms Race: Spectre of a Nuclear War (Jaipur: Pointer Books, 2020), Asthana says: India has no clarity about its military and strategic objectives vis-à-vis its stated adversaries, Pakistan and China. And that there is a huge mismatch between the militaristic official and media rhetoric, on the one hand, and the reality, which is that India, cannot defeat either country militarily. Instead of pouring vast sums of money into expensive weapons imports, India would be better served by finding solutions to the security challenges both Pakistan and China present by strengthening itself internally and pursuing non-military solutions, including diplomacy. As the fanfare over the arrival of the first Rafales showed, each of these purchases is hailed and sold to the public by the media as weapons that will flatten India’s enemies. But of course, this is far from the truth. Asthana argues in his book that the frenzied import of conventional weapons will never guarantee a permanent solution to the military problem posed by Pakistan or China because both Pakistan and China are nuclear-weapon states and cannot be decisively defeated on the battlefield. Asthana believes that exploiting enmity with Pakistan for electoral benefits has made Indian leaders victims of their own rhetoric, where they are left with a one-dimensional policy – one which is unrealistic in view of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. Quoting Napoleon, he notes: “If they want peace, nations should avoid the pinpricks that precede cannon shots.” India’s army, air force and navy are bigger than those of Pakistan. However, as Asthana notes, the limited number of axes of attack, in which the much-touted Cold Start could be employed, tends to make the whole thing quite predictable. There is no scope for any element of shock and surprise. Moreover, practically all options and counters to them have been debated and explored by both sides. In any case, the moment Pakistan feels that it is going to lose a conventional war under the weight of a bigger Indian military, it will feel compelled to go nuclear immediately. This is not 1971. Recall what General Khalid Kidwai, head of Pakistan’s strategic command, told a visiting Italian arms control organisation delegation about the country’s red lines in 2002: Pakistani nuclear weapons will be used, according to General Kidwai, only “if the very existence of Pakistan as a state is at stake”. This has been detailed by General Kidwai as follows:“Nuclear weapons are aimed solely at India. In case that deterrence fails, they will be used if: India attacks Pakistan and conquers a large part of its territory (space threshold); India destroys a large part either of its land or air forces (military threshold); India proceeds to the economic strangling of Pakistan (economic strangling); India pushes Pakistan into political destabilization or creates a large scale internal subversion in Pakistan (domestic destabilization)”. According to General Kidwai, “examples of economic strangling of Pakistan included a naval blockade and the stopping of the waters of the Indus river”. Despite this information that is both in the public domain and confirmed by Indian intelligence assessments, prime minister threatened Pakistan with the abrogation of the Indus Waters Treaty in 2016, saying “blood and water cannot flow together”. If that was a classic example of the politics of warmongering, executed for the benefit of a domestic audience, Asthana says the harsh reality is that India cannot ‘win’ a war against Pakistan, and the sooner the country appreciates this politico-military reality, the more sensible it will sound to its adversaries and the world community. This dangerous notion fits well with the domestic political agenda both as a diversion from, and alibi for, poor governance and other failings. https://thewire.in/security-security/national-security-arms-race-nc-asthana 3. Human rights violations in IOK: Dec., 31, 2020: The Indian occupied forces conducted 312 Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) and Cordon and Destroy Operations (CADOs) resulted in 124 encounters in which 232 freedom fighters embraced martyrdom during the year, said a report issued on Wednesday. Such annual report was prepared by the Legal Forum for Oppressed Voices of Kashmir (LFOVK) on human rights situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir which covers the period from January 1 to December 30, 2020. According to the report, the Indian forces destroyed 657 houses during such operations. The martyrs included 65 civilians, 232 freedom fighters while 177 Indian forces were also killed. The Indian forced launched broad-day inhuman attacks on Kashmir’s civil society, raiding residencies and offices of human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organizations, it added. The year witnessed 65 extra judicial killings of civilians. The destruction of civilian properties during encounters saw an increase during the COVID-19 lockdown enforced by the government; an entire village in Budgam district was vandalized rendering many families homeless and without shelter, it said. According to report, the journalists working for Kashmir and international media continued to be pressurized, intimidation and harassment by the Indian authorities. Many journalists were booked under criminal laws while one still remains behind bars amid delayed trial by the puppet government agencies. The authorities launched new media policy in which government holds full control on newspapers and magazines. The year witnessed the continuation of the ban on internet services which remain enforce since August 5 2019. The right to access to information continues to be restricted in Jammu and Kashmir as part of India’s all-out onslaught against Kashmiris as there were 141 instances of internet blockades recorded from January 1 to December 30 2020. This year saw one of the worst assaults on human rights when India rushed its agencies to Kashmir which raided residencies and offices of Journalists, human rights workers and civil society organizations. In early November, India’s so-called anti-terror body NIA raided residence of Khurram Parvez, Parvaiz Bukhari besides others. The raids were held on rights bodies offices, NGOs. This is unprecedented wherein Journalists and human rights defenders are put under such humiliation, said the report.https://www.app.com.pk/national/indian-forces-raided-civil-society-destroyed-657-houses-during-2020-says-lfovk-annual-report/ 4. Youth martyred: Dec., 31, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Srinagar, today. The youth were martyred in Lawaypora area of the city. The martyred youth were identified as Zubair Ahmad, Aijaz Maqbool and Athar Mushtaq from Shopian and Pulwama districts. The troops destroyed several residential houses. The family members and relatives of the martyred youth staged protest demonstrations in Srinagar, Pulwama and Shopian. They said that the youth were students, who were killed in a fake encounter by the troops. Shouting anti-India and pro-freedom slogans, they demanded the dead bodies of the martyrs. The family members of martyr, Aijaz Maqbool, said that he had left home a day ago to appear in an examination at Kashmir University. However, they were stunned when they saw his picture on social media. Around dozen people were injured after Indian troops used brute force and fired pellets on protesters in Srinagar. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/30/indian-troops-martyr-3-youth-in-srinagar/ 5. 6. Human rights violations HR Violations (From Jan 1989 till Nov 30, 2020) Total Killings 95,724 Custodial Killings 7,155 Civilian arrested 161,163 Structures Arsoned/Destroyed 110,375 Women Widowed 22,924 Children Orphaned 107,811 Women gang-raped / Molested 11,231 (Nov 2020) Total Killings 15 Custodial Killings 5 Tortured/Injured 97 Pellet Injured : 0 Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged 0 Persons whose one or both eyes are injured 0 Civilian arrested 31 Structures Arsoned/Destroyed 1 Women Widowed 2 Children Orphaned 6 Women gang-raped / Molested 7 From July 8, 2016) Atrocities by Indian Troops (Jan-30 Nov 2020 ) Total Killings 249 Custodial Killings 19 Tortured/Injured 739 Total pellet Injured 139 Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged 8 Persons whose one or both eyes are injured 21 Civilian arrested 2760 Arson (Houses etc) 918 Women Widowed 12 Children Orphaned 26 Women gang-raped / Molested 56 Atrocities Post 5 Aug 2019 (Aug 5, 2019- 30 Nov, 2020) Total Killings 291 Custodial Killings 27 Tortured/Injured 1577 Total pellet Injured 446 Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged 19 Persons whose one or both eyes are injured 144 Civilian arrested 14219 Arson (Houses etc) 976 Women Widowed 16 Children Orphaned 36 Women disgraced / Molested 94 Kashmir Media service Kashmir Update 107: Week Dec.,21, 2020 to Dec.,26, 2020 1. China and India: Dec., 13, 2020: The May 2020 Ladakh crisis marks a turning point in India-China relations, since both sides have crossed each other’s red lines. By grabbing 1,000 square km of Indian territory in Ladakh, China has made it known that bilateral peace and stability will be on its terms. Incapable of evicting the People’s Liberation Army forcefully, and unwilling to accept Beijing’s military coercion, India has become the United States’ de facto military ally to purportedly contain China. Signing the sensitive Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) is the latest step in this direction . In India’s judgment, the possibility of horizonal escalation in the Indian Ocean region with the supposed help of the US would deter China from escalation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The wisdom of this position can only be gauged if the relationship is tested. As of now, what appears more probable is that the disengagement and partial de-escalation of opposing forces in Ladakh, whenever it happens, would be on PLA’s terms. Since both sides intend to permanently hold the LAC, meaningful de-induction of Indian forces from the northern and eastern theatres is ruled out. Unfortunately, the PLA threat will increase and not diminish in 2021. China’s preparations are focused on intelligentised war and it hopes, in my estimation, to be ready for a conflict against India by the end of 2023. Being non-contact and invisible, intelligentised war places a premium on Artificial Intelligence and has four distinctive technology features: Dominance of the electromagnetic spectrum; autonomy; drones and unmanned systems; and human-machine collaboration and combat teaming. Such a conflict will not be a border war limited to salami slicing, as the Indian military believes. It will be war of occupation where there would be minimal loss of PLA soldiers’ blood. Given the unbridgeable mismatch between the conventional capabilities of the two sides, India’s nuclear deterrence would be rendered useless.. The Indian military – even seven months into the crisis – remains oblivious about what lies ahead. Under the Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, the Indian military is three decades behind the PLA in its war concepts (for campaign); and tactics, techniques and procedures (for battles). While it is preparing for war with ‘human soldiers in the lead’, the war that the PLA will fight would have ‘machines with autonomy in the lead’. For General Rawat, a war with China would be fought in the physical domains of land, air and sea with the army leading the campaign. For the PLA, the war-winning domains against the Indian military would be the virtual ones – of cyber, electronic and electromagnetic spectrum. General Rawat believes that time, effort, and finances should be spent on creating the organisation for supporting physical domains of war. He is pushing for raising of a joint integrated air defence command, integrated theatre commands and a maritime theatre command by 2023. This is when the PLA would be ready with its de-centralised war where the sensors-to-shooters cycle, now called data-to-decision cycle, would have the human role largely limited to fast decision-making to remain ahead of the enemy’s kill chain. General Rawat believes that speedy infrastructure building on India’s side would help the operational and tactical movement of forces. The PLA, on the other hand, is focused on unmanned systems. For General Rawat, civil-military fusion implies the marrying of physical assets on the commercial and military side. These include integration of civil-military airports, and getting ISRO commercial satellites to help meet armed forces requirements with inbuilt encryption. For China, civil-military fusion means utilisation of most new disruptive technologies incubated in the civil sector for the PLA. This involves a long experimentation phase, as well as large finances to get the desired assurance level for unmanned systems in war. Not to be left behind, retired field commanders in India are suggesting piecemeal technology additives to the armed forces. However, these will do more harm than good by giving a sense of false security. For instance, a former army commander, in a recent article, writes that drone warfare would be a gamechanger. While drones would play an important role in battles, war or campaign would require a mix of many disruptive technologies. In another article, he mentions the need for strengthening Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to build trusted networks. For one, the Indian military is years, if not decades, behind becoming a networked joint warfighting force. For another, PLA’s war would witness the end of traditional battle networks which are prone to cyber and electronic disruptions. Hence, the transformational shift towards autonomy or freedom for weapons from human command and control. The reality is that the PLA’s war preparedness – underway for three decades, and especially since Xi Jinping assumed the title of commander-in-chief in 2016, with huge finances spent on vibrant military-technology ecosystem and institutions devoted to war concepts – cannot be matched by the Indian military embarking on some rapid learning course. This writer has been saying since the PLA unveiled its 2015 transformational reforms that its Western Theatre Command has a single enemy to fight: India. Worse, even now, the Indian military is refusing to accept that its 2009 two-front war fighting strategy, predicated on Pakistan being the primary threat, has been rendered irrelevant. Hence, General Rawat’s structural reforms pivoted on the two-front thinking too stand superseded. China is more than a military threat now. If it decides to go to war, Pakistan too will join the war, and the people of Kashmir will not be left behind. Given China’s assessment of India becoming a US ally, all this is real. All, however, is not lost. The need is for honest introspection by the Indian military leadership on whether it would be possible to fight on two fronts. If not, it is high time to apprise the political leadership to consider a strategy which minimises the threat from China. A de facto military alliance with the US is certainly not the answer. https://thewire.in/security/pla-china-military-india-lessons 2. OKC: Dec., 21, 2020: Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) organised a virtual conference on the Human Rights Day on the theme Human Rights & The New USA Administration - Impact on South Asia (With Special Reference to Jammu & Kashmir). Alfred de Zayas, (the First (former) Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic and Equitable International Order) stated that he has advocated throughout, particularly since his Report to the United Nations General Assembly in 2013, that peoples self-determination is the best mechanism for conflict prevention and a pre-condition to global stability. He added that the world constitution is the Charter of the United Nations which lays down the purposes and principles (in particular Articles 1&2) for the world order including the peoples inalienable right to self-determination affirmed in other covenants and conventions of the UN. Professor de Zayas articulated that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have right to exercise their self-determination today because they are occupied and denied by the fascist regime at New Delhi; India simply cannot annex the people and territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He urged that there should not be any obstruction to peoples right to self-determination and no violation of fundamental international law. Referring to the United States of America (the US), Professor de Zayas lamented that the US spends 40% of its budget on building its arms industry, selling weapons to other countries such as India. He urged the Kashmiri activists to lobby the General Assembly and the Security Council to place arms embargo on India. He is happy to see that Trump is gone but believes that the Biden/Harris administration is unlikely to make a huge change in the US foreign policy on human rights but believes that the level of predictability could be there which is crucial for international order While dwelling on the upcoming new Biden/Harris administration, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed analysed that the Trump administration pursued the ideological foreign policy on China and Iran putting Israel first; this has evolved a new cold war; the new administration has to face these challenges; therefore, it is likely to adopt far more principle stand on human rights issues than real politique this would mean that the Kashmir factor becomes crucial and Pakistan has now the opportunity to raise this issue forcefully and Washington certainly has to be more responsive. Dr Ishtiaq Ahmad, stated the Vice President-Elect is on record for having pledged not to leave the suffering Kashmiris alone, a possibility that may translate into reality if the international stakeholders of peace on Kashmir are able to generate enough diplomatic momentum in the light of current Indian repression in the disputed region. Frank Schwalba-Hoth, Founding Member of the German Greens and one of the first Green members of the German Parliament and the European Parliament, in his short presentation suggested that the Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) need to include other credible organisations in the coalition such as media organisations to give a wider voice to the Kashmir cause. He was pleased to note that Reporters Without Frontiers included a Kashmiri journalist in the last 12 finalists. Mr Schwalba-Hoth stated that over the years he has worked closely with the US diplomats within the EU corridors and believes that under the new Biden/Harris administration these diplomats are prepared to do much more on human rights and Kashmir as against the Trump administration. He is optimistic to persuade the new US administration to act as an honest broker on Kashmir bringing together Kashmiris, Pakistan and India involving civil societies such as OKC to bring about an acceptable solution to the Kashmir issue in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Kashmir. He believes that the Biden/Harris administration should take this initiative as they have nothing to lose. Professor Joseph Wronka, Professor of Social Work, Springfield College, MA; Fulbright in Pakistan and Austria, 2015; Representative to the UN in Geneva for the International Association of Schools of Social Work (IASSW), identified that the Biden administration with its multilateral approach to global interventions and intends to re-join the UN Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization, and the Paris Climate Accord is in direct contrast to the Trump administration's approach. Yet, policies often represent public sentiment, and the USA needs massive human rights education to better understand, if not counteract feelings of American exceptionalism. The world needs also to understand and take direct non-violent actions as a global community to understand the seriousness of the Jammu Kashmir situation both nuclear armed countries. Barrister A. Majid Tramboo, OKC Leadership and IHRAAM’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who moderated the conference, in his introductory remarks stated that, that the new US administration under the leadership of Joe Biden wants to cool down the anger among the Muslims in the world; policies of the previous administration were discriminatory and not in conformity with the liberal democratic traditions of the US Democratic Party. In a perspective of this change of administration. OKC has to work towards finding a country that would be prepared to initiate proceedings at the ICJ. https://nation.com.pk/21-Dec-2020/organisation-on-kashmir-coalition-issues-report-on-human-rights-day 3. UN on Kashmir and Delhi: Dec., 24, 2020: Three United Nations human rights experts have called on India to “immediately” stop its intimidation and a series of reprisals against Amnesty International (AI) in response to the organization’s work in exposing human rights violations in India, especially in occupied Kashmir and during the February anti-Muslim riots in Delhi. London-based Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, halted operations in India in September after its bank accounts were frozen and its executives interrogated by Indian financial authorities, in what AI called was a two-year campaign of harassment. In a second joint letter sent to India from Geneva, the UN experts recounted the systematic harassment being inflicted by the Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing out the “illegal freezing” of the bank accounts under the the Foreign Contribution Regulation (FCRA) law, which is incompatible with international human rights standards. The signatories of the letter include prominent experts such as Ms. Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression; Clement Nyaletsossi Voule, Special Rapporteur on peaceful assembly and of association; and Ms. Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders. The respective retributive actions “are a strong indication that the Indian Government has tried to intimidate, muzzle and punish the Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) for its reporting on and advocacy against human rights violations in the country”.The State-sanctioned smear campaign against Amnesty, evident from media leakage of a dossier on AI by Indian investigative agencies, was a deliberate attempt to tarnish the reputation, the experts said, and called for unfreeze the organization’s bank accounts. The joint letter was sent by the experts, also known as UN Special Procedures or Rapporteurs, to India on 21 October 2020, and made public on Monday after India did not respond to it within the given deadline of 60 days. In October, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights have already publicly voiced her serious dismay over the tightening of space for human rights organizations in India and appealed to New Delhi to safeguard the rights of human rights defenders, and their ability to carry out their crucial work. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/23/un-experts-slam-india-for-targeting-rights-groups-exposing-abuses-in-kashmir-delhi-pogroms 4. DDC Polls; Dec., 25, 2020: Clearly, any media propaganda on behalf of the establishment that the results once again show a cleavage between the Hindu-dominated Jammu province and a Muslim-dominated Valley is just that —propaganda. The salutary fact is that whereas Hindutva has failed to conquer the Valley contrarily, it is the mainstream that has once again shown that its hegemony extends to large areas of the Jammu province as well. That the National Conference has 25 seats and the Congress 17 in the Jammu province puts paid to that sectarian thesis. A situation may arise in which Kashmiris in both provinces find themselves obliged to come together, Hindutva notwithstanding, to battle together to regain what has been lost. Never to forget that the democratic world watches events in Kashmir, and the new presidency in the United States may not be as obliging in the matter as Donald Trum. More than a millennium ago, Kalhana Pandit, the author of Rajtaringini, a text close to the official heart, had this for an epigraph: “Kashmiris can never be won over by force, only by love.” https://thewire.in/politics/ddc-poll-results-are-an-emphatic-rejection-of-the-scrapping-of-kashmirs-special-status 5. Youth martyred: Dec., 27, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kanigam area of the district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/26/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-11/ Kashmir Update 106: Week Dec.,14, 2020 to Dec.,19, 2020 1. Youth martyred: Dec., 15, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Poonch district.The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Dugran along the Mughal road in Poonch district on Sunday. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/13/indian-troops-kill-two-youth-in-iiojk/ 2. UN Troops targeted: Dec., 19, 2020: Pakistan summoned a senior Indian diplomat on Saturday to protest an alleged cease-fire violation and the "deliberate targeting" of United Nations observers in the disputed Kashmir region. The U.N. observers were on their way to meet with the victims of the Indian cease-fire violation. Both the observers remained unharmed and were evacuated by the Pakistani army. Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, released photos that showed bullet holes in a vehicle bearing U.N. markings. An Indian decision in August last year to strip the part of Kashmir it controls of its special autonomous status has triggered fresh tensions and deadly "This year alone, India has committed 2,992 cease-fire violations to date, resulting in 27 deaths and serious injuries to 249 innocent civilians, including 92 women and 68 children," a foreign office spokesperson told a weekly press briefing on Friday. https://www.dailysabah.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-protests-indian-violation-of-kashmir-cease-fire-attack-on-un-observers Kashmir Update 105: Week Dec.,7, 2020 to Dec.,12, 2020 1. Land grab: Dec., 8, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, after destroying houses of Muslims in Jammu and in Pahlgam area of Islamabad district, now Modi-led fascist Indian government has issued eviction notices to Kashmiri Muslims living in Badgam district. The locals told media that the authorities had started demolishing their houses and chopping down apple trees in Branwar, Kanidajan and several other areas of the district. The residents including a 108 years old woman said that they had been living there for generations, and would not leave the areas even if they were killed by the Modi government. It goes without saying that driven by Hindutva mindset, the RSS-backed Indian government is working on an Israeli plan to change the demography of the occupied territory by settling Indian army officers, soldiers and Hindus from India on the forcibly vacated land in IIOJK. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/07/eviction-notices-issued-to-badgam-residents/ 2. Youth martyred: Dec., 10, 2020: December 09 (KMS): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Tiken area of the district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/09/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-pulwama-2/ 3. Journalists beaten: Dec., 11, 2020: Three Kashmiri reporters told a local journalistic body, the Kashmir Press Club that they were beaten up by the police in southern Kashmir on Wednesday while covering an election. Fayaz Lolu, who reports from restive southern Kashmir for the local news outlet ETV Bharat, told Anadolu Agency that he and two other reporters, Mudasir Qadri, who works for News 18 Urdu, and Junaid Rafiq, a stringer for TV9, were interviewing a candidate who alleged his party’s supporters were not being allowed to vote by the Indian government forces in the Srigufwara area of the Anantnag district. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/kashmir-3-reporters-say-they-were-beaten-by-police/2072086 4. India ‘totally’ responsible for LAC situation: China: Dec., 11, 2020: China on Thursday said “the responsibility totally lies with the Indian side” for the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), responding to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s statement that China had violated border agreements by deploying a large number of soldiers along the border. In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, responding to a question about Jaishankar’s statement, said “the merits of the situation” were “very clear”. “The merits of the situation at the border area are very clear and the responsibility totally lies with the Indian side. China has been strictly observing the agreements signed between the two sides and committed to resolving the border issue through dialogue and we are committed to safeguarding regional peace and tranquillity at border areas… But like all sovereign states we are determined in safeguarding our territorial integrity. So on the Indian side, I think this is a serious question on which it should reflect upon,” Hua said. 5. Human rights in IOK: Dec., 11, 2020: As the World Human Rights Day is being observed across the globe, today, Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir continues to reel under brutal Indian occupation. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the World Human Rights Day, today, said that Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948 was indeed a milestone, but the Kashmiris human rights continued to be violated with impunity. It said among 30 basic human rights enlisted in the UDHR, not even one exists in IIOJK. The report said that Indian occupational forces had been violating the UDHR in the occupied territory for the last over 7 decades and mercilessly killing, arresting, torturing and humiliating innocent Kashmiris of every age and gender for demanding their right to self-determination. The report pointed out that Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism have martyred 95,728 innocent Kashmiris including 7,155 in custody since January 1989 till date. It said that these killings rendered 22,924 women widowed and 107,811 children orphaned. It said that the troops molested or disgraced 11,231 women and damaged 110,375 residential houses and other structures. It maintained that Indian troops and police personnel subjected over 8,000 people to custodial disappearance in the period. The report maintained that thousands of young school boys and girls were also injured by the pellets fired by the troops while dozens including19-month-old Hibba Jan, Asif Ahmed Sheikh (10), Aaqib Zahoor (16), Ulfat Hameed (17), Bilal Ahmed Butt (17), Insha Mushtaq, Tariq Ahmed Gojri (19) and Faizan Ashraf Tantray (19) lost their eyesight completely due to the pellet injuries. The report pointed out that 295 Kashmiris including 7 women have been martyred, 27 of them in fake encounters or custody, since repeal of special status of IIOJK and imposition of military siege by Narendra Modi-led fascist government on 5th August 2019 in the territory. It said that the troops molested 94 women after barging into the residential houses in the period. The report said that the occupation authorities did not allow people to offer Friday prayers at historical Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and other mosques, shrines and imambargahs of the territory for months together after August 05, last year. It said, the authorities have also disallowed the masses to hold religious gatherings like Muharram and Eid Milad-un-Nabi (SAW) processions during this period. The report said life remains badly affected and economy adversely hurt in IIOJK due to the continued military siege and ban on 4G internet services. It said Hurriyat leaders and activists including Muhammad Yasin Malik, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Masarrat Aalam Butt, Aasiya Andrabi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Fehmeeda Sofi, Naheeda Nasreen, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Ayaz Muhammad Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Syed Shahid Yousuf, Syed Shakeel Yousuf, Ghulam Muhammad Butt and businessman Zahoor Watali continue to remain in detention in New Delhi’s infamous Tihar Jail in fake cases registered against them. Thousands of people including Hurriyat leaders and activists like Jamaat-e-Islami chief Dr Abdul Hameed Fayaz, Advocate Zahid Ali, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Muhammad Yusuf Falahi, Zahoor Ahmed, Muhammad Rafiq Ganai, Zahoor Ahmed Butt, Mir Hafeezullah, Farooq Ahmed Tawheedi, Hayat Ahmed Butt and journalist, Aasif Sultan, remain lodged in different jails of IIOJK and India under black law, Public Safety Act, it added. The report maintained that the occupation authorities have kept the veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, and Chairman of Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, under house detention since long time and have not allowed them to carry out their political activities and even they have not been allowed to offer Friday prayers and address public meetings. Meanwhile, Hurriyat leaders in their separate statements have appealed to the United Nations and international human rights organizations to send their teams to take stock of the worst human rights situation in the occupied territory. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/10/indian-troops-martyr-95728-kashmiris-since-jan-1989/ 6. Human Rights day: Dec., 12, 2020: An International Parliamentary Kashmir Conference was organized by Jammu and Kashmir Right to Self-Determination Movement International in collaboration with Youth Parliament Pakistan and Institute of Regional Studies in Islamabad on the eve of International Human Rights Day. The conference was presided over by Right to Self-Determination Movement International Chairman Raja Najabat Hussain, while it was addressed by AJK President Sardar Masood Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood. Qureshi, Parliamentary Kashmir Committee Chairman Shaharyar Khan Afridi, Youth Parliament Pakistan Chairman Abrarul Haq and Shaikh Tajammal-ul-Islam, Executive Director of Kashmir Media Service. Many speakers spoke online and invited world attention towards gross human rights violations being perpetrated by Indian troops in IIOJK. Besides, Members of Parliament from UK and US including All Parties Kashmir Parliamentary Group Chairperson Debbie Abrahams, MP James Daly, Chairman Labour Friends of Kashmir Andrew Gwynne , Shadow Deputy Leader of House of Commons Afzal Khan, MP Paul Bristow, MP Tony Lloyd, MP Sarah Owen, MP Rachel Hopkins, former Member of European Parliament Anthea McIntyre, former MEP Shafaq Muhammad, former MEP Philip Bennion, MNA [Pakistan] Asma Qadeer and Youth Lobbyist from USA Farhana Shafi also addressed the gathering. Others who participated in the conference included Fida Hussain Kayani, Obaid Qureshi, Muhammad Shehzad Khan, Shakeel-ur-Rehman, Waleed Khan, Noman Khan, Sardar Rehman, Syed Shahbaz Khan, Afshan Tehseen Bajwa, Gulshan Minhas, Tahira Saeed, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan and representatives of various NGOs, social and media organizations. Raja Najabat Hussain in his address said that human rights violations by Indian forces in occupied Jammu and Kashmir were increasing day by day. Young and old are arrested and are forced to chant “Jai Ram” slogans. He urged the international human rights bodies to fulfill their responsibilities as the situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir has taken a very serious turn, especially after August 5, 2019. Debbie Abrahams, James Daly, Andrew Gavin, Afzal Khan, Paul Bristow, Tony Lloyd, Sarah Owen, Rachel Hopkins, Anthia McIntyre, Shafiq Muhammad, Philip Benin, Asma Qadeer and Farhana Shafi in their speeches said that they would continue to raise their voice for the basic rights of Kashmiris at all forums. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/12/10/speakers-at-webinar-vow-to-raise-plight-of-kashmiris-at-all-forums/ 7. India's Deceitful Deception by: Dr Rita Pal: 12 DEC 2020: The King of Disinformation (Formally known as the Indian Empire) has learned well from the East India Company. Infact, it is a photocopy of the East India Company these days. They were exposed a few days ago by an EU Think Tank with no links to Pakistan. The news has flown to all parts of the world. Yes, India is deceitful. In this case, India did everything in their Little Fascist Propaganda Playbook to discredit Kashmir or indeed distract people from it. Those of you who read this summary will understand what an uphill struggle both Jasmine and I had with the UNHRC Complaint here www.kashmirhumanrights.com We did not have the multi-billion dollar resources that India invested against Pakistan and even us. We simply had our brainpower. Despite all India did, they were not able to influence the UNHRC decision on Kashmir. That is because we ambushed the UNHRC with the truth, daily and sometimes hourly by all methods of communication. I am sure if we owned pigeons, we would have used them too. India has always been unhappy with us because despite spending millions and even billions, we did indeed defeat them by winning for Kashmir and Kashmiris. The Kashmiris may think nothing of this report. They always assume its just another report. It isn't just another report. It is the key to everything in the future. A ruling against India is the first of its kind. It has been a thorn in India's side. India had done everything in its power to destroy it. All their efforts failed. We have watched India squirm and you will all remember how they even lied about the UNHRC. The UNHRC had to press release a statement to confirm that India was distorting the truth. That was rather embarrassing as well. This is what the UNHRC said of India in 2018. Source reported in the Wire .https://thewire.in/rights/un-human-rights-chief-hits-back-on-claims-of-bias-on-kashmir-report “Some Indian media outlets have even gone so far as to claim that a photograph of the High Commissioner with three individuals from Pakistan-Administered Kashmir taken outside the Human Rights Council room in Geneva is – I quote – ‘clear proof of the ISI’s [Pakistan’s intelligence agency] involvement’. The unsupported conclusion that this photo indicates complicity is tendentious and – along with other such wild claims – appears designed to discredit the report while avoiding any real examination of, and reflection on, its contents. Individuals often ask to be photographed with the High Commissioner, and he often politely obliges,” said Colville. Anyhow, India will always never win on Kashmir. Kashmir has the truth and that is all it requires. Jasmine and I spend our lives mocking India at every opportunity. Only we know what we did and we do gloat about our win. Kashmir won hands down against all odds etc. Just because no one writes about it or is too cowardly to, doesn't mean this result for Kashmir wasn't a thing of legends. We love Kashmir unconditionally. We maybe separated by India's draconian and rather immature censorship but the love that binds us to Kashmir will never die. https://www.change.org/p/a-demand-for-a-unsc-review-a-hrc-full-inquiry-and-a-war-crimes-tribunal-for-kashmir-india-just-be-held-accountable-for-the-human-rights-violations-committed-in-kashmir/u/28211823?cs_tk=AhTAWAHvkpYzCDNO2V8AAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvKDy4LczAo_pPe5LAL02uuQ%3D&utm_campaign=c29683a20534449aa96d5f50d4b40e74&utm_content=initial_v0_4_0&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_term=cs 8. China and India: Dec., 13, 2020: The May 2020 Ladakh crisis marks a turning point in India-China relations, since both sides have crossed each other’s red lines. By grabbing 1,000 square km of Indian territory in Ladakh, China has made it known that bilateral peace and stability will be on its terms. Incapable of evicting the People’s Liberation Army forcefully, and unwilling to accept Beijing’s military coercion, India has become the United States’ de facto military ally to purportedly contain China. Signing the sensitive Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement (BECA) is the latest step in this direction . In India’s judgment, the possibility of horizonal escalation in the Indian Ocean region with the supposed help of the US would deter China from escalation on the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The wisdom of this position can only be gauged if the relationship is tested. As of now, what appears more probable is that the disengagement and partial de-escalation of opposing forces in Ladakh, whenever it happens, would be on PLA’s terms. Since both sides intend to permanently hold the LAC, meaningful de-induction of Indian forces from the northern and eastern theatres is ruled out. Unfortunately, the PLA threat will increase and not diminish in 2021. China’s preparations are focused on intelligentised war and it hopes, in my estimation, to be ready for a conflict against India by the end of 2023. Being non-contact and invisible, intelligentised war places a premium on Artificial Intelligence and has four distinctive technology features: Dominance of the electromagnetic spectrum; autonomy; drones and unmanned systems; and human-machine collaboration and combat teaming. Such a conflict will not be a border war limited to salami slicing, as the Indian military believes. It will be war of occupation where there would be minimal loss of PLA soldiers’ blood. Given the unbridgeable mismatch between the conventional capabilities of the two sides, India’s nuclear deterrence would be rendered useless.. The Indian military – even seven months into the crisis – remains oblivious about what lies ahead. Under the Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat, the Indian military is three decades behind the PLA in its war concepts (for campaign); and tactics, techniques and procedures (for battles). While it is preparing for war with ‘human soldiers in the lead’, the war that the PLA will fight would have ‘machines with autonomy in the lead’. For General Rawat, a war with China would be fought in the physical domains of land, air and sea with the army leading the campaign. For the PLA, the war-winning domains against the Indian military would be the virtual ones – of cyber, electronic and electromagnetic spectrum. General Rawat believes that time, effort, and finances should be spent on creating the organisation for supporting physical domains of war. He is pushing for raising of a joint integrated air defence command, integrated theatre commands and a maritime theatre command by 2023. This is when the PLA would be ready with its de-centralised war where the sensors-to-shooters cycle, now called data-to-decision cycle, would have the human role largely limited to fast decision-making to remain ahead of the enemy’s kill chain. General Rawat believes that speedy infrastructure building on India’s side would help the operational and tactical movement of forces. The PLA, on the other hand, is focused on unmanned systems. For General Rawat, civil-military fusion implies the marrying of physical assets on the commercial and military side. These include integration of civil-military airports, and getting ISRO commercial satellites to help meet armed forces requirements with inbuilt encryption. For China, civil-military fusion means utilisation of most new disruptive technologies incubated in the civil sector for the PLA. This involves a long experimentation phase, as well as large finances to get the desired assurance level for unmanned systems in war. Not to be left behind, retired field commanders in India are suggesting piecemeal technology additives to the armed forces. However, these will do more harm than good by giving a sense of false security. For instance, a former army commander, in a recent article, writes that drone warfare would be a gamechanger. While drones would play an important role in battles, war or campaign would require a mix of many disruptive technologies. In another article, he mentions the need for strengthening Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to build trusted networks. For one, the Indian military is years, if not decades, behind becoming a networked joint warfighting force. For another, PLA’s war would witness the end of traditional battle networks which are prone to cyber and electronic disruptions. Hence, the transformational shift towards autonomy or freedom for weapons from human command and control. The reality is that the PLA’s war preparedness – underway for three decades, and especially since Xi Jinping assumed the title of commander-in-chief in 2016, with huge finances spent on vibrant military-technology ecosystem and institutions devoted to war concepts – cannot be matched by the Indian military embarking on some rapid learning course. This writer has been saying since the PLA unveiled its 2015 transformational reforms that its Western Theatre Command has a single enemy to fight: India. Worse, even now, the Indian military is refusing to accept that its 2009 two-front war fighting strategy, predicated on Pakistan being the primary threat, has been rendered irrelevant. Hence, General Rawat’s structural reforms pivoted on the two-front thinking too stand superseded. China is more than a military threat now. If it decides to go to war, Pakistan too will join the war, and the people of Kashmir will not be left behind. Given China’s assessment of India becoming a US ally, all this is real. All, however, is not lost. The need is for honest introspection by the Indian military leadership on whether it would be possible to fight on two fronts. If not, it is high time to apprise the political leadership to consider a strategy which minimises the threat from China. A de facto military alliance with the US is certainly not the answer. https://thewire.in/security/pla-china-military-india-lessons Kashmir Update 104: Week Nov.,30, 2020 to Dec.,5, 2020 1. OIC on Kashmir: Nov., 30, 2020: the foreign ministers of the OIC’s member states in a diplomatic victory for Pakistan unanimously reaffirmed support for the Kashmir cause. In another landmark development, the OIC unanimously adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution urging the UN Secretary General to initiate a global dialogue to counter rising Islamophobia and promote interfaith harmony. According to details of the Niamey meeting released by Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Saturday, the CFM reaffirmed its strong support for the Kashmir cause. The OIC categorically rejected illegal and unilateral actions taken by India on Aug 5 last year to change the internationally recognised disputed status of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jam¬mu and Kashmir and demanded India rescind its illegal steps. It asked India to cancel the issuance of domicile certificates to non-Kashmiris as well as other unilateral and illegal actions, including Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Order, 2020; Jammu & Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate Rules, 2020; Jammu and Kashmir Language, Bill 2020 and amendments to the landownership laws. Also rejecting policies being pursued by the RSS-BJP regime, the 57 member countries of the OIC asked India to refrain from taking any steps to alter the demographic structure of the disputed territory. The OIC foreign ministers condemned in the strongest possible terms human rights violations perpetrated by Indian occupation forces in held Kashmir and other such instances of terrorism that have been the source of unspeakable suffering for the innocent Kashmiri people. The resolution condemned the state-sponsored terrorism and crimes against humanity by Indian occupation forces against the Kashmiri people. It denounced extrajudicial killings during fake ‘encounters’ and ‘search-and-cordon’ operations and demolition of houses and private properties as a form of collective punishment. The unanimous resolution condemned the renewed use of pellet guns by Indian occupation forces against innocent civilians, condemned the harassment of Kashmiri women by Indian troops and deplored that India had callously exploited the current Covid-19 crisis to intensify its military crackdown and further advance its unlawful occupation. India was asked to adhere to its international human rights obligations and allow the OIC Special Representative on Jammu and Kashmir and the OIC Fact-finding Mission to visit occupied Kashmir and implement recommendations of the two reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Jammu & Kashmir. The OIC asked the international community to review its engagements with India as it was violating and disregarding the international law, the international humanitarian law, and international resolutions. It emphasised that the question of Kashmir was of utmost importance for the Ummah. The OIC recognised that Jammu and Kashmir is the core dispute between Pakistan and India, and its resolution indispensable for realisation of the dream of peace in South Asia. The CFM noted that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are the principal party to the dispute, and stressed that they should be included in any peace process for resolution of the dispute. The resolution expressed concern that Islamophobia, as a contemporary form of racism and religious discrimination, was on the rise. It expressed deep concern at the recent incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran and reprinting of blasphemous caricatures which hurt sentiments of more than 1.8 billion Muslims around the world. The OIC decided to designate March 15 as the “International Day to Combat Islamophobia” each year. It authorised the OIC Permanent Missions in New York to jointly table a resolution in the UN General Assembly, calling for establishment of this day. Meanwhile, positively responding to Pakistan’s offer, the CFM meeting decided to host its 48th session in Islamabad in 2021. As the prospective CFM Chair, Pakistan also became a member of the six-member OIC Executive Committee for the next three years. https://www.dawn.com/news/1592994/oic-asks-india-to-rescind-illegal-acts-in-occupied-kashmir 2. State terrorism: Nov., 30, 2020: On the prior night, at about 1:30 am, Hussain was scrolling on his smartphone, tucked in his bed, when someone repeatedly banged the door to his residence in Abanshah area in Srinagar’s outskirts. When he opened the door, he stood numb as about forty troopers of the Indian Army stared at him. Moments later “I and my father walked out on the street”, he said. Neither of them were given a chance to wear shoes. “At least twenty other people”, Hussain said, were ordered out of their homes, they “stood in a line” on the dark street as the temperature dipped to 1°C. As the men and boys shivered, one trooper walked up to Hussain and said: “Yeh raat tu kabhi nahi bhulega. Yeh to shuruwat hai.” (You’ll never forget this night. This is just the beginning.). Hussain said the troops kept repeating the same questions: “Where are the militants?”, “Tell us where did they eat food?”, “Did you watch the video?”. The troopers were referring to a video recorded and released by militants who attacked a patrol group, killing two troopers, on the afternoon of 26 November in this area. Since the attack, the locals have accused the Army of raiding the neighbourhood every day and night, dragging out civilians and beating them up. More than a dozen families The Kashmir Walla spoke with in the neighbourhood claimed that more than sixty people were beaten up by the army so far. Hussain was caught in a raid on the third night since the attack. Like everyone else in the line that night, Hussain said, “We’ve no idea.” The army personnel asked the group to lie on the road, with their bellies down. Hussain looked at his father, standing adjacent to him, and bended. “Let them hit me as much as they want,” he had thought, “but not my father.” Armed with assault rifles and thick bamboo sticks, Hussain said, the army troopers thrashed the rounded up residents for nearly an hour. “We were not allowed to scream,” Hussain recalled, “or even raise our heads up.” During this, he said, one man shouted in agony: “If you are going to kill, [then] shoot us.” For Hussain, the pain didn’t numb with continued thrashing and he let out a scream. Then, “their officer walked up to me and said ‘Bol, Jai Shri Ram’, (chant Victory to Lord Ram, a rallying slogan for Hindu nationalists)” recalled Hussain. “[But] I screamed in pain then he shoved his gun in my mouth.” His father, Abdul Mir, called him to tell that two army personnel had been killed and that “you should stay there [at their relative’s house near the school], the situation is bad here.” The army personnel of 2 Rashtriya Rifle (RR) asked about him multiple times since the attack, said Adil , but the father stalled them. Two days later, on 28 November, Adil’s father called him again. This time, informing him that he had to present himself at the army camp. Shortly after the call, the teenager reached army camp, alone. “I was told by my father that many people from our locality are there,” he told The Kashmir Walla, in a phone interview on 28 November. “About thirty-five men were standing in a line and I joined them, quietly.” The army personnel, he said, asked his whereabouts. He replied, “I had my examination but they didn’t believe me.”Further, Mir said he doesn’t remember anything else but his own screams. “They were seven personnel, who kept beating me,” he said. “Two of them held me [and] others beat me up. Then they pushed me to the ground and kept beating.” Writhing in pain, Mir whispered from the other side of the phone, “What could have I done? My whole body is in pain right now. I’m angry but what can I do?” approached me.” One of the boys on the run told The Kashmir Walla on the phone: “Police do nothing. … If anybody goes to the police, he would be the first one [to be identified] that he went to police. They are worried about that.” As the scare grows with each passing night, the boys aren’t sure when they will return home. Not everybody could run from the army. Hamza Mir’s three sons — Hilal, Mehraj, and Hameed — were badly injured in the beating when the army raided on Friday night, the second day from the attack. The trio were in a hospital in Srinagar. Hamza stayed back with his wife, waiting for his own wounds to heal with time. “The army barged into our house on Friday night, at 1:30 am, and dragged all men above 18 out,” recalled Hamza. He was sitting near a kang’ir, his thighs aching from the fresh bruises, still wearing the thin checked-sweater that he wore the other midnight as he stood with nearly “thirty-five others” on the main intersection where the forces’ personnel were killed. Under the street lights, a similar choreography of terror followed the night. He, strikingly, remembered a moment from the night: “When they hit my Hilal, the youngest son, on a leg, he fell on the ground. I pleaded, ‘Sir, he is a child, don’t hit him.’ I was crying, but I was next in line.”So when the army personnel reached him, Hamza merely stood up, and said, “I don’t know where the militants are or where they were.” The army personnel took him to a nearby lamppost on the street, he said. “One of them grabbed my hands, pulled me towards the pole, and tightly held me against it,” he recalled, still shivering. “Then the rest beat me up from the back.”At least eight boys were in the hospital, undergoing treatment, near Hamza’s residence, their families told The Kashmir Walla. Hamza’s wife interrupted the men, holding a doctor’s prescription amid sobs, to say: “All of my sons are in the hospital. What will I do if they don’t return? I could feel my heart is stopping.” The daughter of Hamza’s next door neighbour, 8-year-old Iqra, witnessed the entire incident from her window — how the army also grabbed her father along with the other men and dragged him out; the screams in the dead of the night. She now feels terrorised at the sight of men in military uniforms. On Friday night’s raid, Iqra had joined other women of the hamlet to follow the army personnel, taking their kin, to plead. A few meters away from the intersection, the army blocked the way with their armoured vehicle. “I could hear my father’s screams,” said Iqra, “but I was really afraid. … I thought now they will come to beat me. I still think they will come for us.” In the second raid on the third day after the attack, after the beatings, Hussain said, at about 3 am “they asked us to run at the count of three”. “All of us stood in a line and the Army personnel again got ready with their batons; at the count of three, we ran and they hit anyone they could. I didn’t stop till I reached home.” Hussain returned home with his limping father as the women awaited them on the porch. The blood spilled on that runway is still red. Hussain looked at his father and couldn’t say anything. “I cried,” he recalled, “and ran up to my room.” Back at home, his sister, Shagufta Akhtar felt helpless and afraid, she could not call for help as the Army troopers had taken away the phones of everyone in the locality, along with passwords. “They even asked me to open the vault on the phone. I observe the hijab (modesty as ordained by Islam) and I don’t feel comfortable when someone else sees my photos. The phone has personal details,” she said, adding that she felt her privacy was being violated. However, to Hussain, privacy is the least of concerns. “They have told us that they will come again,” said Hussain, looking out the window behind him. “They will definitely come — who isn’t scared?” Standing in the room as Hussain shows his bruised leg, his friend said, “They are pushing us towards it — you know what. Shall I sit and watch them beat up my family? They are forcing us to act.” https://thekashmirwalla.com/2020/11/bol-jai-shri-ram-srinagar-locality-alleges-mass-beatings-by-army-after-militant-attack/?fbclid=IwAR3wgiNqz3K_nVlNSh14vhrtzk8V67Ix4MWMEmNdkXqiGRBrlzVfbRzks9Q 3. Chemical weapons: December 1: Indian forces continue to kill Kashmiris and destroy their properties by using chemical weapons in illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir despite the fact that the world is observing the Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare, today. An analytical report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said, although chemical weapons have been banned but India is using them against Kashmiris in violation of the Chemical Weapon Convention that prohibits the use of chemical and biological weapons even in war, what to talk of against civilian populations like in IIOJK. The report said that there have been a number of deaths due to use of chemical weapons by Indian troops in IIOJK. The bodies are burnt to such an extent that they are beyond recognition and this kind of burning could only be possible when some chemicals are used to destroy houses. The recovery of charred bodies of three Kashmiri youth, Jehangir Khanday, Kifayat Ahmad and Faisal Ahmad under the debris of four houses, destroyed by the Indian army at Bahmnoo in Pulwama on 4 July 2017 suggested usage of chemical weapons. The bodies were so extensively burnt that they were beyond visual recognition. Earlier, in a similar action the same year, the troops killed three youth and demolished a house at Kakapora in Pampore. In December 2016, the first incident in which Indian army used banned chemical weapons on people was seen in forest areas of Islamabad district in south Kashmir where a 22 year-old-boy Majid Zargar was killed and then chemical was put on his entire body. He could not be recognized as his entire body was burnt and nobody was able to say that this is really a body of some human being as it was collected from different sites that too in very small pieces. The report suggests that Indian Army is emulating Israeli tactics by using white phosphorus bombs to destroy houses of Kashmiris. The same tactics were used by Israel during its attacks on Gaza and it seems that these weapons have been provided by Israel to India for use in IIOJK. Particularly after August 5, 2019, Indian occupational troops as a policy take control of the bodies of the Kashmiri youth, killed by detonating their houses with chemical weapons during cordon and search operations, and bury them in the army-run graveyards to hide their crimes from the world. The charred bodies of the youth and their secret burial even without letting their parents to attend their funeral prayers are testimony to the fact that Indian is blatantly using chemical weapons in IIOJK. India must be punished for violating international laws especially when the whole world is destroying or deactivating their chemical weapons, New Delhi is stockpiling them endangering peace in the region. Subjugated and traumatized Kashmiris who are seeking their right to self-determination for decades are a test for global conscience. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/30/charred-kashmiris-bodies-await-world-action-against-india/ 4. Pak China Pact: Dec., 2, 2020: Pakistan and China on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further deepen cooperation between the two countries’ armies as the latter’s defence minister met army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi. General Wei Fenghe is not only the minister for national defence but also a state councilor, a top ranking position after the vice premiers. The MoU on enhancing cooperation between the two armies came against the backdrop of regional security situation. Pakistan and China have already strategic partnership and recent changes in the region further pushed the two ‘allweather iron brothers’ to closely cooperate with each other. The visit of the Chinese defence minister is seen as crucial against the backdrop of ongoing border standoff between China and India in the Ladakh region as well as deepening of strategic ties between India and the US, something that has disturbed the conventional balance in the region. Pakistan considers China’s support as critical to counter aggressive policies of the Modi government. Many analysts believe that one of the reasons behind the current military standoff in the Ladakh region is linked to Modi government’s unilateral and illegal action in August last year to change the special status of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir territory. General Fenghe flew to Pakistan from Nepal, which he visited on Sunday as part of efforts by Beijing to deepen its ties with Katmandu, which is increasingly coming under pressure from its hostile neighbour India. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) regarding the meeting between General Fenghe and General Qamar, matters of mutual interest, regional security and enhanced bilateral defence collaboration were discussed. “Visiting dignitary acknowledged and appreciated Pakistan Army’s sincere efforts for regional peace and provision of secure environment for the CPEC projects,” the military’s media wing added. The army chief thanked the dignitary for China’s unwavering support to Pakistan on all key issues at regional and international forums. The COAS said that Pakistan Army greatly values “our time-tested and brotherly relations” with China. “We have been standing together all along, and our relations will be no different in [the] wake of future challenges,” the army chief said. Observers believe that General Qamar’s statement is a clear message for those who want Pakistan to stay away from China. They say in the rising polarised world, China is critical for Pakistan as the country’s economic future is not only linked with Beijing but also its support on other issues of Islamabad’s concern is crucial. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2274130/pakistan-china-ink-pact-on-defence-cooperation Kashmir Update 103: Week Nov.,23, 2020 to Nov.,29, 2020 1. India China talks stalled: Nov., 28, 2020:China's insistence that Indian troops should vacate heights in Chushul has hit talks for disengaging troops from forward locations in eastern Ladakh. Beijing is yet to respond to dates suggested for the next commander level talks, narrowing the chances of pulling back troops from the inhospitable heights before winter peaks. While talks are on for the PLA to withdraw from Finger 4 to 8 and Indian troops to vacate its positions at Rechin La and Rezang La, among others, on the Kailash range, the deep distrust which set in after the Galwan clash prevails. China's aim could be to occupy strategic positions in the Despang sector, a source said. If it succeeds, it would provide a shorter route to Shaksgam Valley, which Pakistan ceded to China in 1963, and provide a better route to Karakoram Pass. PLA does not want India at the Daulat Beg Oldie as it fears the Indian Army could threaten China's flagship CPEC project. This is the reason why China is silent on the Despang sector in the proposal under negotiations for disengagement, the source indicated. For India, the Chinese position around DBO would sandwich its post at the Siachen between the Chinese and Pakistan's forces. China has deliberately avoided mentioning the post-disengagement positions along the LAC in the Ladakh sector, the source claimed. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/with-india-china-talks-over-ladakh-pullout-stalled-a-harsh-winter-awaits-troops/articleshow/79419697.cms 2. OIC: Nov., 28, 2020: The Kashmir dispute has not been included in the agenda of the two-day meeting of foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) being held in Niger’s capital Niamey from Friday. The OIC statements, both in English and Arabic, made no specific mention of Kashmir in the agenda announced in Riyadh. OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen was quoted in the official statement as having said that the meeting would discuss the Palestinian cause, the fight against violence, extremism and terrorism, Islamophobia and defamation of religion, the situation of Muslim minorities and communities in non-member states, fundraising for the Rohingya case at the International Court of Justice, as well as the promotion of dialogue among civilisations, cultures and religions, and other emerging matters.The agenda of the Niamey meeting also includes discussion on the political, humanitarian, economic, social and cultural and other issues related to science and technology, the media and the progress made in the implementation of the “OIC-2025: Plan of Action” document. It would, moreover, feature a brainstorming session on “Security and Humanitarian Challenges Confronting African Sahel States Members of the OIC”. Pakistan’s request for a meeting of the contact group on the issue also declined. Pakistan has since the annexation of occupied Kashmir by India been demanding a special meeting of the OIC foreign ministers on the dispute. The meeting has not been convened so far because the Saudis, who wield a virtual veto in the 57-member bloc of Muslim countries, has not supported Islamabad’s move. The latest omission of Kashmir from the agenda of the regular foreign ministers’ meeting comes at a time when ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia/UAE remain strained over what Pakistani diplomats say are “unfulfilled expectations”. A diplomatic source separately said that this time OIC Contact Group on Kashmir would not meet either. The hosts declined a Pakistani request for a meeting on the pretext of the Covid-19 pandemic. https://www.dawn.com/news/1592462/kashmir-not-on-agenda-of-oic-foreign-ministers-meeting 3. Kashmir Update 102: Week Nov.,16, 2020 to Nov.,22, 2020 1. Land grab: Nov., 17, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Modi led fascist Indian government has demolished scores of houses, huts and sheds belonging to Gujjar and Bakarwal communities of Muslims in Pahalgam, Islamabad and Bhatandi and other areas in Jammu to grab their land to settle Hindu outsiders. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/17/india-flattens-houses-sheds-of-muslim-bakarwals-in-iiojk/ 2. Four young men martyred: Nov., 19, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Jammu district, today. The youth were killed when the troops opened fire on a vehicle in which they were travelling at Ban Toll Plaza near Nagrota on Jammu-Srinagar Highway in the district. The youth were travelling from Jammu to Srinagar in a truck when they were fired upon and killed by the troops in a fake encounter at Ban Toll Plaza in Jammu early today, an eyewitness said. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/19/indian-troops-martyr-four-youth-in-jammu/ 3. Gujar evection: Nov., 21, 2020: The Forest Rights Act of 2006 recognises the rights of Forest Dwelling Scheduled Tribes, or FDST, and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers, or OTFD, to forest lands and produce except timber. The law is informed by the understanding that FDST and OTFD are “integral to the very survival and sustainability of the forest ecosystem” and, therefore, the goal of forest conservation is served by letting them stay on their lands, not by evicting them. Every FDST and OTFD family gets ownership rights to up to 79 kanals, or 4 hectares, of the forest land that they cultivated as on 13 December 2005. Even if this land that is being cultivated by the forest dwellers is entered as forest land on revenue records, it doesn’t matter. The ownership of 79 kanals of this forest land which is under cultivation of a family will have to be transferred to that family. They can’t be evicted out of that land. The FDST and OTFD have the right to extract forest produce other than timber. They have grazing rights to their forest lands, and they have the right to move on pastoral routes. The Forest Rights Act covers every Scheduled Tribe person who lives on forest land and whose livelihood is dependent on forests, as the Gujjar and Bakerwal community is. They have to be living on forest land on 13 December 2005. It also applies to any non-Scheduled Tribe person or community living on forest land for three generations or 75 years until 13 December 2005. This means non-tribal forest dwellers have the same rights if they fulfil the occupancy condition. How can a person or a family claim their rights under the Forest Rights Act? The law requires the state to set up four committees to verify each claim and award ownership rights. An individual claimant or community has to first approach the village committee, which will vet the claim and make a recommendation to the tehsil or sub-division committee, and then the district committee. There’s a monitoring committee at the state or union territory level as well. The committees must have members from FDST and OTFD populations as also representatives from the administration. The decision of the district committee “shall be final and binding”. Any person or family awarded ownership rights to the forest land, however, cannot sell it. This means that the Forest Rights Act completely shields FDST and OTFD populations from eviction from their forest lands. In other words, the law doesn’t just protect the settlements of Gujjars and Bakerwals and other forest dwellers inside forests, but even land in towns and cities that’s recorded as forest land and is under their occupation. On 6 September 2012, the government introduced the Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers Recognition of Forest Rights Amendment Rules, which converted all forest villages, unrecorded settlements on forest land, and habitations of forest dwellers into revenue villages. These revenue villages included “the actual land use of the village in its entirety, including lands required for current or future community uses, like, schools, health facilities, public spaces etc”. This is also relevant for settlements in towns and cities that are recorded in revenue records as being on forest lands. This means that the settlements that have come up on land entered as forest land in towns and cities have rights to secure all the infrastructure necessary for community use. The government is also duty-bound to provide all the necessary facilities, like roads, lanes, electricity, water, educational institutions and health care facilities etc to these settlements. This explanation of the law is crucial to understanding why the J-K administration has launched a drive to remove Gujjar and Bakerwal settlements from forest lands. J-K has not implemented the Forest Rights Act yet, even though it was extended to the territory 15 months ago. They haven’t formed the four committees to verify claims to forest lands and grant ownership rights. This eviction drive is, thus, a “changing facts on ground” drive. If the FDST and OTFD community begins to utilise the Forest Rights Act, it will be extremely difficult for the state not only to evict them from their rightful habitations on forest lands but also deny them all necessary facilities to live in those settlements. “The United Nation Universal Declaration on Human Rights, to which India is a signatory, takes into account the fact that recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,” the ministry noted in its affidavit to the court. “The UN Convention Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Populations, 1957, which has been ratified by India, relates to protection and integration of indigenous and other tribal and semi-tribal populations in independent countries. Under the said convention, a commitment is made to include protection of customary and traditional rights of such tribal and semi-tribal communities, and the protection of their right to ownership, collective or individual, over the lands which they have traditionally occupied”.The affidavit also referred to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, to which India is a signatory as well and which “urges the member countries to recognize the rights of indigenous peoples. A key provision of the declaration…enjoins member states to protect the rights to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied and used”. The ministry’s plea also talked about the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, to which India is a party and which “advocates preservation of indigenous knowledge and practices”.“At the international level, India has actively participated in the formulation of these legal principles and is constitutionally bound to ensure that these are implemented within the country in letter and spirit,” the plea added. Now think of the Gujjar and Bakerwal community and other traditional forest dwellers of J-K. They are being arbitrarily evicted from the forest lands even before they have a chance to file their claims because the state hasn’t even set up the committees under the Forest Rights Act yet. The onus lies on the government and not these communities. The Gujjar and Bakerwal community whose homes and hutments are being demolished have another legal protection: the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act of 1989, which does apply in J-K but is not being implemented as yet. This law seeks “to prevent the commission of offences of atrocities against the members of Scheduled Castes and Tribes” and provides for special courts “for the trial of such offences and for the relief and rehabilitation of the victims of such offences and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto”. Any atrocity committed against a person or family belonging to a Scheduled Tribe automatically falls under the purview of this law. In 2018, the parliament passed the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Amendment Bill, 2018 to overturn a Supreme Court order framing procedures for arrests made under this law. The law enjoins the government to set up special courts to hear cases of atrocities against SCs and STs and appoint special public prosecutors for the purpose. The J-K administration hasn’t done any of this so far. But as the law is in vogue, members of the Gujjar and Bakerwal community can file cases under it against anybody who threatens them, forces their displacement, or demolishes their homes and hutments. http://thekashmiriyat.co.uk/removal-of-gujjar-and-bakerwal-community-from-forests-is-illegal-heres-why/ Kashmir Update 101: Week Nov.,9, 2020 to Nov.,15, 2020 1. Youth martyred: Nov., 9, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today (Nov 8, 2020). The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Machil area of the district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/08/indian-troops-martyrs-one-youth-in-iiojk/ 2. Youth martyred: Nov., 11, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today (Nov., 11, 2020).The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Kutpora area of the district. An Indian Army official claimed that the youth were killed in an encounter triggered during a cordon and search operation jointly launched by Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and Indian police. The authorities suspended internet service in Shopian and Kulgam districts. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/10/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-shopian-5/ 3. Media in IOK: Nov., 12, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, media is under a serious threat from Indian occupational forces was the finding of a report released by the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) in the first quarter of the year 2020. An analytical report released by Kashmir Media Service, today, said the media in IIOJK is facing state repression as it is being repeatedly targeted and vilified by Modi led fascist Indian regime. New Delhi is using different intimidating tactics to harass Kashmiri journalists and media house owners. Besides being booked under draconian laws for speaking truth, Indian probe agencies like National Investigation Agency and Enforcement Directorate frequently raid residences of IIOJK journalists and media outlets. The report cited the statement of Ravi R Prasad, director of advocacy at IPI in which he said, “Journalism in Jammu and Kashmir is under a dramatic state of repression” and said that NIA is BJP’s pet agency, which is being used to terrorize the Kashmiri journalists. The report supported the findings of the IPI director that India “is using a mix of harassment, intimidation, surveillance and online information control to silence critical voices and force journalists to resort to self-censorship” by referring to the NIA raid on English daily Greater Kashmir’s office in Srinagar and the sealing of the office of daily Kashmir Times. The action was even condemned by Delhi-based Editors Guild and Press Clubs of India. It said that India was making efforts in vain to hide its crimes by stifling media in the occupied territory. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/11/india-trying-in-vain-to-hide-its-crimes-by-stifling-media-in-iiojk/ Kashmir Update 100: Week Nov.,2, 2020 to Nov.,8, 2020 1. Saifullah martyred: Nov., 1, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a prominent mujhaid commander, Dr Saifullah, in Srinagar, today. The troops killed Dr. Saifullah during a cordon and search operation in Rangreth area on the outskirts of the city. one youth was arrested during the operation . . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/01/india-claims-killing-mujahid-commander-in-iiojk/ 2. Kashmir And Palestine: Nov., 3, 2020: Human Rights Watch in its 2020 report said that Israel continued to enforce severe and discriminatory restrictions in Palestine; restrict the movement of people and goods into and out of the Gaza Strip; and facilitate the transfer of Israeli citizens to settlements in the occupied West Bank, an illegal practice under international humanitarian law. Israel’s twelve-year closure of Gaza, exacerbated by Egyptian restrictions on its border with Gaza, limits access to educational, economic, and other opportunities, medical care, clean water and electricity for the nearly 2 million Palestinians who live there. Eighty percent of Gaza’s population depend on humanitarian aid. Israeli forces stationed on the Israeli side of fences separating Gaza and Israel continued to fire live ammunition at demonstrators inside Gaza who posed no imminent threat to life, pursuant to open-fire orders from senior officials that contravene international human rights standards. According to the Palestinian rights group al-Mezan, Israeli forces killed 34 Palestinians and, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, injured 1,883 with live ammunition during these protests in 2019 as of October 31. Fighting between Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza involved unlawful attacks and civilian casualties. During a flare-up in early May, Israeli airstrikes killed 25 Palestinians, 13 of whom were civilians killed in strikes that appeared to contain no military objective or caused disproportionate civilian loss in violation of the laws of war. During the first nine months of 2019, Israeli authorities approved plans for 5,995 housing units in West Bank settlements, excluding East Jerusalem, as compared to 5,618 in all of 2018, according to the Israeli group Peace Now. Israeli cabinet officials in September approved ex-post facto the outpost settlement of Mevo’ot Yericho in the Jordan Valley that had been illegal even under Israeli law, just days after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to annex the Jordan Valley if re-elected. Meanwhile, Israeli authorities destroyed 504 Palestinian homes and other structures in 2019 as November 11, the majority for lacking construction permits. Israel makes it nearly impossible for Palestinians to obtain such permits in East Jerusalem or in the 60 percent of the West Bank under its exclusive control (Area C). The demolitions displaced 642 people as of September 16, more than the total number of people displaced in 2018 (472), according to the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The Israeli rights group B’Tselem recorded more demolitions of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem in 2019 than in any other year since at least 2004. All of this occurred in 2020, but by no means is this an unusually tragic year for the Palestinian people similar reports have been published for years. Back in 2019 the UN released a report on the human right abuses in Kashmir. The section on human right abuses in Indian Occupied Kashmir included: civilian killings and excessive use of force, continued use of pellet-firing shotgun, cordon and search operations, arbitrary detention, impunity for human rights violations, restrictions on freedom of expression, censorship and attack on press freedoms, restrictions on freedom of assembly and association, torture, targeting of Kashmiri Muslims outside Jammu and Kashmir. These are harsh realities of being a Kashmiri in Indian Occupied J&K. The 2019 report further said that according to the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), around 160 civilians were killed in 2018, which is believed to be the highest number in over one decade. Last year also registered the highest number of conflict-related casualties since 2008 4 with 586 people killed including 267 members of armed groups and 159 security forces personnel. However, the Union Ministry for Home Affairs claimed only 37 civilians, 238 terrorists and 86 security forces personnel were killed in 2018 up to 2 December 2018. The clear denial of the Kashmiri genocide on part of the Indian authorities is telling of their intentions in the region. According to JKCCS, 1,081 civilians have been killed by security forces in extrajudicial killings between 2008 and 2018. Of the 160 civilians reportedly killed in 2018 The Kashmir Valley, where most of the protests and armed encounters are reported to have taken place, accounted for 122 of these civilian killings. There is no information on the status of the five investigations launched into extrajudicial executions in 2016. The Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir did not establish any investigations into civilian killings in 2017. No prosecutions have been reported. It does not appear that Indian security forces have been asked to re-evaluate or change their crowd control techniques or rules of engagement. Indian security forces continue to use pellet-firing shotguns in the Kashmir Valley as a crowd-control weapon despite concerns as to excessive use of force and the large number of incidental civilian deaths and injuries that have resulted. The 12-gauge pump-action shotgun firing metal pellets is one of the most dangerous weapons used in Kashmir. According to information from Srinagar’s Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital, where most pellet shotgun injured are treated, 1,253 people have been blinded by the metal pellets used by security forces from mid-2016 to the end of 2018. So-called “cordon and search operations”, a much-criticized military strategy employed by the Indian security forces in the early 1990s, was reintroduced in the Kashmir Valley in 2017. According to national and international human rights organizations, cordon and search operations enable a range of human rights violations, including physical intimidation and assault, invasion of privacy, arbitrary and unlawful detention, collective punishment and destruction of private property. On 28 February 2019, the central government declared religious-political organization Jamaat e Islami (Jammu and Kashmir) an unlawful association under section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967. On 22 March 2019, the central government declared the pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Yasin faction) an unlawful association. “Peace is the only way but silence kills and silence is complicity. We are obliged to bear witness. Please tell everyone you can,” writes Gideon Polya, the author of US-Imposed Post-9/11 Muslim Holocaust & Muslim Genocide. Under the guise of ‘counter-terrorism’ since 9/11 Muslims around the world have become targets of brutal atrocities. Any insurgencies that are locally created and born as a result of the harsh and subjugating conditions in disputed areas such as Kashmir or Palestine are chalked up to ‘terrorism.’ Ironically in Israel when Hamas prevailed in the January 2006 national legislative elections. It is a bitter irony that Hamas was encouraged, especially by Washington, to participate in the elections to show its commitment to a political process (as an alternative to violence) and then was badly punished for having the temerity to succeed, writes Richard Falk, an American scholar. These elections were internationally monitored under the leadership of the former American president, Jimmy Carter, and pronounced as completely fair. Carter has recently termed this Israeli/American refusal to accept the outcome of such a democratic verdict as itself ‘criminal.’ He wrote in 2007 that It was also deeply discrediting of the campaign of the Bush presidency to promote democracy in the region, an effort already under a dark shadow in view of the policy failure in Iraq. After winning the Palestinian elections, Hamas was castigated as a terrorist organization that had not renounced violence against Israel and had refused to recognize the Jewish state as a legitimate political entity. In fact, the behavior and outlook of Hamas is more complex and diverse. From the outset of its political existence in 1987, Hamas seemed ready to work with other Palestinian groups, especially Fatah and Mahmoud Abbas, to establish a ‘unity’ government.More than this, their leadership revealed a willingness to move toward an acceptance of Israel’s existence if Israel would in turn agree to move back to its 1967 borders, implementing finally unanimous Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. Even more dramatically, Hamas proposed a ten-year truce with Israel, and went so far as to put in place a unilateral ceasefire that lasted for eighteen months, and was broken only to engage in rather pathetic strikes mainly taking place in response to Israeli violent provocations in Gaza. As Efraim Halevi, former head of Israel’s Mossad was reported to have said, ‘What Isreal needs from Hamas is an end to violence, not diplomatic recognition.’ And this is precisely what Hamas offered and what Israel rejected. This deeply unsettling truth about how India and Israel hold Kashmir and Palestine in a chokehold not only militarily but politically, and economically. The similarities between the state of Kashmiris and Palestinians are a result of the similarities in the nature of the Indian and Israeli states. Both India and Israel engage in a brutal subjugation of populations that they are in control of but have not earned the loyalty of. Kashmir, a state with a majority Muslim population in a country that is a Hindu majority and seeks to assimilate the region as it has ‘historic relevance’ to the nation. India over the years maintained that Kashmir belongs to it as a mandate from the Hindu prince of the state, appointed by the British, a Hindu prince who had committed genocide himself on the Kashmiri population. Recently, whilst becoming more Hindu nationalistic in nature the state has become much less subtle it it’s tactics to forcibly take the region. Israel has been less encryptic in its approach in Palestine, with the land that was taken as a result of Palestinian ‘Nakba’ which displaced around 700,000 Palestinians from their homes and rightful lands, being stated as historically belonging to the Jewish people. Under the guise of a ‘democracy’ fighting terrorism both India and Israel continue to wreak unimaginable havoc in the lives of Kashmiris and Palestinians. Both states unsurprisingly recently supported President Emmanuel Macron’s comments on Islam as a religion in crisis. A Jewish South-African anti-apartheid leader Ronnie Kasrils writes “As a Jewish South African anti-apartheid activist I look with horror on the far-right shift in Israel ahead of this month’s elections, and the impact in the Palestinian territories and worldwide. Israel’s repression of Palestinian citizens, African refugees and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza has become more brutal over time. Ethnic cleansing, land seizure, home demolition, military occupation, bombing of Gaza and international law violations led Archbishop Tutu to declare that the treatment of Palestinians reminded him of apartheid, only worse. How disgraceful that, despite the lessons of our struggle against racism, such intolerance continues to this day. I’m also deeply disturbed that critics of Israel’s brutal policies are frequently threatened with repression of their freedom of speech, a reality I’ve now experienced at first hand. Last week, a public meeting in Vienna where I was scheduled to speak in support of Palestinian freedom, as part of the global Israeli Apartheid Week, was cancelled by the museum hosting the event – under pressure from Vienna’s city council, which opposes the international movement to divest from Israel.” India too receives the same international support while it continues it human right violations in Kashmir, the disparity in the treatment of Muslim countries and voices become painfully apparent when taking into account that Pakistan was grey-listed by the FATF while India and Israel continue to enjoy international support and investment. https://www.globalvillagespace.com/israel-palestine/ 3. China and Maoists: Nov., 6, 2020: Though these separatist forces have requested for China's support, China did not respond to them given diplomatic principles and the friendship between China and India. China respects the territorial integrity of other countries. The recognition of each other's sovereignty and territorial integrity is the premise and basis of China-India diplomatic ties. But if India jeopardizes this basis, China has no reason to adhere to it either. If India supports secessionist forces in China and disregards China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, it should be aware of the consequences. India playing the Taiwan card is impairing its own interests. Some Indian strategists, think tanks and media outlets are forcing China to take countermeasures. The Indian government has so far remained silent on the fire-playing by some Indians. If India's nationalists move forward by fanning the Taiwan flame, what awaits them will be insurgence and chaos in its northeast. https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1203786.shtml 4. Youth martyred: Nov., 7, 2020: Meanwhile, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiris in Pulwama district. The troops martyred two youth and injured two civilians during a violent cordon and search operation in Pampore area of the district. One of the injured civilians succumbed to his injuries at SMHS hospital in Srinagar. The occupation authorities snapped internet service in several areas of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/11/06/kashmiris-observe-jammu-martyrs-day-3/ 5. WKAF Statement on Politically Motivated Attacks on Civil Society in Jammu and Kashmir: Nov., 8,2020: -India seeks to further muzzle Kashmiri voices with new round of raids- The World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF) issued the following statement in responses to the actions of the Indian government in Jammu and Kashmir. “We condemn the Indian government's continued Hindutva fascist assault on the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). The Modi government seems to be bent on suppressing the voices of Kashmiris and anyone else who raises a finger against its settler-colonial agenda and blatant human rights abuses in the region. In recent days, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) has carried out surprise raids in Jammu & Kashmir and across India on the business offices of various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and media outlets, as well as the offices and residences of human rights activists, political opponents, and journalists. These raids by NIA have now become the Bharatiya Janata Party government's favored tools, used to investigate the alleged use of funds collected “for secessionist and separatist activities.” NGOs targeted by recent raids include the Jammu & Kashmir Yateem (orphan) Foundation, the Salvation Movement, Human Welfare Foundation, Jammu & Kashmir Voice of Victims, Falah-e-Aaam Trust, the humanitarian outfit Athroot, and Delhi- based Charity Alliance. In addition, the NIA has searched the offices of Agence France-Presse and the Greater Kashmir Trust for “incriminating documents.” The Orwellian dragnet has also been cast on the most vocal civil society members and human rights activists and their associates. Among them: the famed rights defender Khuram Parvez (Co-coordinator of Jammu & Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society), Parveena Ahanger (Chairwoman of the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons), and their associates in Jammu & Kashmir and across India. These two organizations have been at the forefront of extensive reporting on human rights abuses in Kashmir, including indefinite incarceration, torture, extrajudicial killings of political opponents, and the extensive impunity enjoyed by Jammu & Kashmir's armed forces.The WKAF condemns these raids unequivocally and calls on men and women of conscience worldwide, particularly international human rights advocacy groups and other NGOs, to redouble their efforts in highlighting the ongoing human rights abuses in the Indian occupied Kashmir, and to demand that the government in New Delhi work for a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute. The Indian state’s new repressive measures may bring temporary silence among Kashmir’s besieged population and their supporters, but it will never buy their allegiance to India.Prolonging the settlement of the Kashmir dispute will bring peace neither to India nor to South Asia, and will prolong the unnecessary suffering of thousands of innocent civilians.” 6. Biden and Kashmir: Nov., 8, 2020: Blinken, a former deputy secretary of state, also added that the Biden administration is likely to have “real concerns” about some developments in India. He cited the “cracking down on freedom of movement and freedom of speech in Kashmir, some of the laws on citizenship”. Indian observers expect that unlike the Trump administration – which had been relatively muted over Kashmir and Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens, President Biden is likely to be more vocal. President Trump had shrugged off from commenting about the Delhi riots that took place on the day of his visit to India in February this year. It is difficult to imagine that Biden would have made the same choice. The last paragraph of Biden’s assurances to the Indian-American community dwelt on the core values of India and the US, which were identified as democracy, fair and free elections, equality under law and freedom of religion and expression. “These core principles have endured throughout each of our nations’ histories and will continue to be the source of our strength in the future”. In his first year of presidency, Biden has stated that he will organise a summit of democracies, where countries will have to announce commitments in areas of anti-corruption, defending against authoritarianism and “advancing human rights in their own nations and abroad”. Navigating through Washington’s spotlight on human rights and the role of civil society in a democracy may become a challenge for New Delhi, but it is unlikely to rock the basic strategic convergence between the two sides. Kashmir Update 98: Week Oct.,19, 2020 to Oct.,25, 2020 1. Youth martyred: Oct., 20, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a Kashmir youth, today, in Shopian district of south Kashmir.The youth was killed by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation (CASO) in Melhora area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/19/indian-troops-martyr-one-youth-in-iiojk-3/ 2. Five martyred: Oct., 21, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred five more Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Pulwama districts. The youth were killed by Indian troops during cordon and search operations (CASOs) in the two districts. Two youth were killed by the troops during an overnight military operation in Melhora area of Shopian, while another three were killed in Kakripora area of Pulwama district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/20/indian-troops-martyr-four-more-youth-in-iiojk/ 3. Newspaper: Oct., 22, 2020: The regional administration of the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir sealed the office of leading English daily the Kashmir Times on Monday. The Kashmir Times, which is headquartered in Jammu, was being published from both Jammu and Kashmir and is one of the oldest newspapers in the region. Its owner, Anuradha Bhasin, said the government's action was a "vendetta for speaking out” while noting that no process of law was followed. "No eviction notice was served on us and neither was there any formal communication," the Press Trust of India quoted her as saying. On her Twitter handle, she wrote: "Today, Estates Dept locked our office without any due process of cancellation & eviction, the same way as I was evicted from a flat in Jammu, where my belongings including valuables were handed over to ‘new allottee.' Vendetta for speaking out! No due process followed. How peevish!” Reporters without Borders (RSF) termed the act an attack on press freedom https://www.dailysabah.com/world/asia-pacific/kashmir-authorities-seal-office-of-leading-opposition-english-daily 4. Black day Oct 22: Oct., 22, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, posters have appeared in different areas of the territory asking people to observe October 27 as Black Day. On 27th October in 1947 Indian troops had invaded Jammu and Kashmir and occupied it in total violation of the Partition Plan of the subcontinent and against the Kashmiris’ aspirations. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/21/posters-ask-iiojk-people-to-observe-october-27-as-black-day/ 5. Internet ban: Oct., 22, 2020-: The government in Indian-administered Kashmir has extended its ban on high-speed internet in 18 of 20 districts of the disputed region until November 12. In an order issued on Wednesday evening, the administration in the federal territory said the restrictions on high-speed internet were “felt absolutely necessary in the interest of the sovereignty and integrity of India”. High-speed internet in the Himalayan region had been cut off since last August, when India revoked the semi-autonomous status of the Jammu and Kashmir state, divided it into two federally ruled territories and imposed a complete lockdown and communications blackout. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/22/high-speed-internet-ban-in-kashmir-to-continue Kashmir Update 97: Week Oct.,12, 2020 to Oct.,18, 2020 1. Youth martyred: Oct., 11, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Kulgam and Pulwama districts, today. The troops during cordon and search operations martyred two youth at Chingam in Kulgam and two others at Dadoora in Kangan area of Pulwama. On the other hand, a 14-year-old boy, Khushdil Gulzar, was injured after he was shot at by unidentified gunmen in Lethpora area of Pulwama district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/10/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-kulgam-2/ 2. US on LaC: Oct.,12, 2020: The Indians are seeing 60,000 Chinese soldiers on their northern border,” Pompeo was quoted as saying after returning from Tokyo, where he met foreign minister S Jaishankar. “I was with my foreign minister counterparts from India, Australia and Japan, a format we call the Quad, four big democracies, four powerful democracies, four nations each of whom has real risk associated with the threats attempting to be imposed by the Chinese Communist Party. And they see it in their home countries too,” said Pompeo. These statements from the US comes a few days before the next round of talks between Indian and Chinese military commanders that are expected to be held in Ladakh, on October,12 .https://eurasiantimes.com/60000-troops-deployed-no-point-of-talking-to-china-is-the-us-warning-india-of-an-imminent-war/ 3. Two youth martyred: Oct., 13, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more youth, injured dozens while razing many houses and structures to rubbles in Srinagar, today.The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Rambagh area of the city. The troops blasted many houses with inflammable material during the operation. The fire swept across huge areas razing dozens of structures to the ground in the area. As the news about the killings spread, people from Barzulla and adjoining areas took to the streets and clashed with the troops. The troops fired bullets, pellets and teargas shells injuring many protesters. Heavy stone pelting was going on till last reports came in. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/12/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk-2/ 4. India Pakistan Talks on Kashmir: Oct., 4, 2020: Prime minister's aide Dr Moeed Yusuf on Tuesday said that Pakistan was ready to hold talks with India, provided Kashmir was included as a third party. In an interview with Indian media outlet The Wire, Yusuf revealed that India had expressed a "desire for conversation" but said that Pakistan's agreement to talks would be conditional. The conditions include the immediate release of occupied Kashmir's political prisoners, lifting of the heavy military siege from the territory, reversal of New Delhi's decision to strip the region of its special status, ending human rights violations in the valley and a stop to India's state-sponsored terrorism against Kashmiris. The premier's aide explained that while Pakistan had never recognised the now scraped Article 370 of the Indian constitution, adding that Islamabad was "raising the issue [of the Article being repealed] because you (India) have formally gone outside the UN charter and resolutions by making a permanent change to a territory I rightfully claim as mine". He agreed with Thapar that GB was a disputed territory, saying that the region would be included in the plebiscite "the day [it] happens. The premier's aide said that in 2019, more than a billion US dollars from the Indian embassy funds had been used for the merger of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan with other terrorist outfits. "Congratulations to the RAW. They have succeeded in creating an organisation to kill Pakistanis," he said. He further said that Malik Fareedoun, a mastermind of the Army Public School massacre in Peshawar, was in touch with handlers at the Indian consulate in Afghanistan. The terrorist was also treated at a New Delhi hospital in 2017, Yusuf added. The premier's assistant said that the government had records of phone calls, phone numbers of people who orchestrated the APS attack from a third country. Yusuf said that Islamabad has "evidence to a T" that India was sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan, adding that the Indian government was "using Afghanistan's" territory in its schemes. He went on to reveal that Aslam Achoo, a Balochistan Liberation Army terrorist, who was involved in an attack on the Chinese embassy in Karachi, was also "directly working with his RAW handlers" and was also treated at an Indian hospital later. He said that Pakistan had collected "hard evidence" regarding Indian involvement in terror attacks instead of making them public at a premature stage https://www.dawn.com/news/1584856/talks-with-india-only-possible-with-kashmir-as-third-party-says-sapm-moeed-yusuf 5. China on Ladakh: Oct., 15, 2020: Amid an ongoing military stand-off with India, China on Tuesday said it does not recognize the "illegally established" Union Territory of Ladakh. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/dont-recognize-illegally-established-ut-of-ladakh-china/articleshow/78639685.cms 6. Youth martyred: Oct., 15, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Chakura area of the district. An elderly man was critically injured after he was deliberately hit by an Indian army vehicle in Kangan area of Ganderbal district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/14/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-10/ 7. Woman dies: Oct., 16, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, fear and terror created by sweeping cordon and search operations of Indian forces claimed the life of an elderly woman in the territory. The woman died of heart attack after brutal Indian troops entered her home, tortured and abused inmates and took her two sons along with them in Gussu area of Pulwama district, today. The woman was shifted to Pulwama hospital where doctors declared her brought dead. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/15/brutal-casos-take-womans-life-in-iiojk/ Kashmir Update 96: Week Oct.,5, 2020 to Oct.,11, 2020 1. Government admits guilt: Oct., 5, 2020: Government investigators on Saturday exhumed the bodies of three young men in disputed Kashmir, two weeks after the Indian military in a rare admission said its soldiers exceeded their legal powers in killing the men they described as Pakistani terrorists.A team of police and medical officials exhumed the bodies of three men in western Baramulla district and handed them over to their families for burial at their remote village in southern Rajouri district, police said. Mohammed Yousuf, the father of one of the victims, said the three were “murdered in cold blood.” “Our sons have been proved innocent and we are now waiting for justice,” Yousuf said. “The killers must face justice.” The Indian army on July 18 said its soldiers killed three “unidentified Pakistani terrorists” in Kashmir’s southern Shopian area. Police, who usually participate in counterinsurgency operations, said the July 18 encounter was a solo operation by the army. Police, however, later buried the bodies in a remote cemetery in Baramulla. About a month later, three families in Rajouri identified the victims as their missing relatives using photographs of the bodies that circulated on social media. The families filed a complaint with police, accusing soldiers of killing their relatives in a staged gunbattle. The families said the three men went to Shopian to work as laborers and were last heard from on July 17.Police ordered an investigation, the results of which have yet to be released. On Sept. 18, the Indian military admitted wrongdoing and said its internal probe identified the three men killed as local residents, without explaining how the military had identified them. It also said an army investigation showed the soldiers had exceeded the powers granted to them under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. Kashmiri civilians and activists for years have accused Indian troops of abusing their powers and repeatedly targeting civilians. In 2000, the Indian army killed five men it alleged were militants responsible for the massacre of 35 Sikhs in Kashmir. An investigation later found the five were local villagers killed in a faked firefight. In 2010, a massive uprising erupted in Kashmir after a police investigation found Indian soldiers had killed three civilians in a staged gun battle and then said the victims were militants in order to claim a reward for killing them. The army responded by suspending two officers. India has rejected every request since 1989 to prosecute Indian soldiers in civilian courts in Kashmir for alleged rights abuses including murder and rape, according to official documents. https://wtop.com/asia/2020/10/investigators-exhume-bodies-of-kashmir-men-killed-by-india/ 2. EU: Oct., 7, 2020: Maria Arena, the Chair of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights has cautioned against the increasing attacks on religious minorities in India, stating that it carries serious implications on European Union and India’s bilateral relations. “It is with great concern that I have been observing the rule of law deteriorate in India, which is the very cornerstone of our special relationship,” said Arena. She continued that marginalized communities and religious minorities in India, particularly Muslims, “have been under increasing pressure for a long time” for being critics of government policies under the Narendra Modi regime. While mentioning attacks on Muslims in India, Arena also quoted the Amnesty International India report that revealed “grave human rights violations committed by the Delhi police in the February 2020 Delhi riots.” Concerning the same, she said, “I strongly support the call for a prompt, thorough, independent and impartial investigation into all human rights violations committed by law enforcement officials.” She further called for “a fully independent, public and transparent inquiry into the role of the police in failing to prevent the violence,” accusing the police of “even aiding it.” Arena expressed serious concerns about “the absence of action by India’s authorities since the outbreak of the violence,” urging the BJP government at the Centre to “promote justice and fight impunity” to ensure stop and prevention of police brutality. She also indicated that Amnesty International India’s recent halting its work in India due to government reprisals is “very worrying.” Speaking on press gag and witch hunt of scholars in India over the anti-CAA protests, Arena said that such government action “have resulted in arbitrary detentions and an unnecessary loss of life.” Arena reminded the Indian government that “as a sitting member of the Human Rights Council, India has pledged to continue to foster the genuine participation and effective involvement of civil society in the promotion and protection of human rights,” therefore, the authorities must fulfil its duty as a responsible member of the Council. She concluded that India must act “in a manner worthy of the global role model it aspires to be,” highlighting that it is “high time for India to translate words into action. http://twocircles.net/2020oct07/439268.html 3. Youth martyred: Oct., 8, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Sugan area of the district The troops also continued their cordon and search operations in several other areas of the territory. The killing triggered forceful anti-India protests in Surgan area. The protesters raised high-pitched pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. The troops used brute force and fired pellets, bullets and teargas shell on the protesters leaving several of them injured https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/10/07/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-9/ Kashmir Update 95: Week Sep.,28, 2020 to Oct.,4, 2020 1. UNHRC: Sep., 29, 2020: India is under severe criticism at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva where reputed international rights groups during a daylong debate took a dig at the BJP government for human rights violations in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Taking part in a debate held under agenda item 3, in Geneva, the representatives of International Muslim Women Union (IMWU), World Muslim Congress (WMC), Community Human Rights and Advocacy Center (CHR&AC) and Amnesty International voiced their serious concerns over the dire political and human rights situation in the disputed territory. They urged the Council to impress upon the Indian government to hold accountable members of its security forces involved in heinous crimes such as torture, arbitrary detentions, killings, and forced disappearances. Speaking on the occasion, the CHR&AC representative Eemaan Gilani, while referring to the genesis of Kashmir dispute said, “Jammu and Kashmir is a disputed territory, UN has passed a number of resolutions calling for a free an impartial plebiscite under the UN auspicious to allow the people Kashmir to determine their political future in freely an atmosphere free of coercion.” These resolutions, she said, were endorsed by the then Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indian representative in the UN Security Council. Despite the fact India has been always reluctant to implement these resolutions. Notwithstanding the international commitments, she added, Indian had forcibly occupied the territory and deployed over 900,000 military and paramilitary troops in the region, which makes it the highest military zone in the world. “It was high time that the pressure be built on the Government of Indian to stop human rights violations in Kashmir and abide by the international laws”. Terming denial of right to self-determination as a violation of human rights, the IMWU representative Warda Najum said, “Kashmiris are subjected to the worst kind of violence and subjugation for demanding this right”. Asking the world audience to hear the cries of suffering humanity in Kashmir she said, “In the middle of media blackout and clampdown on civil society and human rights defenders I can hear the mournful wails of millions of Kashmiris under Indian occupation for more than 13 months now”. “If India thinks it can prevent itself from censoring its evil India is mistaken”, she said adding that the Indian occupied territory is a place where people are denied justice, where occupation is enforced and dejection prevails, where people are made to feel robbed, degraded and humiliated”. WMC representative Raja Saeeduz Zaman, said, “What defines today’s Kashmir is extra-judicial killings, fake-encounters, forced disappearances, detention of Kashmiri youth and torture”. 2. He said harassment of the civilian, killing and blinding people by pellet-firing shotguns have become a new normal in Kashmir. Speaking on the occasion, the Amnesty international representative, while expressing his grave concerns over the rising tide of fascism, intolerance, and racism in Indian said, “We are alarmed by the deteriorating situation in India where draconian laws are being used to detain and arrest the human rights defenders and peaceful protesters. Regarding the arrests and torture on peaceful protesters by the Indian police he said, “People who were protesting against Citizenship Act were subjected to excessive force”.This reality he said could no longer be ignored. He said, “We urge the council to hold India accountable for human rights obligations and commitments”. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/28/speakers-at-hrc-debate-grill-india-over-rights-abuses-in-iiojk/ 3. Ladakh: Sep., 30, 2020: China has made it clear that Beijing does not recognize the so-called Union Territory of Ladakh illegally established by India, and opposes infrastructure construction in the disputed border areas. The report quoting Wang Wenbin further said that according to the recent consensus reached between China and India, “Neither side should take any actions in border areas that would complicate the situation, so as not to affect the efforts of both sides to ease the situation.” https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/29/china-says-it-does-not-recognize-so-called-ut-status-of-ladakh/ 4. AI to leave India: Sep., 30, 2020: Amnesty International says it is halting work in India due to a “continuing crackdown” and “harassment” by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The human rights watchdog said the bank account of its India branch has been frozen by the right-wing government, forcing it to lay off staff and stop campaign and research work in the South Asian nation. It also accused the government of running an “incessant witch hunt” campaign against human rights organisations over “unfounded and motivated” allegations. The group said it has been facing a crackdown over the past two years over allegations of financial wrongdoing that it said were baseless. Its bank accounts were frozen on September 10, the group said. “The continuing crackdown on Amnesty International India over the last two years and the complete freezing of bank accounts is not accidental,” said Avinash Kumar, Executive Director of Amnesty International India, in a statement on Tuesday. Amnesty said the federal financial crimes investigation agency, the Enforcement Directorate, had targeted it.“The constant harassment by government agencies including the Enforcement Directorate is a result of our unequivocal calls for transparency in the government, more recently for accountability of the Delhi police and the Government of India regarding the grave human rights violations in Delhi riots and Jammu & Kashmir. Amnesty and other groups have accused police of complicity in the riots in Delhi in which at least 50 people were killed, most of them Muslims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has faced accusations that it is clamping down on dissent, including in Muslim-majority Kashmir, where rebels have battled government forces for more than 30 years. Activist Kavita Krishnan told Al Jazeera it was a “very deliberate” attempt by the Indian government to suppress an international human rights organisation. “It’s a direct attempt by the Indian government to tell international human rights group that if you document rights violations by the Indian state we won’t let you continue to function in India,” said Krishnan, who is also the secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA).“I think this raises a big question which the world needs to wake up and recognise that India is no longer a functioning democracy. “We need to wake up and understand what is happening in India to rights defenders, many of whom are in jail under draconian laws,” she said. Opposition politician Shashi Tharoor said Amnesty’s exit was a blow.“India’s stature as a liberal democracy with free institutions, including media & civil society organisations, accounted for much of its soft power in the world. Actions like this both undermine our reputation as a democracy & vitiate our soft power,” he said on Twitter. Last week, the government enacted changes in the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill setting new conditions for organisations. Some NGOs said the measures seeking tighter control of funds were aimed at creating an air of distrust. Kumar said more than four million Indians have supported Amnesty’s work in the last eight years and about 100,000 Indians had donated money. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/9/29/amnesty-says-its-halting-work-in-india-due-to-govt-witch-hunt Kashmir Update 94: Week Sep.,21, 2020 to Sep.,27, 2020 1. US : Sep., 21, 2020: Ten Republican and four Democratic senators have reportedly signed a letter to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanding that India be designated ‘Country of Particular Concern’ (CPC), which is the US government’s special term for countries that have questionable standards of religious freedom. Earlier, the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) had recommended that India be designated CPC. The Coalition to Stop Genocide in India, a broad coalition of Indian American and US-based civil rights organizations and activists, has welcomed the letter by the 14 senators. “We are encouraged to see the pressure from Congress to designate India a Country of Particular Concern. The US should always lead with its values and hold our friends accountable when they miss the mark on religious freedom,” said Matias Perttula, Advocacy Director, International Christian Concern. “The Modi government must move away from its radical agenda and secure the rights and liberties of all religious minorities in India as is guaranteed in its constitution.” Added Ahsan Khan, National President, IAMC: “The Senators’ letter to Secretary Pompeo shows that there is a strong bipartisan Congressional support for holding India accountable for its escalating violence against its principal minorities, the Muslims and the Christians. The US Government must designate India as CPC.” The Senators who have reportedly signed the letter are James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Chris Coons (D-Delaware), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), and Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia). Previously, US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden called out the Centre’s repression of minority communities in India, especially the treatment of people in Kashmir in wake of the abrogation of Article 370. In July, San Francisco passed a resolution opposing CAA-NRC-NPR. Similar resolutions had also been passed by Seattle (Washington), Albany (New York), St. Paul (Minnesota), Hamtramck (Michigan) and Cambridge (Massachusetts). https://indicanews.com/2020/09/19/india-to-be-registered-as-an-offender-of-religious-freedom-according-to-14-us-senators/ 2. OIC: Sep., 21, 2020: The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC-IPHRC) has strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of three innocent Kashmiri labourers by Indian troops in Shopian district of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir on July 18. The OIC-IPHRC in a twitter message said, “Admission of this heinous act [by Indian forces] reinforces IPHRC’s repeated concerns on intensity & frequency of such crimes committed by Indian forces in IIOJK with impunity under (draconian law) Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) supported by the [Indian] State apparatus under the Hindutva ideology and widely condemned by UN, OHCHR and OIC.” The OIC-IPHRC urged the international community to establish Commission of Inquiry under the United Nations to investigate these extrajudicial killings and grave human rights violations. It called upon India to repeal the draconian laws, Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act and respect Kashmiris’ right to self-determination as per UN and OIC resolutions. The statement said that the killing of three IIOJK labourers had been confessed by the Indian forces in their statement of 18th September 2020 as ‘excessive wrongdoing’ of its soldiers under draconian AFSPA. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/20/oic-urges-probe-by-un-into-fake-encounter-killings-in-iojk/ 3. EU: Sep., 25, 2020: Speakers of a webinar in Brussels called upon the European Union (EU) to insist on safeguarding the human rights particularly rights of the oppressed people of Jammu and Kashmir in its strategic partnership negotiations with India. The webinar titled, “India’s Democracy: Shrinking Space for Freedom of Expression, Press Freedom and Human Rights Defenders,” was organized by Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU) based in Brussels, the European capital.Speaking on the occasion, the KCEU Chairman, Ali Raza Syed, said that the EU should pay attention of the worse situation of human rights in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir as well as different parts of India where minorities and lower castes were being oppressed by the extremists backed by the state. As the topic of his speech was “EU-India Relations (Free Trade Agreement) and the human rights dimensions,” Ali Raza Syed reiterated that EU’s authorities have already decided to strengthen the EU-India Strategic Partnership based on shared principles and values of democracy, freedom, rule of law, and respect for human rights, aiming at delivering concrete benefits for the people in the EU and India. He added, the leaders of the European Union should not ignore the fact that India continuously harms the human rights in IIOJK. He further said, the rapporteurs of the UN observed continued deterioration of human rights conditions in IIOJK following severe restrictions imposed after 5th August 2019, in particular illegal detentions, violations to the prohibition of torture and ill-treatment and sacked the citizen rights of the people of the occupied territory. The KCEU Chairman also drew attention towards the Indian attempt for demographic changes in Jammu and Kashmir saying that the situation is getting even worse as up to 25,000 non-Kashmiri people have been granted domicile certificates in IIOJK since May 18 this year which is raising fears of the beginning of demographic changes of the disputed region. This certificate, a sort of citizenship right, entitles a person to residency and government jobs in the region, which till last year was reserved only for the local Kashmiri population. Another speaker of the online seminar Khaoula Siddiqi, Co-founder of Student International League of Kashmir (SILK) based in Canada said, around 38,000 additional troops from Indian were brought into IIOJK to enforce military lockdown in august last year, which in addition to the 800,000 that had already existed there and now Jammu and Kashmir is one of the most densely militarized region in the world. “Kashmiris were cut off the internet and telephone services and public prayer was prohibited. 100 of the main political people were placed under preventive detention including almost all of the elected legislators of IIOJK, not to mention the lawyers, journalists, teachers who fight for human rights and freedom of expression. In addition there were thousands of youth who were also detained and held in various jails in India and even detention places some of them are still unknown. Industries have suffered large economical blows, hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs, schools and universities have been greatly affected, health care has been restricted even during COVID-19 and the media has been shut down,” she said. Farzana Yaqoob, Former Minister For Social Welfare and Women Development, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, in her speech said, it has been over 70 years that the situation in IIOJK went from bad to worse. “The life of the women is even worse because not only they have to go through the agony of sexual violence but they also have to suffer the loneliness and the constant fear that their children, their brothers and their husbands once they leave house that they will not come back. Every women live in tears of fear that they might never see their loved ones back alive, and this is extremely painful situations to live in,” she added. Ewout Klei, Historian & Editor of de Kanttekening Magazine from Holland, who was also among the speakers said, freedom of the press in IIOJK is under serious threats from Indian forces as a report of an international media institute urged the Indian government to end restrictions and harassment of journalists. He also quoted a statement of the Press Club of India and said that “the Cyber Police appears to be super-active” in the Kashmir region, “parsing every word written and then summoning journalists to the police station”. “Journalists in Kashmir have been summoned and questioned by the police, the filing of first information reports (FIRs) against them for their journalistic work appears to be the latest trend or tool to target the media in Kashmir. Besides legal harassment and the monitoring of content of news reports and social media, journalists have also been subjected to physical attacks like beatings since August last year,” he deplored. Ms Iffy Bukhari, the Student in International Relations and Politics at University of Sheffield (UK) in her speech said, Hindu nationalism has been collectively referred to as the expression of social and political thought, based on the native spiritual and cultural traditions of India. She said, the native thought streams became highly relevant in Indian history when they helped form a distinctive identity in relation to the Indian polity and provided a basis for questioning colonialism. They inspired the independence movements against the British Raj based on armed struggle, coercive politics, and non-violent protests. They also influenced social reform movements and economic thinking in India. After the landslide victory, critics wondered whether Modi would double down on the Hindu nationalism and illiberalism that characterized his first term in office, or rein it in. In the months since then, the answer has become clearly the former. In August, Modi revoked Kashmir’s special status and imposed a media and internet blackout on the territory, she said. The speakers also condemned recent extrajudicial killing of Kashmiri youth and urged the world community to help stop crimes against humanity in IIOJK and play its role for a peaceful and just resolution of the Kashmir dispute. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/23/speakers-urge-eu-to-insist-on-human-rights-in-its-talks-with-india 4. Tory help: Sep., 25, 2020: A group of seven Tory MPs have relaunched a group named ‘The Conservative Friends of Kashmir’, which is aimed at campaigning for ‘self-determination’ in Kashmir, sparking outrage among Tory-supporting British Indians. The group recently tweeted, “We have relaunched the Conservatives Friends of Kashmir. We campaign for self-determination and an end to human rights abuses in Kashmir and Jammu. There is growing support for our cause amongst Conservative MPs and activists. Follow us and our work!” The Tory MPs in the group include Paul Bristow (Peterborough), James Daly (Bury North), Jack Brereton (Stoke on Trent South) and Steve Baker (Wycombe), all representing constituencies with significant Pakistani populations https://kashmirobserver.net/2020/09/24/british-mps-relaunch-kashmir-campaign/ 5. Youth martyred: Sep., 25, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more youth, today, raising the number of the slain youth to three from yesterday.The troops martyred the two youth during a cordon and search operation in Bijbehara area of Islamabad district, today https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/25/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-iiojk/ Kashmir Update 93: Week Sep.,14, 2020 to Sep.,20, 2020 1. Ladakh: Sep., 12, 2020: China and India agreed on Friday that troops from both countries should “quickly disengage” troops from their disputed Himalayan borde rafter months of tension. In their first formal agreement since a deadly clash in June, the foreign ministers from both countries also agreed to work out a new framework to maintain peace at the border.But analysts said the deal’s prospects were undermined by battered trust on both sides. In a joint statement released early on Friday, the two foreign ministers said the stand-off was “not in the interest of either side”, and “the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions”. “The ministers agreed that as the situation eases, the two sides should expedite work to conclude new confidence-building measures to maintain and enhance peace and tranquility in the border areas,” the statement said, adding that both sides should avoid any action that could escalate matters. In a Chinese foreign ministry statement after the Moscow meeting, Wang said China-India relations had reached “a crossroad”, and both sides would have to stick to the correct path. According to Associated Press and Reuters, Indian officials said Jaishankar told Wang that India was deeply concerned about the build-up of Chinese forces on the Line of Actual Control on the poorly defined border. Jaishankar said the immediate task would be for troops to step back from the “areas of friction” so that things did not get worse, an Indian source said. Fudan University international relations professor Lin Minwang said it was too early to say if the border tensions had reached a turning point, with India stopping short of an explicit commitment to withdraw troops. “I think if Indian troops do not withdraw from their position, occupied since late August, the probability of resolving the stand-off by the end of the year is low,” Lin said. He said both sides apparently realised the need for a new arrangement to manage their border areas but the difficulty of reaching a consensus should not be underestimated. “The existing arrangement has been damaged – at least rules were violated with the firing-in-the-air incident, and the Line of Actual Control was breached,” he said. Liu Zongyi, a South Asia expert with the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, agreed that trust had been damaged. “The original confidence-building measures to keep peace and tranquillity at the border – including the no-fire rule – has been broken, especially after the fatal clash at Galwan Valley on June 15,” Liu said, referring to what Chinese experts see as New Delhi’s effective authorisation for forward troops to open fire in the aftermath of the deadly brawl. “Both sides have had several diplomatic consultations since the tension arose in the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso, but what the Indian foreign affairs and defence departments said was not consistent with what they did. We still need to observe and ... to be prepared for any eventuality.” “The principle of disengagement has to be decided at the political level. It cannot be decided by the commanders,” said Hooda, who was the commanding officer of the Indian Army’s Northern Command. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3101102/first-agreement-between-china-and-india-june-clash-pledge?utm_medium=email&utm_source=mailchimp&utm_campaign=enlz-scmp_china&utm_content=20200911&tpcc=enlz-scmp_china&MCUID=5db4b6f7af&MCCampaignID=cafd52ccf8&MCAccountID=3775521f5f542047246d9c827&tc=5 2. British MP: Sep., 14, 2020: Distinguished Labour Party British Member Parliament (MP) Andrew Gwynne while emphasizing the need for re-educating people across the world including UK citizens on the Kashmir dispute has maintained that the dispute needs an international focus.The participants of an international high echelon webinar held in Islamabad have made it clear the future of Kashmir cannot be determined by India unilaterally. The international lawmakers from EU and UK have affirmed the right of the Kashmiri people as principal stakeholders of the dispute. .The Jinnah Institute’s webinar titled ‘The Future of Kashmir: A Test for Global Multilateralism and Regional Peace’ was chaired by Senator Sherry Rehman, President of the Institute said on the occasion that Kashmir is the oldest issue on the agenda of the United Nations, and must not be forgotten, or treated as an inconvenient regional issue that can be airbrushed away by the international community. The participants included former Pakistan Ambassador to the US and EU Syed Tariq Fatemi, UK Member of Parliament (MP) Andrew Gwynne, Senior journalist from IIOJK Iftikhar Gilani, Member of European Parliament (MEP) Michael Gahler, Indian columnist and former BJP stalwart and intellectual Sudheendra Kulkarni, former MEP Julie Ward and IIOJK-based professor Dr. Siddiq Wahid expressed serious concern about the situation in IIOJK. British MP Andrew Gwynne reminded that Britain was responsible insofar how it left Kashmir unresolved at the time of partition and added that his country had a positive role to play as a member of the UNSC. “The world cannot afford two nuclear states to enter into a conflict,” MP Gwynne said. MP James Daly from the Conservative Party highlighted the significance of recognising oppressed Kashmiris’ inalienable right of self-determination. He recounted his visit to AJK in February 2020 along with other lawmakers, where his delegation was given free access to interact with citizens at all levels, in order to ascertain the situation on ground. Former BJP politician Sudheendra Kulkarni believed that the acrimonious relationship between Pakistan and India was a remnant of the partition and its aftermath. The abrogation of Article 370 was unconstitutional and unjust and had transformed the Kashmir issue to one now involving three states; Pakistan, China and India. “The abrogation is a wrong, and one that has to be rectified. Interdependence in the region would help find a solution,” he stated. German MP Michael Gahler stated that India and Pakistan’s acrimonious past cannot be changed, but to proceed ahead and formulate ways of resolving the challenge, there is need for neutral observers to collect information and report to the international community. Transparency should be built into the process to enable a degree of confidence among neutral observers. Others including former MP Julie Ward and Professor Siddiq Wahid of the Islamic University, Kashmir, also spoke on the occasion. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/14/kashmir-issue-needs-international-focus-says-british-mp/ 3. Youth martyred: Sep., 16, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth including one in custody in Baramulla district.According to Kashmir Media Service, the Indian troops and police arrested a youth identified as Irfan Ahmed during a cordon and search operation at Tujjer Sharief in Sopore area of the district, last night, and later killed him in custody. The troops martyred another youth during a cordon and search operation in Uri area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/16/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-baramulla-7/ 4. UN: Sep., 16, 2020: UN high commissioner for human rights Michele Bachelet has welcomed the release of some Jammu and Kashmir political leaders and the limited internet restoration in two Kashmir districts, but expressed concern that many still remained behind bars and called for the full reversal of the communication blockade in J&K. At the start of the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Monday, Bachelet gave a “Global Human Rights Update” on the situation across the world, from China to Sri Lanka, Venezuela to the US. In her section on India, Bachelet mentioned that in the last one year in Jammu and Kashmir, “incidents of military and police violence against civilians continue, including use of pellet guns, as well as incidents related to militancy”. She observed that changes in the constitutional status and domicile rules of J&K have generated “deep anxiety”. The new media policy unveiled by the J&K administration has also constricted the space for criticism, she noted. “…the space for political debate and public participation continues to be severely restricted, particularly since new media rules have prohibited vaguely defined ‘anti-national’ reporting,” she said https://thewire.in/world/un-human-rights-chief-michele-bachelet-kashmir-45th-unhrc-session 5. Extra judicial killing: Sep., 177, 2020: Irfan Ahmad Dar was arrested for allegedly sheltering militants but then somehow escaped from custody only to be found dead a few hours later, the police say. The cause of death has not been disclosed but locals allege torture. At around 12 pm, on Tuesday, members of the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operation Group (SOG) raided the house of Irfan Ahmad Dar, a 23-year-old shopkeeper, at Sidiq Colony in the Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. Irfan was arrested from the shop he owned, adjacent to his house. At around 3:30 pm, the SOG raided his house. This search operation lasted for 20 minutes.This time, the police detained his 30-year-old brother, Javid, and took him to the SOG camp, located at Townhall in Sopore. Javid was released later that night but on Wednesday morning – September 16 – the news broke that Irfan had died launched. “In the meanwhile, the OGW while taking advantage of darkness and terrain managed to escape regarding which a separate Case FIR No. 71/2020 U/S 224 IPC was registered in Police Station Bomai and during search the body of OGW was found near [the] Stone Quarry of Tujjar-Sharief.” The body, according to the police, was then taken to the nearby Primary Health Centre (PHC), from where it was shifted to the Police Control Room (PCR) for fulfilling medical and other legal formalities Though a postmortem examination of the body was conducted at the PCR, the family has not been provided any details.Under the National Human Rights Commission’s guidelines for deaths in custody, not only is a post-mortem mandatory but the process has to be video-recorded. There have been instances where the NHRC has used the injuries recorded in a post-mortem report to refute police accounts of prisoners dying while trying to escape. With the Sopore police providing no information to Irfan’s family about the cause of death and then refusing to hand over his body, the family is convinced he was killed in police custody and later branded an over-ground worker of militants. “No one in the family has a single FIR in their name in any police station in Kashmir. Nor were we involved in any militancy. My brother was murdered in custody and then dubbed a militant,” said Javid https://thewire.in/rights/jammu-and-kashmir-sopore-custody-death-irfan-ahmad-dar 6. Four martyred: Sep., 17, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiris including a 45-year-old woman in Srinagar city, today. The troops killed the youth and the woman during a cordon and search operation in Batamaloo area of the city. The operation continued till last reports came in https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/17/indian-troops-martyr-four-including-a-woman-in-srinagar/ 7. Army admits violation: Sep., 19, 2020: The Indian army says its soldiers exceeded powers under the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in the killing of three local civilians in southern Indian-administered Kashmir earlier this year. On July 18, Indian armed forces said they killed three unidentified "rebels" in Amshipora village in Shopian. "The inquiry ordered by the Army authorities into op Amshipora has been concluded. The inquiry has brought out certain prima facie evidence indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the AFSPA 1990 were exceeded," Colonel Rajesh Kalia, the army spokesperson, said in a statement."The evidence collected by the inquiry has prima-facie indicated that the three unidentified terrorists killed in Op Amshipora were Imtiyaz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed and Mohd Ibrar, who hailed from Rajouri. Their DNA report is awaited. Their involvement with terrorism or related activities is under investigation by the police," the statement said "Today, they called one member of each family and admitted that the three were killed in a fake encounter. We want them to bring those people who killed them in front of us and punish them. We want the bodies of our family members."Ibrar, the youngest of the trio, worked as a labourer to save money for his education, his family told Al Jazeera. The three labourers were lured to Machil and killed there before being labelled "militants" by the army to claim a reward. Under AFSPA, a counterterrorism law with sweeping provisions, security forces enjoy "widespread impunity".It grants "powers" to members of the armed forces in "disturbed areas" like Kashmir to shoot-to-kill or arrest suspected people. Section 7 of the AFSPA provides virtual impunity for human rights violations by security forces personnel, as any civilian prosecution can only proceed after obtaining prior sanction from the central government. In the 30 years this law has been in force in Jammu and Kashmir, that authorisation has never been granted. Parvez Imroz, a noted human rights lawyer in the region, told Al Jazeera: "This incident cannot be taken in isolation."They were civilians, the statement doesn't mention it. It mentions them as terrorists."This incident cannot be taken in isolation, the culture of the army in 30 years needs to be looked at. The history is that the army has complete impunity, they cannot be prosecuted and punished."They might https try to silence families unofficially which they have done in many cases in Kashmir." ://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/09/indian-army-admits-wrongdoing-killing-kashmiris-200918173047540.html : Kashmir Media Service Kashmir Update 92: Week Sep.,7, 2020 to Sep.,13, 2020 1. South Tibet: Sep., 9, 2020: Days after five Indians were reportedly abducted by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) from Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh China’s state-affiliated media outlet Global Times reported foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian as saying that Beijing had “no details on Indian army sending a message to PLA about five missing Indians in the region”. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had tweeted that the Indian army had sent a hotline message to the PLA about the alleged abduction incident. The Global Times report also quoted Lijian as saying that China had never recognised “so-called Arunachal Pradesh” which is “China’s south Tibet region”. 2. SFF : Sep., 9, 2020: Till now, the government has never publicly acknowledged the 58-year old “Special Frontier Force” (SFF). But today, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav tweeted about attending the funeral of Company Leader Nyima Tenzin who, military sources said, was killed in an accidental mine blast during patrolling in Ladakh last week. The funeral of Tenzin, who belongs to the Choglamsar Tibetan refugee settlement outside Leh, was held on Monday morning. Soldiers wearing the SFF uniform gave the last salute, and Madhav laid a wreath. Chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” (Long live India) and “Tibet desh ki Jai” (Long live the Tibet nation), along with slogans of the “Vikas Regiment” (as the SFF’s seven battalions or “Establishment 2-2” are known), were raised after the bugle was played at the funeral. “Attended the funeral of SFF Company Leader Nyima Tenzin, a Tibetan who laid down his life protecting our borders in Ladakh,” wrote Madhav in a tweet on Monday, adding, “Let the sacrifices of such valiant soldiers bring peace along the Indo-Tibetan border. That will be the real tribute to all martyrs.” Subsequently, he deleted the tweet. 3. Indians violate LaC: Sep., 9, 2020: China on Monday night claimed that Indian soldiers fired warning shots in a new confrontation at the Line of Actual control in Shenpao mountains, near Pangong Tso lake’s southern bank. The accusation was made in a statement issued just after midnight in Beijing by the Chinese western theatre command spokesperson. There has been no response from the Indian government so far. per the statement from PLA western theatre command, Indian army troops allegedly crossed the Line of Control near the Pangong Tso lake on Monday. This area has recently emerged as a new area for stand-off between both countries. The Chinese military spokesperson senior colonel Zhang Shiuli claimed that Indian troops crossed the LAC on Monday at the western sector into the Shenpao mountain region near the south bank of Pangong Tso lake.He stated that Indian soldiers “outrageously fired warning shots on Chinese border patrol soldiers who were about to negotiate”. As a result, he added that “Chinese troops were forced to take countermeasures to stabilize the situation”. The spokesperson Zhang Shiuli asserted that Indian actions had “seriously violated related agreements reached by both sides, stirred up tensions in the region, and would easily cause misunderstandings and misjudgments, which is a serious military provocation and is very vile in nature”.“We demand the Indian side to immediately stop dangerous moves, withdraw personnel who crossed the LAC at once, strictly control frontline troops, seriously investigate and punish the personnel who fired the provocative shot and ensure similar incidents won’t take place again,” he said. The Chinese allegation, if true, would mark the end of the claim made by both sides that not a shot has been fired at the India-China border in 53 years. https://thewire.in/external-affairs/pangong-tso-lake-china-accuses-india-of-outrageously-firing-warning-shots-at-lac 4. OIC: Sep., 10, 2020: Ambassadors of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group in Geneva met Tuesday with the UN's human rights chief on the conditions in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan's Geneva mission to the UN said on Twitter that the envoys met virtually with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to communicate their concerns on the human rights situation in Indian-administered Kashmir. The group comprised Azerbaijan, Niger, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan and the OIC Geneva Missio" The group urged High Commissioner Bachelet to continue monitoring and reporting on IIOJK [Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir] based on grave human rights situation there and briefed her on ministerial meetings of contact Group and resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir adopted at OIC Summits and foreign minister-level meets," it said."The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights documented that human rights violations in IIOJK have worsened in the last year, characterized by excessive use of force incl pellet guns, home demolitions, civilians' imprisonment, torture, demographic engineering etc https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/geneva-envoys-meet-un-rights-chief-on-jammu-and-kashmir/1967240 5. China prepares for war: Sep., 10, 2020: China appears to be preparing thousands of its elite special forces to face off against their. Indian counterparts in the troubled Himalayan border region as the military build-up on both sides of the frontier continues. According to a report on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Wednesday, a special operations brigade from the Tibet Military Area Command and an army aviation brigade jointly organised the first parachute training “in an unfamiliar area which is over 4,000 metres above sea level recently”. Without disclosing the date or location of the training, CCTV said that so far more than 300 officers and soldiers of the special operations brigade had successfully carried out their first jump on the Tibetan Plateau and the training would expand to more than 1,000 troops to “lay a good foundation” for armed parachuting and multi-parachute training in high-altitude areas. CCTV said the training was to “improve the three-dimensional assault capabilities” of the officers and soldiers on the plateau and enhance the “overall combat capabilities of the troops stationed in Tibet”. Accoording to Shanghai-based news website The Paper, heavy equipment in the airdrop training involved 107mm multi-barrel rocket launchers with a maximum range of about 8km (5 miles), regarded as an important support weapon for airborne troops and other rapid reaction forces. Song said the fact that China had pulled elite forces from various units to train for high-altitude airdrops was a clear sign that it was preparing for potential military conflict. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3100996/china-india-border-dispute-armed-parachute-drills-elite-pla?utm_medium=email&utm_source=mailchimp&utm_campaign=enlz-scmp_china&utm_content=20200910&tpcc=enlz-scmp_china&MCUID=5db4b6f7af&MCCampaignID=379041835b&MCAccountID=3775521f5f542047246d9c827&tc=5 6. Indian Spies: Sep., 13, 2020: China will release five Indian nationals it detained earlier this month in a region bordering Tibet, state-back tabloid Global Times reported on Saturday, citing unnamed sources. The five were Indian intelligence agents dressed as hunters, the paper said, disputing claims that they had been kidnapped. On Tuesday, following reports that five Indians from the state of Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China’s Tibet, had gone missing, an Indian minister said that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army confirmed they had been found in China https://www.dawn.com/news/1579299/china-to-release-five-indian-nationals-detained-at-border-report 7. China and Ladakh: Sep., 13, 2020: Chinese people don't want war, but we have territorial disputes with several neighboring countries encouraged by the US to confront China. Some of these countries believe that the US support provides them with a strategic opportunity and try to treat China outrageously. They believe that China, under the US' strategic pressure, is afraid, unwilling or unable to engage in military conflict with them. Thus they want to pull the chestnuts out of the fire. Considering that there is also the Taiwan question, the risk of the Chinese mainland being forced into a war has risen sharply in recent Before engaging in war with a neighboring force, China needs to do the following: First, we must make it clear that the other side, not China, is the one that breaks the status quo. Second, we also need to make it clear that the other side is the provocateur in a complex situation. Third, we must make the international community see that China has made hard diplomatic or political efforts to resolve tensions before the war. Fourth, the first shot is fired by the other side, not China. The international community should be fully aware of this. Fifth, only in extreme situations, if we need to fire the first shots, we must deliver an ultimatum in advance so that a just war can be started in an upright manner.If we can satisfy these conditions, I believe China can be free to engage in a war if it has to. This means that even if the US then tries to smear China, the international community will understand: China is not a country that bullies the small, but instead it had no option but to go to war. https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1200595.shtml#.X1wmdTko1e4.twitter 8. Kashmir Update 91: Week Aug.,31, 2020 to Sep.,6, 2020 1. Domicile: Aug., 31, 2020: 430,000 new domicile certificates issued as India enforces Modi’s ‘settler’ scheme in occupied Kashmir Prime Minister Narendra Modi is changing held Kashmir’s residency laws for the first time since 1947, in a bid to snuff out any challenge to the occupied territory.Drawing comparisons with Israel’s “settler” tactics in the Palestinian Territories, Modi’s Hindu nationalist government aims to change the demographic makeup and identity of the Muslim-majority region, critics say. More than 65 percent of the population is Muslim. In the Kashmir Valley, the main centre of the rebellion, it is close to 100 percent. Creating such new “facts on the ground” in Kashmir has long been advocated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the hardline Hindu parent organisation to Modi’s BJP party. Modi’s government tore up Kashmir’s special residence rules dating back to 1927 which had ensured only permanent residents could own land and property, secure government jobs and university places and vote in local elections. Now a raft of different categories of people from anywhere in India can apply for domicile certificates, giving them access to all the above. These include those living in Kashmir for 15 years, who include around 28,000 refugees who fled Pakistan and as many as 1.75 million migrant labourers — most of whom are Hindus. In addition, civil servants who have worked in Kashmir for seven years and their children, or students who have taken certain exams, also qualify for domicile status. Locals too now have to apply for the new “domicile certificates” in order to qualify for permanent resident rights. To get this, they have to produce their Permanent Resident Certificates (PRC), cherished documents valid since 1927, which then become worthless. Some 430,000 new domicile certificates have been issued — despite the coronavirus pandemic. It is unclear how many of them are to people from outside and how many to locals. Many locals are refusing to swap their old documents, even though this makes life harder. Some do it in secret for fear of censure from their neighbours. https://www.dawn.com/news/1577106/430000-new-domicile-certificates-issued-as-india-enforces-modis-settler-scheme-in-occupied-kashmir 2. Youth martyred: Aug., 31, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in an overnight operation in Srinagar, raising the number of the slain youth in the territory to 10 over the past three days.Three youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Panthachowk area on the outskirts of Srinagar city. Earlier, an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Special Operation Group of Indian police was also killed in an attack in the same area.On Saturday, the troops martyred three youth during a cordon and search operation at Zadoora in Pulwama, while four youth were martyred during a similar operation in Kiloora area of Shopian district on Friday.The number of youth killed by the troops during cordon and search operations in Srinagar, Pulwama and Shopian rose to 10 since Friday. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/30/3-more-youth-martyred-in-iiojk-toll-swelled-to-10/ 3. Facebook and Muslims: Aug., 31, 2002: The social media platform has been used to incite and condone violence against adherents of the Islamic faith, from Myanmar to Kashmir to Palestine The social media giant Facebook poses an existential threat to vulnerable Muslim communities. This assessment is based on how Facebook has failedto prevent its platform from being used to incite mob violence against adherents of the Islamic faith. Palestinian and Kashmiri human rights activists have long complained of having their accounts suspended or permanently deleted after posting videos of Indian and Israeli soldiers carrying out human rights violations. "Facebook has now turned into a beast, and not what it originally intended," said Yanghee Lee, a UN investigator who in 2018 described the social media platform as a vehicle for inciting "acrimony, dissension and conflict" and driving the Rohingya Muslim genocide in Myanmar. A recent investigation by the Wall Street Journal has revealed that when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable Muslim minorities, Facebook not only puts profits and politics before social and moral responsibility, but also before its stated user policies or what it calls "community standards" - as evidenced by how it refused to punish a right-wing Indian politician for advocating violence against Muslims because doing so would be bad for the company's business These revelations should be seen not as an isolated incident, but rather in the broader context of Facebook managing its business in a way that puts it in lockstep with the Hindu nationalist agenda - because India, with its more than 290 million Facebook users, represents a key market. "For years now, verified Facebook pages of BJP leaders such as Kapil Mishra have routinely published hate speeches against Muslims and dissenting voices. The hate then translates into deadly violence, such as the anti-Muslim attacks in Delhi that left many people dead in February in some of the worst communal violence India's capital had seen in decades," observed Indian journalist Rana Ayyub. "... It's clear that Facebook has no intention of holding hate-mongers accountable and that the safety of users is not a priority." In June, after The Gambia requested in a US District Court for Facebook to release "all documents and communications produced, drafted, posted or published on the Facebook page" of Myanmar military officials and security forces, in order to evaluate what role they played in the mass violence against the Rohingya, Facebook indicated that it would evaluate the request. The hopes of Rohingya activists were buoyed when Facebook's head of cybersecurity policy, Nathaniel Gleicher, acknowledged the company had found "clear and deliberate attempts to covertly spread propaganda that were directly linked to the Myanmar military". "I wouldn't say Facebook is directly involved in the ethnic cleansing, but there is a responsibility they had to take proper action to avoid becoming an instigator of genocide," Thet Swe Win, who founded Synergy, a group devoted to encouraging social cohesion in Myanmar, told the New York Times. This month, however, Facebook rejected The Gambia's request, arguing that the release of "all documents and communications" by key military officials and police forces was "extraordinarily broad" and would constitute "special and unbounded access" to accounts. The profit motive apparently drives Facebook to stand with powerful states and against the victimised and downtrodden. The idea that Facebook is an impartial platform built on fairness and equality for all is patently absurd, given that it is a for-profit corporation that bases its commercial decisions on the quest for ever-higher revenues. There is much evidence of this in both India and Israel/Palestine. A 2019 report noted that WhatsApp, the messaging app now owned by Facebook, blocked or shut down around 100 accounts belonging to Palestinian journalists and activists, banning them from sharing information and updates as Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza in November 2019. Facebook has also been accused of showing favouritism to Israel by categorising vague or even commonly used Arabic terms or slogans as "incitement to violence," while simultaneously turning a blind eye to Israeli accounts that openly call for "death to Arabs". Facebook has revealed a "political bias in favour of elevating the Israeli narrative while suppressing the Palestinian one," observed +972 Magazine. Marwa Fatafta, a Palestinian writer and policy analyst, says that Facebook "cannot use ignorance as an excuse," noting that "economic and political incentives" explain why social media companies comply with Israeli government requests. In Kashmir as well, journalists and human rights activists have for years accused Facebook of censoring content that casts Indian security forces in a negative light. Four weeks after India revoked Kashmir's autonomous status in August 2019, Facebook suspended scores of accounts over posts on the disputed territory, including "Stand With Kashmir," a page owned and managed by a Kashmiri American based in Chicago."Why is it that only Muslims get blocked? Facebook is being one-sided by supporting the atrocities committed by the Indian army. Other people can say whatever they want, but if Muslims say something, we get blocked. It is not neutral," Rizwan Sajid, a Kashmiri activist, told the Guardian. What's clear is that Facebook, like much of the international community, appears to hold a bias against Muslims, because the international community is oriented towards the economic and strategic interests of non-Muslim majority countries, where the social media giant exacts the lion's share of its profits. Amarnath Amarasingam is an expert in violent extremism and the author of Sri Lanka: The Struggle For Peace in the Aftermath of War. He told MEE: "Many of the more frontline people at Facebook dealing with hate speech and incidents of violence against minorities - often Muslims - in places like India, Myanmar [and] Sri Lanka are quite knowledgeable, and I've found them to be eager and open when it comes to reaching out to experts and learning about the ground realities. I fear that at the leadership level, different calculations are at play."When it comes to the choice between social responsibility and responsibility to shareholders, it would appear that Facebook is eschewing measures that might impede delivering greater profits to the latter https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/how-facebook-threatens-vulnerable-muslim-communities 4. Fresh Ladakh action: Aug., 31, 2020: Tensions have spiked on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) once again, with the Indian Army saying that the provocative military movements have been carried out by Chinese troops on the southern bank of the Pangong Tso lake on Saturday night. In a rare statement on the current standoff that involves thousands of soldiers from each side in Eastern Ladakh, the Army said that it has strengthened positions and has pre-empted PLA action in the region. “On the Night of 29/30 August 2020, PLA troops violated the previous consensus arrived at during military and diplomatic engagements during the ongoing standoff in Eastern Ladakh and carried out provocative military movements to change the status quo. Indian troops pre-empted this PLA activity on the Southern Bank of Pangong Tso Lake, undertook measures to strengthen our positions and thwart Chinese intentions to unilaterally change facts on ground,” Army spokesperson Col Aman Anand has said.. The southern bank of Pangong – an area broadly known as the Chushul sector – has been an area of concern since the standoff started in early May, with a massive build up of Chinese troops along the LAC. Sources said that massive movement of troops has taken place to Chushul on Sunday after reports came in of the fresh Chinese aggression. The army is not sharing additional details of the what it means by provocative military movements or whether the PLA has breached the LAC at a fresh provocative military movements or whether the PLA has breached the LAC at a fresh point. A flag meeting is underway to resolve the crisis. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/tensions-rise-on-china-border-pla-troops-carry-out-provocative-movements-at-pangong/articleshow/77845662.cms 5. LaC action: Sep., 1, 2020: Two-and-a-half months after the violent clash at Galwan Valley, India and China are facing off at a new area on the border, after Chinese troops intruded into the southern bank of Pangong Tso on Saturday night. “Indian troops have violated the consensus reached at the multi-level talks between India and China and again crossed the line of actual control at the border on Monday and purposely launched provocations,” said Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili of the PLA Western Theater Command on Monday evening. Asserting that it was “counterproductive and treacherous”, the Chinese military spokesperson said that India’s actions “seriously violates China’s territorial sovereignty” and “undermines peace and stability in the border area”.Mirroring the Indian statement, China accused Indian troops of having crossed the LAC.“China strongly opposes the acts and urges India to immediately withdraw the troops that have illegally crossed the LAC,” he said. Earlier in the day in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson denied that the China had moved beyond its section of the LAC. “China’s border guards have always strictly abided by the actual line of control and have never crossed the line. The border forces of the two countries have been maintaining communication on the issue of the present,” said spokesperson Zhao Lijian. https://thewire.in/security/india-china-army-clash-lac-pangong-tso 6. Ladakh: Sep., 4, 22020: India's latest military provocations on the China-India border are very different to that of the Doklam stand-off in 2017, as it dispatched more troops and displayed an extremely aggressive posture with Chinese experts saying on Thursday that Indian decision-makers have seemingly underestimated China's determination to protect its sovereignty. India's military activities have become increasingly aggressive in recent days, and border tensions see no sign of de-escalating.The Indian Army has changed its posture from border management to securing the border on the 1,597 km Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, after the People's Liberation Army (PLA) added a military deployment in the region, the Hindustan Times reported on Thursday. India also deployed additional specialized forces such as the Special Frontier Force, and the Indian media said its soldiers have occupied "key peaks on the southern bank of Pangong Lake." The Indian Army has paid special attention by deploying a combat group (a mix of armored and mechanized elements) on the Depsang Plains, according to the Hindustan Times. These high-profile activities showed that the Indian military and its government leaders are extremely sure of themselves, and even more sure than in the Doklam stand-off in 2017, and China must prepare for long-term tensions on the border, but if Indian troops invade Chinese territory and attack Chinese troops, no matter what kind of pressure China is facing to the east, India will surely pay a heavy price, said Chinese analysts China and India have different claims along the LAC, and the recent provocations prove that India wants to gain more unrealistic concessions from China, Lin said, noting that through a series of negotiations after the conflict on June 15 causing casualties on both sides, Chinese and Indian soldiers have disengaged in some regions such as the Galwan River valley, but India still wants Chinese troops to retreat from more regions like Pangong Tso Lake and Reqin Mountain to accept the "LAC" drawn by the Indian side. India's aggressive actions are making the tensions difficult to de-escalate and be resolved. When Indian troops illegally crossed the LAC on Monday, the Indian army, which first moved to accuse China of carrying out "provocative military movements," said it "had pre-empted Chinese military activity" in a statement. The Indian army's statement fully proves that it was first to illegally cross the border in an act of provocation, the first to unilaterally change the status quo in the border area, and the first to violate the important consensus reached by the two sides, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Wednesday. https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1199872.shtml 7. Quad: Sep., 4, 2020: India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat has said that the 'Quad' alliance among India, U.S., Japan, and Australia can be a mechanism to ensure 'Freedom of Navigation' in the Indian Ocean and surrounding regions. He said this will ensure there is "no fear of any other nation singularly trying to dominate the oceans."The 'Quad' alliance was formed in the aftermath of the 2006 tsunami among the nations that coordinated the relief efforts in the Indian Ocean. However, Beijing holds strong views on the 'Quad' becoming an 'Asian NATO' to contain its influence in the region. Consequently, the Quad has refrained from exhibiting a military purpose to avoid antagonising China. India has left out Australia from the Malabar naval exercises with U.S. and Japan expressly for this purpose. General Rawat's statement introduces a militaristic prospect for the alliance, with a not-so-subtle reference to China. At present, both U.S.-China and India-China relations are quite agggravated and the Quad is a possible fit in strategic calculations. However, India is the only country in the Quad that shares a land border with China; tensions in the high seas could play out in the mountains and vice versa. Also, a militaristic Quad could draw India into conflicts in the south Pacific it has not been involved in so far. The geopolitical consequences of a militaristic Quad which Gen. Rawat hinted at are what make this story important. 8. Youth martyred: Sep., 5, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation at Yadipora in Pattan area of the district. Earlier, an Indian Army major was killed and a policeman was injured in an attack in the same area. Indian troops during house raids arrested three youth in Pattan https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/04/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-iiojk/ 9. Human cost since Aug 5, : Sep., 6, 2020: A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the completion of 13 months to the military siege, today, revealed that Indian troops martyred 237 Kashmiris including 5 women during the period. It said that most of the victims were killed by the troops in fake encounters during cordon and search operations in the length and breadth of the territory. It said youth are picked up from their homes and then eliminated after falsely labeled as mujahideen or over-ground workers of mujahid organizations. It said that the killings by the troops during the last 13 months rendered 9 women widowed and 22 children orphaned. The report maintained that at least 1,482 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force by Indian troops on peaceful demonstrators in the territory. “The troops damaged over 954 houses and structures and molested or disgraced 89 women and arrested 13,936 persons including aged woman and girls during cordon and search operations across the occupied territory in the period,” it said.The report said that the daily life of the Kashmiris has been made miserable since New Delhi illegally abrogated special status of IIOJK on August 05, 2019. The move, it added, was aimed at snatching away the identity of the Kashmiris through changing the Muslim-majority status of the occupied territory into a minority.The report pointed out that as the entire occupied territory has been turned into an open-air prison, thousands of Kashmiris including Hurriyat leaders, political and human rights activists, religious heads, journalists, businessmen, lawyers, civil society members, youth and activists were arrested after or before 5th August 2019 and they still remained lodged in Tihar and other jails of India and Kashmir. “Prominent among them are Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Masarrat Aalam Butt, Aasiya Andrabi, Naheeda Nasreen, Fehmeeda Sofi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Ayaz Muhammad Akbar, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Peer Saifullah, Merajuddin Kalwal, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Dr Abdul Hameed Fayaz, Maulana Mushtaq Veeri, Farooq Ahmed Tawheedi, Ameer Hamza, Abdul Samad Inqilabi, Abdul Ahad Parra, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Muhammad Rafiq Ganai, Feroz Ahmed Khan, Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Zahoor Watali, Syed Shahid Yousuf, Syed Shakeel Yousuf, Maulana Sarjan Barkati, Bashir Ahmed Querishi, Hayat Ahmed Butt and Aasif Sultan,” it added. The report said that senior Hurriyat leaders, Syed Ali Gilani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, continued to remain under house detention in Srinagar. It said at least, 1500 people have been detained under black law, Public Safety Act.The continued ban on high-speed internet has deprived the Kashmiris of useful local and world information regarding education, business, and coronavirus, the report said. India had snapped the 4G internet service in IIOJK on August 05, 2019. The report pointed out that Narendra Modi-led fascist regime is engaged in changing the Muslim majority status of the occupied territory. For this purpose, it has granted domicile certificates to thousands of Indians, it added. The report said that Indian plans to change IIOJK demography was aimed at affecting the results in New Delhi’s favour if a plebiscite was held in Jammu and Kashmir at any point of time in future. It said the Kashmiris are committed to resist Indian plans to change demographic composition of the territory.The report deplored that press freedom is under a constant threat in IIOJK where journalists are detained and harassed. . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/09/05/237-kashmiris-martyred-by-indian-troops-during-13-month-siege-in-iiojk/ Kashmir Update 90: Week Aug.,24, 2020 to Aug., 30, 2020 1. Political parties: Aug., 24, 2020: Half a dozen political parties vowed Saturday to fight for restoration of the special status that was stripped last year from Indian-administered Kashmir, setting off widespread anger and economic ruin amid a harsh security clampdown. Four pro-India Kashmiri political parties and two Indian political parties, including the main opposition Congress Party, said in a joint statement that India's move "unrecognizably changed the relationship" between the region and New Delhi. It called the changes "spitefully shortsighted and unconstitutional" and sought to "collectively fight" them."We want to assure the people that all our political activities will be subservient to the sacred goal of reverting to the status of J&K as it existed on 4th August 2019," the statement said. As most of the pro-India leaders in recent months were released from detention and some restrictions removed, the politicians began consultations to chalk out their political strategy. The statement, signatories of which include Indian Parliament member Farooq Abdullah, who also heads Kashmir's oldest pro-India political party, and Ghulam Ahmed Mir, regional head of the Congress Party, said New Delhi's measures last year "were grossly unconstitutional.""The measures attempt to redefine who we are," it said The tensions in Kashmir also come after a deadly faceoff between Indian and Chinese soldiers on June 15 along a disputed border in Ladakh that left 20 Indian soldiers dead.https://www.startribune.com/pro-india-kashmir-groups-vow-to-fight-removal-of-autonomy/572193072/ 2. Gupkar declaration: Aug., 27, 2020: The leaders, who have been participating in state elections over the years, pledged that their politics will remain “subservient” to the goal of getting back the constitutional provisions. But a Washington-based Kashmir lobbyist has termed the “Gupkar declaration” an “absolute fallacy. Gupkar is a high security zone along the shores of Dal Lake in the capital Srinagar where most of the pro-India politicians reside and run their offices from. “Gupkar declaration fails to mention that these measures [revocation of Article 370 and 35A] also contravene the UN Security Council [UNSC] resolutions 122 and 126 adopted on Jan. 24, 1957, and Dec. 2, 1957, respectively,” Ghulam Nabi Fai, secretary-general of World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF), told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview. According to Fai, the UNSC “prohibits any unilateral action targeted at changing the disputed nature of the State of Jammu and Kashmir." https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/kashmir-joint-declaration-absolute-fallacy-lobbyist/1954237 3. US think tank: Aug., 27, 2020: The Washington-based think tank, US Institute of Peace (USIP), has expressed concerns over the Indian government’s decision to annex Jammu and Kashmir, changing the special status into two Union Territories. In a report, the USIP, a Washington-based think tank funded by the US Congress, highlighted that the decision will “be sorely tested by the disaffection that has intensified among Kashmiris since August 5, 2019″. “New Delhi will increasingly find it hard to manage its narrative about constitutional and political change ushering in peace to Kashmir. Most indicators of violence in Kashmir have been on the rise since August 2019 decision. The Indian government’s insistence on Kashmir being a purely domestic issue is a fiction maintained only by a large security presence,” the report added. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/26/indias-insistence-of-kashmir-being-domestic-issue-nothing-but-fiction-us-think-tank/ 4. FDI: Aug., 28, 2020: Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba is reportedly halting investment in Indian startups, in another sign that recent deadly clashes along the countries' Himalayan border are eroding business ties between the two Asian economies. Apart from the major online retailer, “a few” other Chinese firms are also reviewing their investment plans for India, sources have told Reuters. The companies reportedly plan to not pour any more cash for around half a year, as they waiting for things to “cool off.”Alibaba, as well as another major Chinese tech major Tencent, have been heavily investing in Indian businesses over the last five years. While Chinese venture capital investments in India totaled over $4 billion, Alibaba alone has poured over $2 billion into Indian startups. https://www.rt.com/business/499112-alibaba-halts-india-investment/ 5. Religious freedom: Aug., 28, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Kashmiris have been deprived of all freedoms including religious freedom. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, said that India is violating all basic rights, including right to observe religious rites, in the occupied territory. The report said the veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani, has not been allowed to offer congregational prayers of Juma and Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha for the past over ten years. Other resistance leaders, including Hurriyat forum Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, have been continuously prevented from the same for the past one year, it said. “Srinagar’s historic Jamia mosque was kept locked by the authorities for the last one year. Attacks on religious places by Indian agents are a routine matter to keep the people away from worship. The military siege of Dargah Hazratbal is a glaring example of suppression of Kashmiris’ religious freedoms and desecration of their worship places,” it added. The report said every year, hundreds of people are denied passports and other travel documents to perform Hajj and Umrah just because of their affiliation with the ongoing freedom movement. The report maintained that fearing expression of anti-India sentiments, main Muharram processions have been banned in IIOJK since 1989. “Despite restrictions, people take out Muharram processions in IIOJK. Pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans reverberate during Muharram processions. People raise slogans like, “We Want Freedom”, “We are Pakistanis – Pakistan is ours”, “Down with India”, “Go India go back” and “Leave Kashmir” during these processions. Most of the time, mourners are subjected to brute force by Indian troops,” it said. The report pointed out that Indian troops were carrying out widespread raids and arrests for the past over a week to stop people from demanding freedom during Muharram processions. Even women participants of Muharram processions are being brutally assaulted in the occupied territory, it added. “Fascist Modi is the Yazid of the time for the Kashmiri Muslims. For IIOJK people, everyday is a day of Karbala. The resistance against Indian occupation in IIOJK is a manifestation of Hussainy character. Flag bearers of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) will continue to challenge Indian hegemony in IIOJK,” it said. The report said that Narendra Modi-led communal regime, which was shaping India’s policy according to Hindutva dictates, had virtually turned IIOJK into Karbala.It added that the international rights bodies must come forward to save the Kashmiri Muslims from Hindu fascism. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/27/iiojk-people-deprived-of-even-religious-freedom/ 6. Youth martyred: Aug 29, 2020: in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kiloora area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/28/indian-troops-martyr-four-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian/ 7. Ladakh: Aug., 29, 2020: As per new satellite imagery on Friday, China has been developing two air defence positions that will cover the 2017 Doklam stand-off area and also Naku La in Sikkim, which witnessed a clash between Indian and Chinese army troopers this year The news information about the Chinese air defence positions surfaced after a prominent Twitter handle, which regularly posts satellite imagery, @Detresfa_, tweeted: “Investigations with @SimTack of the #Doklam region in the #China, #Bhutan, #India tri junction area present new evidence of PLA air defense infrastructure being constructed roughly 50 Kms from known clash points of the #IndiaChinaStandoff of 2017 & 2020.” Putting out the images as part of a joint study with Sim Tack of the geopolitical intelligence platform Stratfor, @Detresfa_ said the location is near the China, Bhutan and India tri-junction at Doklam, where New Delhi and Beijing were locked in an-over-two-month stand-off in 2017, the report claimed. https://thekashmirwalla.com/2020/08/china-building-missile-sites-near-doklam-naku-la-clash-zones-report/ 8. Youth martyred: Aug., 30, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today, raising the number of the slain youth in the territory to seven from yesterday. The troops martyred the three youth during a cordon and search operation at Zadoora in Pulwama. Earlier, an Indian soldier was killed in an attack in the same area. The troops martyred four youth during a similar operation in Kiloora area of Shopian district, yesterday https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/29/indian-troops-martyr-3-more-youth-in-iiojk-toll-rises-to-7/ Kashmir Update 88: Week Aug.,17, 2020 to Aug., 23, 2020 1. Pak Saudi ties: Aug., 18, 2020: Pakistan's army chief met with senior Saudi Arabian officials in Riyadh on Monday in an effort to ease a row between the two countries over policy towards the disputed region of Kashmir.The argument, brought on by Pakistani demands for Saudi Arabia to take a firmer line against India's behaviour in Kashmir, has threatened Riyadh's financial lifeline to Islamabad.. Pakistani military and government officials told Reuters Bajwa would try to calm a situation that if not reversed could badly hurt Pakistan's central bank foreign reserves. .A traditional ally, Saudi Arabia gave Pakistan a $3 billion loan and $3.2 billion oil credit facility to help its balance of payments crisis in late 2018. Irked by Islamabad's demands for Riyadh to convene a high-level meeting to highlight arch-rival India's alleged human rights violations in Kashmir, Saudi Arabia has forced Pakistan to pay back $1 billion early and is demanding another $1 billion of the loan. https://news.yahoo.com/pakistan-army-chief-arrives-saudi-092518186.html 2. LaC: Aug., 18, 2020: Military pressure on China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to vacate the large tracts of Indian territory it has been occupying along the line of actual control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh since early May, appears not to have worked. Despite five rounds of Indian and Chinese corps’ commanders’ talks between mid-June and early August, the onus, it now seems, is on Indian diplomats, security officials, politicians and economists to manage the PLA’s eviction and to restore the military status quo ante which prevailed along the LAC in April, before hostilities began.This outcome became decidedly apparent after India’s newly appointed Chief of Defence Staf f (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, along with his top commanders, told an all-party parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) last week that the military de-escalation process with China would be a long drawn out matter. In their collective depositions, the CDS and his senior colleagues reportedly informed the PAC that as the process of the PLA’s de-escalation and pullback was likely to be an ‘extended one,’ the Indian Army was preparing to deploy personnel along the LAC during the upcoming harsh winter months, October onwards. In military and security circles, General Rawat’s statement has been considered as sign of the Indian military’s inability to effectively ‘coerce’ nuclear-rival China into vacating occupied territory along the LAC which India perceives as its own – a line which, ironically, China too has endorsed for decades.This outcome has been despite the Indian Army’s ‘mirror deployments’ to the PLAs along the LAC, backed by howitzers, main battle tanks, assorted missile batteries, and frequent sorties over the contentious region by the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) varied combat aircraft and attack helicopters, to match those of the PLA Air Force (PLAAF) operating on the Tibetan plateau. In addition, in an extended bid to exert pressure on China, the Indian Navy (IN) has been aggressively patrolling the Indian Ocean, where it believes it has the operational edge over the PLA Navy (PLAN), a relatively new entrant to the region. Senior officers and defence analysts, however, conceded that even these channels had little or no leverage to ensure Chinese compliance, forcing perhaps the inevitability of India having to reconcile itself to yet another ‘new normal’ in territorial title in the disputed Himalayan region, much like it had 58 years earlier, following the border war with China in 1962. Official sources told The Wire that the PLA has refused to pull back from slivers of territory it occupies along the Pangon Tso (Lake) and the strategically located Depsang Plains to its north to a depth of some 25-30 km in keeping with its 1959 claim line that led to the border war three years later. And though the PLA has pulled back from the Galwan River area, it has created a 4 km buffer zone, of which 3 km is on the Indian side of the LAC and where patrolling for now is circumscribed. Similarly, the PLA’s disengagement in the Hot Springs-Gogra Sector is restricted to merely 1 km, and in no way in consonance with what was reportedly mutually determined during the third round of the respective corps’ commanders meet at Chushul on June 30. Meanwhile, the ‘long haul’ that General Rawat referred to in his PAC deposition was the impending deployment in eastern Ladakh of an additional 25,000-30,000 troops across a 300-350 km frontage in mountainous terrain over 13,000 feet and above in altitude. With no infrastructure whatsoever to sustain these troops in murderously freezing temperatures, the army and Ministry of Defence (MoD) are at present involved in feverishly creating habitats and acquiring high altitude gear at great expense, to sustain the six-month long deployment expected to last till April 2021 And though this troop deployment along the LAC in Ladakh is inevitable during the upcoming winter, its tactical and strategic intent in military terms remains somewhat unclear. Is it to prevent China from transgressing the LAC further? Or is it aimed at pressurising the PLA into eventually restoring the status quo along it as prevailed in April, and foregoing its 1962 territorial objectives in the Ladakh region? Or is it a misguided combination of both with no end factored into the eventual outcome ? It also needs stressing that the PLA is comparatively better housed and accoutred than the Indian Army on its Tibetan side of the LAC, further rendering an unequal contest even more asymmetrical between the two forces at the basic environmental level/ Many senior retired and serving army officers, believe that this upcoming deployment is merely a forerunner to debilitatingly rendering the LAC into another ‘hot’ disputed border, akin to the Line of Control or LoC in Kashmir, that India can ill afford.Can India’s concomitant instrumentalities of governance and state power, other than the military, obviate such an outcome? https://thewire.in/security/ladakh-indian-army-pla-winter-general-rawat 3. India on LaC: Aug., 20, 2020: In an effort to rush troops and tanks to the Pakistan and China front in Ladakh without being observed by the enemy, India is working on making a new road from Manali to Leh, which will provide the third link between the high altitude mountainous Union Territory (UT) and the rest of the country. India is also working on providing alternative connectivity to the strategically important Sub-Sector North including the Daulat Beg Oldi and other areas there for the last three years and work has already started from the world's highest motorable road Khardung La pass. "Agencies are working to provide alternative connectivity from Manali to Leh through Nimu-Padam-Darcha axis which will help in saving a lot of time in comparison with the existing routes passing through Zojila pass from Srinagar and the other route from Manali to Leh through Sarchu," https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-building-new-road-to-ladakh-for-facilitating-troop-movement-without-observation-from-enemy/articleshow/77639552.cms 4. Facebook and India: Aug., 20, 2020: blob:https://www.youtube.com/93b440af-4a9e-4444-96b8-9deec5c12426 Facebook and Indian elections and politics. 5. Youth martyred: Aug., 20, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Kupwara and Shopian district, today.The troops martyred the two youth during a cordon and search operation in Kralgund area of the Handwara. Earlier, the troops martyred one youth in Mulu area of Shopian district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/19/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-5/ 6. Pak China Talks: Aug., 22, 2020: joint statement issued after talks between China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Beijing. The visit was undertaken against the backdrop of a host of regional developments suggesting new alignments with China increasingly taking the lead in shaping the dynamics. “The Chinese side reiterated that Pakistan and China are iron brothers and Pakistan remains China’s staunchest partner in the region and that China firmly supports Pakistan in safeguarding its territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence, independently choosing a development path based on its national conditions, striving for a better external security environment and playing a more constructive role in international and regional affairs,” the joint communiqué read. The foreign ministers also discussed the regional security situation, including Kashmir. They underlined that a peaceful, stable, cooperative and prosperous South Asia was in the common interest of all parties. 7. Parties need to settle disputes and issues in the region through dialogue on the basis of equality and mutual respect.The Pakistani side briefed the Chinese side on the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, including its concerns, position and current urgent issues.The Chinese side reiterated that the Kashmir issue is a dispute left over from history between India and Pakistan, which is an objective fact, and that the dispute should be resolved peacefully and properly through the UN Charter, relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. “China opposes any unilateral actions that complicate the situation.” . https://tribune.com.pk/story/2260601/china-backs-pakistan-on-choosing-independent-path 8. Youth martyred: Aug., 23, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Baramulla district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation at Saloosa in Kreeri area of the district. The operation continued till last reports came in. Indian police arrested two youth, Showkat Ahmed Butt and Aadil Fayaz Butt, from Ganderbal and Islamabad districts. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/22/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-baramulla-6/ Kashmir Update 88: Week Aug.,10, 2020 to Aug., 16, 2020 1. UNGA: Aug., 11. 2020: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday urged the United Nations to play its rightful role in addressing the grave situation in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and to ensure that Kashmiris exercise their right to self-determination as promised under UN Security Council resolutions. Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed these views during a meeting with the United Nations General Assembly President-elect Volkan Bozkir who called on him in Islamabad.The Prime Minister highlighted the dire human rights and humanitarian situation in the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir since 5th August, last year, as well as the ongoing gross and systematic violations of human rights of the Kashmiri people and the attempts to change the demographic structure of the occupied territory. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/10/pm-imran-highlights-kashmir-dispute-in-meeting-with-unga-president-elect/ 2. Youth martyred: Aug., 11, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the killing of three missing labourers from Rajouri by Indian troops in yet another fake encounter in Shopian has drawn severe criticism from across the aisle. It is worth mentioning here that family members of three labourers from Rajouri who went missing in Shopian district last month said that on the basis of photographs released by Indian Army with caption saying that three unidentified ‘militants’ were killed in a gunfight on July 18 were in fact their innocent relatives. They said they had lodged a missing report with the police in Rajouri. The missing labourers were identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad, Abrar Ahmad and Abrar. Indian Army has been involved in many fake encounters including Pathribal encounter of March 2000 and Machil encounter of 2010. . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/11/killing-of-missing-labourers-in-fake-encounter-is-war-crime/ 3. Boycott Indian goods: Aug., 11, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, political and economic experts have asked all peace-loving people and countries to boycott Indian products saying that terrorist New Delhi always gets away with its crimes against humanity in Jammu and Kashmir because of economic interests. A professor who teaches political science in Kashmir’s one of best post-graduate colleges said, “We can hurt terrorist India economically by boycotting all ‘Made In India’ products.This will also show a solidarity with the oppressed Kashmiri masses.” He also asked the civilized world, which champions human rights including freedom of speech, movement and assembly to boycott and ban Indian products until New Delhi gives the people of Jammu and Kashmir their right to self-determination. A trader, associated with local industry, while endorsing the Professor’s arguments said, “Boycotting Indian products is the best way to register protest against Indian atrocities.” He stressed that every sensible person in the world should boycott Indian products to prevent persecution of minorities in India at the hands of Hindutva followers. “Muslims around the world should specially boycott all Indian goods to teach India a lesson,” he added. A civil society activist who asked to be identified by his last name, Ahmad, said, “World must take notice of HR violations in IIOJK rather than pursuing its economic interests with India.” Ahmad warned the world major powers that India would not be safe place for investment until the Kashmir dispute is resolved as per aspirations of its people. He asked the peace-loving people around the world who believe in human dignity to “Boycott Indian goods to protest the ongoing siege in IIOJK and give the Kashmiris a message that they are not alone in their struggle.”On the observance of Youm-e-Istehsal by Pakistan, the experts were of the opinion that it was aimed at showing besides other facts the reality that India has made the Kashmir people the prisoners of conscience due to the continued siege of IIOJK,” they said. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/11/boycott-indian-products-for-new-delhis-crimes-in-iiojk-world-asked/ 4. Saudi reaction: Aug., 12, 2020: Pakistan has paid back Saudi Arabia $1 billion out of a $3 billion loan that it secured one and a half year ago to avoid default on international debt obligations after the kingdom decided to reduce its financial support, highly placed sources said. China, has immediately come forward and extended $1 billion in loan to help Islamabad avoid any adverse impact of the partial withdrawal of the Saudi lifeline, sources in the Ministry of Finance and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) told The Express Tribune on Wednesday. The Saudi oil facility was already running into trouble. As per the agreement, the Saudi cash and oil facility was for one year with an option to roll over the amount at the end of the year for a period of three years. Pakistan was paying 3.2% interest on the $3-billion facility, according to the information that the Ministry of Finance shared with the National Assembly. In its report in April this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that "Saudi Arabia also refinanced $3-billion BOP (balance of payments) support loans that matured in November (2019)-January (2020) https://tribune.com.pk/story/2258238/pakistan-pays-back-1b-saudi-loan 5. Youth martyred: Aug., 12, 2020: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Kamrazipora area of the district. Earlier, one Indian soldier was killed and another injured in an attack in the same area. The slain youth who was identified as Azaad Lelhari.Meanwhile, another Indian soldier received injuries in an attack on a team of 52 Rashtriya Rifles in Hygam area of Sopore https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/12/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-4/ 6. US policy: Aug., 13, 2020: Key takeaways from the discussion were that for the US to persuade allies in the region to follow its lead, it should give strategic priority to the Indo-Pacific by moving away from the Middle East; increase the multilateral involvement of allies in security, diplomatic, and economic forums, especially to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative; and should plan and coordinate with allies more robustly in terms of collective defense, in the manner of the US-ROK and US-Japan alliances. While pursuing competition with Beijing, Washington should also still maintain areas of cooperation as well. https://www.stimson.org/event/us-indo-pacific-allies-in-the-shadow-of-us-china-strategic-rivalry/ 7. HRW Report: Aug., 16, 2020: The Indian authorities should immediately order an independent, impartial investigation into the killings by security forces of three people in July 2020 in Jammu and Kashmir, Human Rights Watch said today. The army claims that the three were militants and were killed in a retaliatory gunfight after they fired on the security forces during a search operation on July 18 in Shopian district, and were then buried in Baramulla district. But their families in Jammu, who identified them from photographs of the killings circulated on social media, said they were laborers who had gone in search of work. Following demands from political parties for an inquiry, on August 10, the army said it will investigate. https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/08/14/india-new-reports-extrajudicial-killings-kashmir

THIS PAGE WILL UPDATE, ON A WEEKLY BASIS NEW RELATED TO THE STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM BY THE KASHMIRI PEOPLE.. Kindly refer

To: https://javedrashid.blogspot.com/2020/03/kashmir-struggle-news-update-weekly.html


To https://javedrashid.blogspot.com/2019/10/kashmir-struggle-news-update-weekly-jr.html AND to


to https://javedrashid.blogspot.com/2018/12/kashmir-struggle-news-weekly-update.html (Kashmir Struggle News (weekly)  Update  (JR107) 

for previous updates .












Kashmir Update 87: Week Aug.,3, 2020 to Aug., 9, 2020

 

1.   One year: Aug., 4, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, unrelenting military siege and crippling lockdown imposed by the fascist Modi government of India on August 5, last year, have almost completed a whole year. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, revealed that Indian troops had martyred 214 Kashmiris including 4 women and 10 young boys during the period. It said that at least 1390 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force by Indian troops on peaceful demonstrators and mourners in the territory. The killings since August 5, 2019 have been higher than those in 2011, 2012, 2013,2014, 2015 and 2019. The report said, most of the victims were killed in fake encounters during cordon and search operations in the length and breadth of the territory. It said, youth are picked up from houses and then eliminated after falsely labeled as mujahideen or overground workers. The report said that these killings rendered 9 women widowed and 22 children orphaned. “The troops damaged over 946 houses and structures and molested or disgraced 84 women and arrested 13,680 including aged woman and half a dozen girls during cordon and search operations across the occupied territory in the period. After the custodial killing of prominent young Kashmiri resistance leader, Burhan Wani on July 8, 2016, the troops injured 10,240 by pellets and blinded over five dozen while eyesight of 385 was damaged. Indian troops killed 95,647 kashmiris from 1990 to till date.  The life of Kashmiris has been particularly made miserable since New Delhi illegally abrogated Article 370 of its constitution on August 5, 2019. The move, the report added, was aimed at snatching away the identity of the Kashmiris through changing the Muslim-majority status of the occupied territory into a minority. As the entire occupied Kashmir has been turned into an open-air prison, thousands of Hurriyat leaders, political and human rights activists, religious heads, journalists, businessmen, lawyers and civil society members, youth and activists were arrested after or before 5 August 2019, and still continue to remain in Tihar and other jails of India and Kashmir. Prominent among them are: Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Muhammad Ashraf Sehria,Masarrat Aalam Butt, Syeda Aasiya Andrabi, Nahida Nasreen, Fahmida Sofi, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Mohammad Aiyaz Akbar, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Peer Saifullah, Mehrajudin Kalwal, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Dr Abdul Hameed Fayaz, Maulana Mushtaq Veeri, Farooq Ahmad Tawheedi, Muhammad Yasin Attai, Ameer-e-Hamza, Abdul Samad Inqilabi, Abdul Ahad Parra, Muhammad Yosuf Mir, Muhammad Rafiq Gania, Feroz Ahmad Khan, Dr Qasim Fakhtoo, Muhammad Ahsan Untoo, Zahoor Watali, Syed Shahid Yousuf Shah, Syed Shakeel Yousuf Shah, Maulana Sarjan Barkati, Bashir Ahmad Querishi, Hayat Ahmad , Asif Sultan and Qazi Shibli. Senior Hurriyet leaders Syed Ali Gilani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq continue to remain under house detention in Srinagar. The continued ban on high-speed internet has deprived Kashmiris of useful local and world information regarding education, business, and coronavirus, the report said. India had suspended the internet 4G services in occupied Kashmir on August 05, 2019. “Modi regime is engaged in changing the Muslim majority status of occupied Kashmir. For this purpose, it has granted domicile certificates to thousands of Indians,” it added.The report deplored that press freedom is under a constant threat in occupied Kashmir where journalists are detained and harassed. “Cruel military lockdown has pushed occupied Kashmir into the stone age. Communications blockade has made the Kashmiris’ lives miserable,” it added. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/08/03/httpskmsnews-orgnews20200803india-massacring-iiojk-youth-in-fake-encounters-report/

2.   Muslim leaders: Aug., 5, 2020:  .The Chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Human Rights Council, Adama Nana addressed a webinar organized by the World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF) and condemned the yearlong lockdown and communication blackout in Indian-administered Kashmir."The Indian government has persecuted human rights activists and innocent people on false charges under draconian laws which is a serious violation of international laws," Nana said. The continued lockdown has caused a major economic loss to the region and residents of Kashmir which is deplorable as India purses the systemic persecution of Kashmiri Muslims, he added. Sami Al-Arian, Director of the Center for Islamic and Global Affairs of Turkey, said Kashmiris and Palestinian people are struggling for self-determination under military occupations and are facing racists and Zionist powers."Both nations, Kashmiris and Palestinians, are suffering from poverty as occupation forces have caused them huge economic loss and using forces against innocent people," Arian said.He lamented growing Islamophobia and said the Israel and Indian governments are promoting Islamophobia while world powers provide arms and economic assistance to both countries against innocent Muslims. Renowned British author, biographer, and historian Victoria Schofield also spoke at the webinar and said Kashmiris, who are living in a beautiful valley, should enjoy the freedom others are enjoying. She characterized the situation in Kashmir at extremely concerning to the entire international community and said even journalists are not allowed to report the real situation from the ground. Mohammad Abdul Hamid, President of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organization; Ibrahim Bulushi from Kenya; Ghulam Nabi Mir, the head of WKAF and security general of the Ghulam Nabi Fai forum also spoke. Participants demanded an immediate lifting of the yearlong military siege, restoration of all internet connectivity and communications links and releasing all political prisoners including underage children, journalists and civil society members. "Allow unfettered access to monitor and report on human rights violations by credible international bodies including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, International Federation for Human Rights, World Organization Against Torture (WOAT), Doctors without Borders, Physicians for Human Rights, and UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and other UN thematic rapporteurs," participants demanded. They urged a halt to and a rescinding of all laws, such as the Domicile Laws, that have been instituted to speed demographic changes and promote ethnic, cultural, and political cleansing of Jammu and Kashmir. "Disarm and withdraw all Indian military and paramilitary personnel from the occupied territories so that all the people in Jammu&Kashmir can exercise their unfettered right of self-determination through a free and fair referendum as agreed to by both the Governments of India and Pakistan as well as the United Nations Security Council as early as 1948," the Kashmiri leaders said. https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/muslim-leaders-express-concerns-about-kashmir-situation/1931766

3.   Kashmiri Lives Matter: Aug., 6, 2020: Kashmiri rights groups in the UK organised a digital campaign with the hashtag #KashmiriLivesMatter and #KashmirSeigeDay on 'Youm-e-Istehsal', or August 5, 2020, exactly a year after India scrapped the Muslim-majority region's special status and imposed a brutal lockdown. The slogan was displayed on the British Parliament, Marble Arch, One Marylebone, and various other locations in Central London. The event marked the first anniversary of India's annexation of Kashmir after revoking Article 370, which gave special status to the disputed territory . Lord Nazir Ahmed, a member of the House of Lords, and Kashmir Council Europe (KC-EU) Chairperson Ali Raza Syed have also appealed to the international community to take notice of Indian atrocities and inhumane acts in occupied Kashmir. https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/696410-youm-e-istehsal-kashmirilivesmatter-digital-campaign-launched-in-uk

4.   One year report: Aug., , 2020: Kashmir Reading Room has released a report marking one year of the de-operationalization of Article 370, and unilateral revocation of Kashmir’s special status by the government of India on August 5, 2019. The report titled ‘(Dis)Integration at Gunpoint’ is prepared by Kashmir Reading Room (KRR) .The panelists then discussed how August 5, 2019, is marked by Kashmiris as a day when India’s expansionist policy on Kashmir “has been laid bare in an undeniable manner.” Parvez Imroz, Human Rights lawyer with JKCCS while commenting on the Kashmir conflict said that, “Truth is a major casualty in any conflict area.” He discussed India’s gripping control of the people of Kashmir and thanked KRR for adopting mechanisms of active and comprehensive dialogue to generate international awareness on the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. He then mentioned Newton’s law indicating that India’s repressive measures against the territories cannot continue for long as evident in Newton’s law. “There will be a reaction,” he said. Commenting on the Indian Judiciary’s approach to Kashmir Imroz said, “Judiciary is complicit by their omissions in not taking measures to protect human rights.” He accused the judiciary of being a failure while noting that this report has in fact documented all the changes taking place on the political, legal, policy, and economic sphere since August 2019 in the bifurcated territories.  The panelists highlighted that the report comprehensively covers a wide range of subjects from recent changes in Domicile law; amendments of laws affecting the transfer of state land to non-state subjects and corporate entities; mining rights; developments in Constitutional Courts concerning the amendment to Article 370; treatment of PSA petitions; Habeas Corpus litigation and media petitions in the last year. Other attendees noted that it has included perspectives from minorities and voices from Ladakh, Jammu, and the Kashmir valley while additionally providing an overview of the human rights violations, curbs on freedom of the press, repression of Kashmiri journalists, and disenfranchisement of Kashmiris. The full report can be accessed here: https://jklpp.org/kashmir-reading-room-report-aug-2019-aug-2020/. http://twocircles.net/2020aug05/438457.html

5.   UNSC: Aug.,6, 2020: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday expressed concerns over the human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), particularly Indian authorities’ continued oppression as well as attempts to change its demography.The 15-member Council met to discuss the current Kashmir situation on the request of Pakistan. China, which is a permanent member of the UNSC, played key role in arranging the closed-door discussions for the third time in a year after India revoked the special status of the disputed territory. The UN Secretariat and the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (Unmogip) representatives also briefed the Council on the current situation in IIOJK, the foreign minister said.  Earlier in the day, China and Turkey reiterated their principled stance over the Kashmir issue and stressed that any unilateral change in the status quo in the IIOJK was illegal and invalid, as it did not contribute to peace and stability in the region.“Our position is consistent and clear. This issue is a dispute left over from history between Pakistan and India that is an objective fact established by the United Nations Charter, United Nations Security Council’s resolutions and bilateral agreement between Pakistan and India,” Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during his regular briefing on Wednesday.“Any unilateral change to the status quo (in IIOJK) was illegal and invalid,” Wang said, emphasising that the issue should be properly resolved peacefully through dialogue and consultation between the parties concerned.   https://tribune.com.pk/story/2258144/unsc-voices-concern-over-hr-situation-in-iiojk

6.   Protest: Aug., 6, 2020: Kashmiris settled in Europe and United Kingdom took to the streets to condemn the August 5, 2019 move of the Modi government for annexing Indian Illegal Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK) with India.

7.   Rallies and conferences were conducted in Oslo, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Scotland, Brescia, Italy, Lisbon, Portugal, Barcelona, Spain Berlin, Germany, Hamburg, Germany Zurich, Switzerland and more than eight cities of UK.

8.   The rallies and seminars were organised by Tehreek-e-Kashmir Europe and UK. In Birmingham, the main anti-India rally was taken out in front of Birmingham Council House, Victoria Square in which hundreds of overseas Kashmiris and Pakistanis participated. TeK leader in Norway Shah Hussain also led the anti-India protest. Hundreds of people were present in the rally.On the occasion, protesters passed a resolution in support of Kashmiris freedom struggle. In Italy, TeK President Mehmood Sharif, in Germany Riaz Ghulam, Switzerland Ejaz Chaudary, Spain Nasir Shezad, Portugal Mehboob Ahmed and Tufail Hussain Shah also addressed the anti-India and Kashmir solidarity rallies and jointly vowed to continue their support for the people of IIOJK in the genuine and political rights struggle which India has been trying to suppress since 1947. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2258126/kashmiris-hold-demonstrations-across-europe-to-denounce-indias-aug-5-move

9.   US Committee: Aug., 7, 2020: The US Congress’s powerful house foreign affairs committee has sent a letter addressed to external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, expressing concern that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir had “not normalised” one year after the revocation of its constitutional autonomy. Dated August 5, the joint letter was written by the US House committee on foreign affairs’ democrat chairman, Elliot Engel, and the Republican ranking member Michael McCaul, to mark the one-year anniversary of the scrapping of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and its bifurcation into two Union Territories. “It is because of our support for the bilateral relationship that we note with concern that conditions in Jammu and Kashmir have not normalized one year after India’s repeal of Article 370 and the establishment of Jammu and Kashmir as a Union Territory,” the letter stated. During the weekly briefing in New Delhi on Thursday, MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said that the letter reflected the bipartisan support for the bilateral relationship.  The first expression of concern from the US administration had been by an anonymous state department official during a background briefing on August 21 last year. “We recognize that it’s an internal matter, but it obviously has implications outside of India’s borders,” the official said. The senior US diplomat noted that Washington’s “near term” focus was on release of detainees and restoration of “basic freedoms”. The next step would be restoration of “political normalcy” on Jammu and Kashmir, first as a union territory and then as a state, the official stated.A week later, the US embassy spokesperson  also echoed those words and called for a return to “normal political status” as committed by Modi in his Independence Day speech. https://thewire.in/diplomacy/us-congresss-powerful-house-foreign-affairs-committee-jaishankar-kashmir-article-370

10.          China on Kashmir: Aug., 7, 2020: The spokesperson of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations said Wednesday that the Chinese ambassador has called on parties concerned to exercise restraint in Kashmir. Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, expounded on China's principled position on Kashmir during the Security Council's closed-door discussions on Wednesday, said the spokesperson. Zhang said that India unilaterally changed the status quo of Kashmir through constitutional amendments in August 2019, stoking tensions in the region. A year later, there is no fundamental improvement but a risk of further escalation in the situation of Kashmir, according to the spokesperson. Zhang said China is seriously concerned about the current situation in Kashmir and the relevant military actions. China opposes unilateral actions that will complicate the situation, and calls on relevant parties to exercise restraint and act prudently. In particular, they should refrain from taking actions that will escalate tensions, according to the spokesperson. Zhang underlined that the Kashmir issue is a dispute left over from the past and should be peacefully and properly addressed in accordance with the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreement. It is the responsibility of the Security Council to help ease the tensions and properly resolve relevant issues. The international community remains highly concerned about the Kashmir situation, with the expectation that the Security Council should perform its own duties, according to the spokesperson. Zhang said that both India and Pakistan are friendly neighbors of China and big developing countries at a critical stage of development. China is committed to growing friendly relations with both countries and calls on the two countries to focus on national development, set store by safeguarding peace and stability in South Asia, properly handle historical grievances, abandon zero-sum thinking, avoid unilateral actions, resolve disputes peacefully through dialogue and consultation, and jointly uphold peace and stability of the region, according to the spokesperson.The Security Council on Wednesday heard briefings from the UN Secretariat on the current situation in Kashmir and the work of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, said the spokesperson. Security Council members expressed concern over the current situation in Kashmir and expressed the hope that relevant parties would exercise restraint and properly resolve relevant issues through dialogue to jointly maintain regional peace and stability, said the spokesperson. https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1196878.shtml

11.          Blue print for Acton Aug., 9, 2020:  Pakistan’s Kashmir policy is struggling to achieve quantifiable objectives, one of the key reasons is this: a failure (or refusal) to recognise the location of the battle to be fought. In today’s world, this battle for Kashmir has to be fought on seven places. Pakistan is not among them.The seven battlefields: Washington D.C., New York, London, Moscow, Paris, New Delhi and Srinagar. Here’s why: The situation on the ground in occupied Kashmir has worsened in the last one year. India may claim normalcy in the region but the reality — as acknowledged by independent voices (the few that are left in India) — is that repression is on the up, as is defiance by the people. Pakistan’s core objective is to ensure the world knows the reality of the situation. But the world, in this context, is really just the members of the United Nations Security Council. These countries, the so-called P5, wield power to make a difference in Kashmir. Among these five — United States, United Kingdom, China, Russia and France — China is already engaged in the Kashmir issue and hardly needs any convincing. The New York battlefield refers to the United Nations headquarters.Our battle for India-held Kashmir, for now, has to be fought through diplomacy and strategic communication. If we want to be smart with our policy, we need to focus an overwhelming effort on this target audience. The opinion of the people and governments of these four countries is the only thing that should matter to us. Add to this the obvious emphasis on New Delhi and Srinagar and we have ourselves six Kashmir battlefields. Every battle needs warriors, weapons and an accurate mapping of the terrain. Our battle for Kashmir, for now, has to be fought through diplomacy and strategic communication. These seven battlefields will therefore require strategies that are tailored for respective terrains   To start off, they have to recognise the futility of fighting for Kashmir on the wrong battlefield. The next phase is planning and executing the diplomatic and communications war simultaneously on all seven battlefields. While diplomacy has a well-entrenched system in place, the strategic communications arena requires special attention. With occupied Kashmir being Ground Zero, a brief outline of a strategic communications plan would include the following steps: 1) Facilitate and equip Kashmiris to capture raw video and audio content on devices; 2) Create a way to have this content relayed to Pakistan; 3) Establish a Kashmir strategic communications organisation that can process this content into various formats for all types of formal, informal and social media platforms as well as for official presentations; 4) Translate all content into the languages of the six battlefields; 5) Dissect and tailor content into two categories: for governments and for people; 6) Create a system for distribution of this content on broadcast, print and digital platforms that make it reach the target audience; 7) Construct a system to monitor and measure the reach and impact of the content in terms of viewership and readership including demographic analysis of the audience reached; 8) Create and train the official manpower needed to manage this strategic communications infrastructure; 9) Institutionalise and budget a permanent financial pipeline for Kashmir strategic communications; and 10) Aim to shape opinion through this content in a way that it translates into pressure on official policy.This is the mere tip of the iceberg. So much is doable. But first, let’s stop fighting on the wrong battlefield. https://www.dawn.com/news/1573255

 

Cost of Kashmir struggle   

(From Jan 1989 till July 31, 2020)

Total Killings *

95,647

Custodial Killings

7,144

Civilian arrested

160,621

Structures Arsoned/Destroyed

110,345

Women Widowed

22,917

Children Orphaned

107,797

Women gang-raped / Molested

11,214

 

(July 2020)

Total Killings *

24

Custodial Killings

3

Tortured/Injured

59

Pellet Injured :

09

Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged

1

Persons whose one or both eyes are injured

3

Civilian arrested

98

Structures Arsoned/Destroyed

11

Women Widowed

1

Children Orphaned

4

Women gang-raped / Molested

7

From July 8, 2016)

Atrocities by Indian Troops 

(Jan-Jul 2020 )

Total Killings *

172

Custodial Killings

8

Tortured/Injured

492

Total pellet Injured

90

Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged

6

Persons whose one or both eyes are injured

13

Civilian arrested

2219

Arson (Houses etc)

888

Women Widowed

6

Children Orphaned

13

Women gang-raped / Molested

39

(Aug 5, 2019- July 2020) 

(Aug 5, 2019- July 2020)

Total Killings *

214

Custodial Killings

16

Tortured/Injured

1390

Total pellet Injured

437

Persons whose sight in one eye has damaged

17

Persons whose one or both eyes are injured

134

Civilian arrested

13680

Arson (Houses etc)

946

Women Widowed

9

Children Orphaned

22

Women disgraced / Molested

84

Casualties during ongoing uprising 

(From July 8, 2016 - Jul 31 2020)

Total Killings *

1275

Custodial Killings

86

Tortured/Injured

29125

Arrested

25566

Structures Arsoned/Destroyed

4267

Women Widowed

100

Children Orphaned

227

Women gang-raped / Molested

1021

 

Inured by pellets

10240

Eye-sight damaged/ at the verge of blindness

385

Compiled by Kashmir Media Service

Kashmir Update 86: Week Jul.,27, 2020 to Aug., 2, 2020

1.   Youth martyred: Jul., 30, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Rajouri district.The troops martyred two youth and injured another during a military operation in Nowshehra area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/29/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-rajouri-2/
2.   Youth arrested: Jul., 30, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops on Wednesday arrested three Kashmiri youth during house raids in Bandipora district.The youth were arrested after Indian Army, police and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force jointly launched cordon and search operations in different parts of the district.  a case under draconian law, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), has been registered at Bandipora police station against the youth. The FIR said that the detained youth were involved in providing shelter, logistics support and assistance to mujahideen operating in the district. However, locals while refuting the police claim said that Abrar, Waqar and Muneer were innocent youth who were being implicated by the Indian police on false charges. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/29/indian-forces-personnel-arrest-3-youth-during-raids-in-bandipora/
3.   Kashmiri in Government: Jul., 31, 2020:  “Islam is the major religion practiced in Kashmir, with 97.00% of the region’s population identifying as Muslims and among them just Farooq Lone sb is standing alone in decision making with regard to highly Muslim populated Jammu and Kashmir as I could see,” said a Facebook user from Kashmir. .The common refrain among Kashmiris in the aftermath of the decision was this: the move was aimed at introducing demographic change to the predominantly Muslim Kashmir Valley, robbing its inhabitants of economic and political rights.  “In civil bureaucracy, police and judiciary, Muslims in Kashmir feel nowhere,” said Ghulam Hassan Mir, a former minister in the state and now a member of the newly floated Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party,  “They are being sidelined and there is complete imbalance in the system. Kashmiris are found nowhere and even in the civil secretariat, which is the seat of power, the dejected Kashmiri officers are feeling detached.”This marginalisation may not have started last year. Two former ministers who had served in the governments of the former state said that Delhi had always intervened in crucial appointments. A former cabinet minister who served in the People’s Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government traces the marginalisation of Kashmiri officers back to 1989, when militancy spread rapidly across the Valley.“It has been like this since 1989,” said the minister, who was among the many Kashmiri politicians arrested just before August 5. “Most of the key posts in the administration and police were held by non-local bureaucrats and officers on Delhi’s bidding. But state governments did act as a bit of buffer in such a scenario because there was accountability before the people. Tomorrow, they would have to go to people for votes.” That has changed dramatically since the state assembly was dissolved, said another former cabinet minister. “The bureaucrats leading this administration don’t even want to stay in Kashmir,” he said. “Either they stay in their fortified official accommodations or they prefer to spend their week days in Jammu or Delhi. There’s no connection with the public.”  Kashmiris have disappeared from the core unit of the administration altogether. While the administration is closely controlled by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs – most important policy decisions have been announced by it – the lieutenant governor and his four advisors are now the face of government in Jammu and Kashmir. Each advisor has the powers of a minister, supervising different departments instead of holding portfolios. Three of the advisors are from Jammu. The fourth is from Uttar Pradesh. None of them is from the Kashmir Valley. Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu and his four advisors. From left to right: Murmu, Kewal Kumar Sharma, Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, Farooq Khan, Basir Ahmad Khan. Kashmiri judges are a minority in the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, too. Of the 11 sitting judges, only two are Kashmiri Muslim while two are Kashmiri Pandit. Since 2009, no Kashmir Police Service officer has been promoted into the Indian Police Service. At present, all 66 Indian Police Services officers in the Jammu and Kashmir cadre are those who were recruited directly through examinations held by the Union Public Service Commission. The total strength of the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s IPS cadre is 147, out of which 80 posts are for direct recruits and 67 slots are reserved for those promoted from the state service. A majority of the posts now lie vacant.There is a similar logjam with inductions from the Kashmir Administrative Service into the Indian Administrative Service. “There has been no induction into the IAS for more than 10-11 years because of the dispute over the seniority list of the 1999 KAS batch,” said a Kashmir Administrative Service officer who did not want to be named. “There have been petitions, counter petitions and all those discussions but so far the logjam hasn’t been broken.”  The former minister who was imprisoned after August 5 was unsurprised by this track record. “This is nothing new,” he shrugged. “But what’s happening now is the culmination of ultimate design of Hindutva which is the decimation of Kashmiri Muslims.” https://scroll.in/article/968571/one-year-after-special-status-ended-kashmiris-have-disappeared-from-government-in-j-k
4.    
5.    
6.   Cost of Kashmir struggle   

HR Violations 

                                   (From Jan 1989 till May 31,2020)
Total Killings *
95,592
Custodial Killings
7,141
Civilian arrested
160,487
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed
110,327
Women Widowed
22,915
Children Orphaned
107,792
Women gang-raped / Molested
11,204
From July 8, 2016)
(May 2020)
Total Killings *
23
Custodial Killings
0
Tortured/Injured
25
Civilian arrested
46
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed
18
Women Widowed
1
Children Orphaned
4
Women gang-raped / Molested
0
From July 8, 2016)

Casualties during ongoing uprising 

(From July 8, 2016)
Total Killings *
1031
Custodial Killings
68
Tortured/Injured
27739
Arrested
11858
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed
3306
Women Widowed
91
Children Orphaned
205
Women gang-raped / Molested
933


Inured by pellets
10298
Youth lost total eye-sight
147
Youth lost one eye sight
215
Schools arsoned
56
People detained under PSA
951
 Compiled by: Kashmir Media Service
Kashmir Update 85: Week Jul.,20, 2020 to Jul., 26, 2020
      
1.   CAA, Kashmir and Canada: Jul., 20, 2020: Canada joined in with New Westminster in the province of British Columbia becoming the first Canadian city to join the chorus opposing the act that allows illegal immigrants of most religions to apply for Indian citizenship but leaves Muslims off the eligibility list. The New Westminster council motion, passed July 13, urged the Canadian government to “take a position in opposition” to the controversial Citizen Amendment Act (CAA) that became law in India in January. And India took particularly harsh action in the state of Kashmir, revoking the section of the constitution that guaranteed special rights to the Muslim majority state of 12.55 million (as of 2011). That added to the tension between India and Pakistan, where Islam is by far the main religion.   https://eurasiantimes.com/canada-denounces-the-indian-citizen-amendment-act-calls-it-discriminatory-against-muslims/
2.   Harassment: Jul., 21, 2020: : According to Srinagar-based human rights group Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), as many as 107 Cordon and Search Operations and Cordon and Destroy Operations (CADOs) were conducted in J&K between January 1 and June 30 and reported “vandalism” and “destruction” of civilian properties. Excessive use of force, harassment and coercion tactics have been reportedly used against people in rural Kashmir as well, especially South Kashmir https://www.newsclick.in/Kashmiri-Locals-Complain-Harassment-Beating-During-CASOs
3.   J&K High Court: Jul., 22, 2020: The Indian Held Kashmir High Court has ruled that Jammu and Kashmir is not part of India, reported 92 News. In its historic verdict last week, a two-member bench of the Indian High Court said that a separate status of Kashmir cannot be changed by abrogating Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. “The Indian government cannot merge Kashmir with India,” the court ruled. Under the Indian Constitution, Article 370 grants special status to the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir. “It (Article 370) is beyond amendment, repeal or abrogation, in as much as Constituent Assembly of the State before its dissolution did not recommend its Amendment or repeal,” the court said. The court added that Article 35A gives “protection” to existing laws in force in the state.    https://92newshd.tv/kashmir-not-part-of-india-rules-indian-held-kashmir-high-court/#.XxgQEnEzbIV
4.   Youth martyred: Jul., 25, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops martyred 2 Kashmiri youth in Ranbirgarh area in the outskirts of Srinagar, today. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/25/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-srinagar-2/
5.   HRs in IOK: Jul., 26, 2020: The lockdown in Jammu and Kashmir, which has been in place for over 11 months now, has caused numerous violations of human rights, including “bail, and fair and speedy trial”, a report by the Forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir said. The members of the forum include former Supreme Court Justice Madan B Lokur as co-chair along with Radha Kumar, the former member of Group of Interlocutors for the erstwhile state. “Counter-insurgency concerns have been given absolute priority over public, civilian and human security, leading to an across-the-board violation of human rights, including the vitiation of protections...” the report, titled “Jammu and Kashmir: The Impact of Lockdowns on Human Rights” read. “There has been denial of the right to bail and fair and speedy trial, coupled with misuse of draconian legislation, such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), to stifle dissent.”  The lockdown brought on frequent shutdowns, “harassment at barricades and checkpoints”, and restrictions on communication. The report added that these have “enormously impacted public health, and caused trauma and stress amongst the people of Jammu and Kashmir, violating the rights to health and medical care under the Indian, and Jammu and Kashmir, constitutions”. It further pointed out that the curbs in the Union Territory had severely impacted education in the region as institutions functioned for barely 100 days between 2019 and 2020. Following the outbreak of the coronavirus, restricting networks to 2G had made it difficult for online classes to function efficiently, it added. The report further notes the involvement of Pakistan and China following the Indian government’s August 5, 2019, decision to rescind the region’s special status and bifurcate the former state into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. “China’s attempts to mobilise the UN Security Council against the August changes, and its own army’s May 2020 intrusions in Eastern Ladakh have added further diplomatic and security concerns for the Indian Government,” the report said. “They have also highlighted a tri-lateralisation of the dispute over Kashmir between India, Pakistan and China, lending a new edge to the strategic China-Pakistan nexus against India, specifically in Jammu and Kashmir.”The forum has called for the release of all political leaders who were taken into preventive custody amid the August 5 decision. “Repeal the PSA and any other preventive detention legislation, so that they cannot be misused against political opposition, or amend them to bring them in line with our constitutional ethos. Remove all restrictions on freedom of representation and expression. Strictly implement juvenile protection legislation in letter and in spirit,” the report added. Last August, as the Indian government announced its decision to repeal Article 370, the state was placed under the tightest lockdown in its history, with restrictions on movement, a communications blackout, and mass arrests.  . https://scroll.in/latest/968430/lockdown-in-j-k-for-over-11-months-led-to-across-the-board-human-rights-violations-says-report



Kashmir Update 84: Week Jul.,13, 2020 to Jul., 19, 2020
      
1.   Youth martyred: Jul., 13, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today, taking the toll to five in the past twenty-four hours in the territory. The youth were killed by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Srigufwara area of the district. Earlier, a woman was also injured in firing by troops in the same area. On Sunday, Indian troops during a cordon and search operation martyred three Kashmiri youth in Reban area of the Sopore. The authorities buried the bodies in own unknown graveyard in Sheeri area of Baramulla district.   #FreeKashmir #IslamoPhobia_In_India  #DeportIndiansFromMuslimLands  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/13/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-iok-14/
2.   Martyr day: Jul., 13, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, complete shutdown, marked by curfew-like restrictions, is being observed across the Kashmir Valley in the memory of the 90th Kashmir Martyrs’ Day, the 13th July. Curfew-like restrictions have been imposed by the Delhi-run government in Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir valley to prevent anti-India protests and rallies and a march towards Mazar-e-Shuhada, Naqshband Sahib in Srinagar. Barricades have been placed near historic clock tower in Lal Chowk, Srinagar, while the forcers’ personnel deployed in strength to prevent the march.It was on the 13th of July 1931 when the troops of Dogra Maharaja had killed 22 Kashmiris, one after another, who had turned up in thousands outside Central Jail in Srinagar during the court proceedings against one Abdul Qadeer who had asked Kashmiri people to defy the Dogra rule. It was time for Namaz-e-Zuhr when a young man started the call for prayers (Azaan) but was shot dead by the Maharaja’s soldiers. Thus, 22 youth sacrificed their lives till the completion of Azaan. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/13/shutdown-restrictions-mark-kashmir-martyrs-day-in-iok/
3.   UN concern: Jul., 17, 2020: Voicing strong concern at the criminal proceedings and investigations by police initiated against the four Kashmiri journalists covering the ground situation in Kashmir, three UN Special Rapporteurs associated with the United Nations High Commissioner (OHCHR) have made public their letter that has not been responded so far. The letter denounces the alleged harassment meted out to these journalists. The letter was made public as India did not reply. They had sent the letter to the Ministry of External Affairs on May 12. These communications, under the UN protocol, are being made public in case they are not responded within 60 days.   The detailed letter has expressed concern over the police cases lodged against four Kashmiri journalists: Naseer Ganai, Masrat Zehra, Peerzada Ashiq and Gowhar Geelani. The UN letter claims it notices a “pattern of silencing independent reporting on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir through the threat of criminal sanction.” The letter further states that “In this regard, we recall that the penalization of a journalist solely for being critical of the government or the political social system espoused by the government is incompatible with the State’s obligation under international human rights law.”  The UN Special Rapporteurs also want the Government of India to “ensure the right to effective remedies, including the investigation violations to the rights of the journalists mentioned in the letter.”   UN officials say that India is already in contravention of several Conventions it has committed to, including a “Standing Invitation” signed in 2011 to all special rapporteurs to visit India. According to the UN records, more than 20 such visit requests, including to Jammu and Kashmir, are pending at present. UN sources also said that between 2016-2018, the OHCHR Special Rapporteurs had sent as many as 58 communications, and had received no response other than the April 23 letter on Jammu and Kashmir.”   https://kashmirlife.net/3-un-officials-take-up-case-of-4-kashmir-scribes-with-delhi-240158/

4.   Youth Martyred: Jul, 17, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a youth in Kulgam district, today( Thursday).The youth was killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Nagnad Chimmer area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/17/indian-troops-martyr-youth-in-iok-6/
5.   EU meet: Jul., 18, 2020:  The President of the All Parties Group on Kashmir – European Parliament (APGK), Professor Klaus Buchner together with Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) held an informal farewell get-together at the Brussels Press Club. All the speakers at the event paid rich tribute to Professor Buchner for his impeccable human rights and social sciences work that he carried out as a member of the European Parliament. The utmost attention Professor Buchner paid to the gross human rights violations resulting from the denial of plebiscite to the people of Jammu and Kashmir under the Indian occupation. “Professor Buchner, in a very specific way you have been active in the case of Kashmir one of the most complex conflicts in our planet. We both agree the tragic situation that Kashmir has been experiencing for decades and especially for the last 12 months is unsustainable and a long lasting solution must urgently be found. This solution has to include selfdetermination/ Referendum for the Kashmiri population. I am very aware that Professor Buchner has worked hard in the European Parliament over the last few years alongside Majid Tramboo to find a fair and lasting solution to the conflict,” he added. Manuela Ripa, MEP, who has taken over as the President of APGK, expressed her sadness over the grim human rights situation in occupied Kashmir and the denial of the referendum to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to determine their political future. Professor Buchner was also presented with a Kashmiri papier-mâché vase by Barrister Tramboo of OKC and other members of APGK as a mark of respect for his valuable work on the Kashmir conflict.. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/17/speakers-raise-rights-violations-by-indian-troops-in-iok/
6.   International Web Conference on Kashmir Dispute. Institute of Dialogue, Development & Diplomatic Studies organized an online international conference regarding changing Geo-political situation and Kashmir dispute in subcontinent https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ihNjeGDmRE
7.   Youth martyred: Jul., 18, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth during a cordon and search operation in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, today.The youth were killed by troops during a cordon and search operation in Amshipora village of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/18/indian-troops-martyr-three-more-youth-in-occupied-kashmir-4/
8.   Youth martyred: Jul., 19, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian Army’s 62 RR camped at Keller in Shopian killed three non-locals including a 13 year-old boy. Two of them had been working locally as masons, claimed a student from a nearby village and had worked in the locality for many years. KMS sources said, a heavily armed military contingent swooped on a house in Amshipora in Shopian early morning and started attacking the house with heavy mortars claiming it housed what they claimed were “terrorists”. Neighbours could hear the screaming of the inmates holed inside amid cries they were not militants but the army continued their relentless destruction till the house was razed.  Eyewitness accounts allege the army raided and ransacked several houses and beat up people including women and children. They also kidnapped several youth who were used as human shields during the staged and one-sided firefight. Some photographs of the incident showing a posse of army men holding Kashmiri youth as shields at the encounter site have since become viral. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/18/indian-troops-kill-three-non-locals/
9.    

Kashmir Update 83: Week Jul.,6, 2020 to Jul., 12, 2020
      
1.   Ladakh: Jun., 7, 2020:   Kashmir in August 2019 was intended, in the grand strategy of its Hindu-nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to usher in "peace and development" in the restive state.  For nearly 70 years, a tacit understanding of sorts had kept the three countries, all of which hold portions of the land of Kashmir, from doing anything drastic to bring about a change to its fragile status quo. But India upended the agreement by annulling the autonomy and cutting the state into two halves  In early May, a large contingent of Chinese troops crossed an ill-defined border that separates the two countries in Ladakh and hunkered down in trenches and camps, with a large range of artillery guns and heavy equipment flanking the troop encampment. The Chinese intrusion provided a peek into the contours of a new strategic competition unfolding on the roof of the world. In the last decade or so, India has been bolstering its defence facilities across a wide swath of the forbidding glacial landscape with the construction of roads, bridges, tunnels and a large airbase. After the annexation last year, the Indian political leadership has been making open threats to capture Gilgit-Baltistan, the northern area of Kashmir that went with Pakistan in 1947. What seemed to have forced China's hand was the fear that its $60bn investment in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative that wound through Gilgit-Baltistan, could become a victim of any major Indian military thrust into the region. The Chinese move was to forestall any such Indian assault. .  The effect of the fear of dispossession, though, has galvanised Kashmiris at home and outside to rally together and mount a sustained campaign to bring the attention of the world to the unfolding calamity they are facing. Annexing a contested land might be a new mantra in international relations, but a strong native resistance could be the only means of defence against such onslaught. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/deadly-india-china-border-clash-200702113826083.html
2.   Strike: Jul., 7, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, the veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani has called for a complete strike on 8th and 13th of July and asked the people to organize “Day with a Martyr’s Family” on Wedneday. Syed Ali Gilani addressing the people in a statement issued in Srinagar paid rich tributes to the martyrs of July 13, 1931 and Burhan Wani, who along with his associates, Sartaj Ahmad and Parvez Ahmad was martyred by Indian troops at Bemdoora in Kokernag on July 8, 2016. He also paid glorious homage to hundreds of people killed and thousands, who were tortured, maimed and blinded by Indian forces during 2016 people’s uprising in the aftermath of commander Burhan’s martyrdom. The veteran Hurriyat leader said, “The people’s resistance in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014, 2016 and 2019 has made it clear that our fight against the Indian rule will continue till our last breath and last drop of blood.” Syed Ali Geelani asked people to observe complete strike on both July 8 and July 13 and offer tribute to martyrs by holding prayer meetings at Mazar-i-Shuhada across occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He has also asked people to organize “Day with Martyr’s Family” in their localities on July 8. He said, “Our struggle against the illegal military occupation of India is the continuance of the mission of July 13, 1931 martyrs and the people of Jammu and Kashmir have continued it with steadfastness and resolution.” The people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir have not submitted to the Indian oppression and subjugation for last 90 years and will continue to battle against this brutal occupation till the dawn of freedom, he maintained. The veteran leader said that for generations to come commander, Burhan’s life, liberation struggle and martyrdom had become beacon of courage and inspiration for all Kashmiris. “Our mujahideen are heroes and shining examples of our liberation struggle and we are committed to the mission of Azadi and Islam for which they are offering their sacred lives,” he added.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/06/gilani-urges-iok-people-to-observe-strike-on-july-8-13/
3.   US lawmaker on Kashmir: Jul., 7, 2020: An American lawmaker has promised to raise in the US Congress the plight of Kashmiri people still languishing under the Indian military lockdown in occupied Kashmir. Congresswoman Yvette Clarke of New York said this while speaking as chief guest at an event organized by the Pakistani American Association in Brooklyn, New York, in connection with the US Independence Day. She said she remained concerned over the human rights violations being committed in Kashmir and called for ending those atrocities. In her remarks, Congresswoman Clark, a Democrat, thanked Pakistani-Americans who she said had supported her in her election and promised to do everything possible for their welfare. At the same time, Ms. Clarke said she, along with her colleagues, would highlight in Congress the issue of Kashmiri people’s sufferings under the repressive lockdown https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/06/us-lawmaker-vows-to-raise-plight-of-besieged-iok-people-in-congress/
4.   Youth Martyred: Jul., 7, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Goosu area of the district. The operation continued till last reports came in. Earlier, an Indian soldier was killed and three others were injured in an attack in the same area. #IslamoPhobia_In_India  #DeportIndiansFromMuslimLands  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/07/indian-troops-martyr-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-2/  
5.   LaC pull back: Jul., 10, 2020: The Chinese appear to have successfully managed to dominate the agenda in the military disengagement currently underway with India, along the disputed line of actual control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, by quietly realigning boundaries to their tactical advantage.The disengagement protocol agreed on June 30 between the two Indian Army and PLA commanders, for instance, has now effectively made the LAC traverse the Y-nullah junction – which lies 1 km inside the Indian side of the actual LAC and one which its army had patrolled for decades with Chinese concurrence and acceptance. The Y-nullah junction is the point where the Galwan river takes a sharp bend before flowing further down to merge with the Shyok river. The PLA, for its part, refers to this area as the ‘Galwan  estuary’ (though the phrase has also been understood to mean the confluence of the Galwan and Shyok rivers) and made a claim to it ever since the recent crisis erupted – including a public statement to this effect by its defence ministry after the violent clash of June 15. China’s official claim line based on map coordinates it shared with India in 1960 – and which mirrors the LAC for the most part – passes to the east of this area but analysts believe there is now a concerted effort by the Chinese side to slowly push this line westward. The aim: to reinforce control over Aksai Chin, the eastern portion of Ladakh that it occupies and through which its highway, G 219, connects Xinjiang in the west with Tibet. Now, after the third round of pullback talks at Chushul between India’s Lieutenant General Harinder Singh and the PLA’s Major General Liu Lin, this Y-junction area adjoining Patrolling Point (PP) 14 – site of the June 15 clash – has inexplicably been rendered a ‘buffer zone’ along the LAC, instead of being on Indian side of the line itself and thus an area over which India has full freedom. Consequent upon these new alignments, some 3 km of territory perceived for years to be under Indian control, has de facto now become ‘no man’s land’. And even though India had reiterated its control over this area, it has weakened its own claims by agreeing eventually to the new arrangement. Indirectly, this reinforces putative Chinese claims on the ground over the entire Galwan Valley, a claim India has officially challenged. Official sources also maintain that in this sleight of territorial jugglery favouring China, Y-junction, and not the original LAC, is the area from where the distance with regard to PP14 is calculated, thereby altering future patrolling patterns to the PLA’s advantage. This concession, reportedly secured at China’s insistence despite India’s objections, in effect further means that the Indian Army which earlier sent patrols to PP14 at the Galwan River will, under the revised alignments, now have to maintain an effective distance of some 3 km from it. Conversely, since the actual LAC lies one kilometre to the east of the Y-junction, the PLA will need to come just 400 mts from the point, further buttressing its territorial claims and giving it the tactical advantage it earlier lacked.  Incidentally, in this region, as can be seen from the map coordinates on the satellite image above, China’s official claim is even further away from Y-junction. In addition, as Ajai Shukla as reported and this reporter has confirmed, no agreement has been arrived at for the PLA to pull back from PP15, which is south of Galwan, of from Hot Springs area, where troops from both armies continue to block each other. Furthermore, the PLA has built a road over the past few weeks adjoining PP15 into territory claimed by India, in addition to intruding some 2-3km into the Hot Springs area near the Gogra Heights mountain area where the military deadlock too endures. There is also no agreement on any pullback in the Pangong Tso lake region, where PLA troops intruded across the LAC, intruding some 8km into Indian territory from mountain spurs Finger 4 to Finger 8 across an 8km frontage. Officers familiar with the region said the newly negotiated arrangement gives the PLA the tactical advantage to intrude at a time-and location- of its own choosing into Indian territory, whilst giving the impression of reasonableness and accommodation by pulling back for the moment.“It’s a smart tactical move by the PLA that is aimed at a larger strategic game plan that will unfold at a later stage” said military analyst Major General A.P. Singh (retd) who has served along the LAC. For India, he added, it will only mean turning the LAC into a heavily forfeited and personnel intensive frontier, similar to the 747 km long Line of Control with Pakistan, only more extended and with far less infrastructure, but at enormous cost. Senior army officers are agreed that such a move would result in exponentially higher revenue expenditure, not only to only equip soldiers for temperatures averaging minus 35 to 40 degrees Celsius for nearly six months each year, till April, but also to develop infrastructure and stockpile food and fuel to sustain them. Such a move would also put paid to plans announced by Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat to reduce the number of army personnel, to effect savings in the forces’ bloated salary bill that amount to nearly 70% or Rs 102,523 lakh crore of its overall annual revenue budget of Rs 146,940 lakh crore. Before the Kargil war, the army had planned on reducing its numbers from 12 lakhs by around 50,000, but the compulsions of physically manning the LoC thereafter only resulted in troop numbers rising. Correspondingly, so did the outflow in salaries.In turn, this could hinder the army’s long-deferred modernisation in times of dire economic stress. In 2018 then army Vice Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Sarath Chand summed up the force’s equipment woes when he told the parliamentary defence committee that 68% of its in-service platforms were in the ‘vintage’ category, compared with 24% considered ‘current’ and just 8% were regarded as ‘state of the art’.He claimed that inadequate funding was responsible. adding that “marginal” budgetary hikes had “dashed hopes” of upgrading the force, as they were barely enough to meet inflation and taxes.In the two years since, the army’s financial woes have only worsened, and the present PLA threat only portends beggaring it even more. https://thewire.in/security/chinese-pullback-at-galwan-comes-at-a-cost-indian-retreat-shifts-lac-to-its-disadvantage
6.   Strike: Jul., 10, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, the veteran Hurriyat leader, Syed Ali Gilani has hailed the overwhelming response shown by the people of Jammu and Kashmir to his call for the strike on the fourth martyrdom anniversary of prominent Kashmiri youth leader, Burhan Muzaffar Wani. Syed Ali Gilani in a series of tweets in Srinagar, today, said that the support to the shutdown call had again proven that the resolve of the Kashmiri people to liberate their homeland from Indian occupation remained alive and unwavering. He hoped that the people would also respond to the shutdown call on July 13 with the same zeal and spirit. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/09/gilani-hails-peoples-overwhelming-response-to-shutdown-call/
7.   London Protest: Jul., 10, 2020: British Kashmiris and Pakistani protesters converged outside the Indian High Commission in London on Wednesday, protesting against the atrocities committed by the Indian army against innocent civilians in Indian occupied Kashmir. Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK President Fahim Kayani called on the international community to play its role in forcing India to lift the “inhuman curfew” in occupied Kashmir. He also said it was high time to impose economic sanctions on India, because it has violated the universal declaration of human rights, and the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir. Kayani questioned why India was not permitting foreign observers to visit occupied Kashmir, if “everything is normal and it has nothing to hide from outside the world”. He further stated that innocent Kashmiris are suffering under a brutal lockdown for over eleven months, which has been designed to target the vulnerable, women, children and young people.Global Kashmir and Pakistan Council Chairman Raja Sikandar Khan said: “Today we are here to show our support and solidarity for the freedom struggle of the innocent people of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.” International Human Rights Voice of Victims Director Rehana Ali said the Indian army have used rape as a weapon of war against the women and young girls of Kashmir. The army has been given impunity under black laws and so far not a single Indian army soldier has been prosecuted for their inhumane violence. Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK Midland Zone Secretary General Azam Farooq said the image of a three-year-old child who sat on top of the murdered body of his grandfather, has sent shock waves throughout the region. “That picture has exposed the real face of so-called largest democracy of the world,” he said. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/683900-protests-outside-indian-hc-against-atrocities-in-kashmir
8.   China and Kashmir: Jul., 11, 2020: The Chinese do not believe in issuing empty threats or indulging in rhetoric. They either speak in parables or diplomatese, failing which they resort to symbolic actions to express their displeasure or future intent. However, post August 5, they spoke directly. And clearly. India chose to ignore it. Thereafter they started sending messages across through calibrated actions on the LAC. According to media reports, Chinese transgressions increased exponentially after August 5.   “The change in the Chinese approach, the (Indian) official said, came on September 10 last year when PLA troops vehemently started blocking Indian patrols from proceeding towards Finger 8. This was barely a month after the Bill for abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and creation of Ladakh as a separate Union Territory was passed in Parliament on August 5.”Three weeks later, in an interview to Press Trust of India (PTI), India’s ambassador to Beijing, Vikram Misri dismissed China’s objections. Calling the revocation of Article 370 India’s “internal administrative reorganisation”, he told his interviewer that it “had no external ramifications whatsoever… no implication for either the external boundaries of India or the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.” According to him, since India was not raising any territorial claims, “the Chinese concerns in this regard were therefore misplaced.”Misri was obviously articulating the government position – which had transformed posture into policy – that Kashmir was India’s internal matter. Hence, it did not occur to anyone to consider the geopolitical ramifications of the decision as defining as ending J&K’s special status. Not only did it reflect reneging on old compacts but also complete obliviousness of China’s growing influence (and presence) in South Asia and its strategic objectives. .Making this claim, Chinese minister of foreign affairs Wang Yi had told the media, “President Xi Jinping stressed that the Chinese side sincerely expects sound China-India relations, China-Pakistan relations and India-Pakistan relations and expects to see all sides work together to promote regional peace and stability and achieve development and prosperity.” This was not a sudden proposal and India shouldn’t have been taken by surprise. The idea was first floated during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in 2018. In an address to a Chinese embassy organised seminar in Delhi in June 2018, Chinese ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui said that India should join a trilateral mechanism with China and Pakistan. Saying that the idea was first mooted by some Indian scholars, Luo, in his address said, “Security cooperation is one of three pillars of the SCO. Some Indian friends suggested that China, India and Pakistan may have some kind of trilateral cooperation under the SCO.” Drawing a parallel between the Russia-Mongolia-China Dialogue, he said that a similar construct between China and the two South Asian nations was a possibility with potential.Indian experts, while rejecting both the possibility and the potential, threw out the tea leaves with the tea without bothering to read the message. China had very explicitly stated its case for a prominent place on the Kashmir negotiating table. It is not only a party to the dispute, but would like a say, or more, in its resolution, was the message. Instead of realising that time was running out and India needed to start engagement with both Pakistan and China to retain a semblance of initiative on Kashmir, New Delhi went about its business as if it were a fortified island removed from its geography.The end of special status last year was followed by the institution of two Union Territories – Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh. When China pointed out that this amounted to changing the status quo by unilaterally deciding boundaries, India pooh-poohed it. Then earlier this year, on April 1, the government notified new rules to determine the domicile status of the people in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The domicile status would make the person almost equivalent to the resident of the state. That government meant business was evident when in June 2020, despite tension on the LAC and deadlocked military level talks with China, the Jammu-Kashmir administration granted domicile certificates to 25,000 people, mostly Hindu refugees from Pakistan who had settled in Jammu in the post-Partition decades. One J&K cadre IAS officer from Bihar was also granted the domicile status. In a subsequent statement to a journalist, the officer, with two years to retirement, said that he had applied for it because it was his right after the government changed the rules. He clarified that he had no intentions of either settling down in Kashmir after retirement or seeking benefits in Kashmir for his children. Clearly, the grant of domicile status to him was symbolic, indicating the government’s intent to go ahead with the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with India; as well as a veiled warning that it had the power to change the demography. It also showed New Delhi’s determination to delink its actions in Kashmir from Chinese ministrations on the LAC. Only China was equally determined to not delink the two issues. On June 4, deputy director of a Chinese ministry of state security-affiliated think tank, Institute of South Asian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), Wang Shida wrote, “On the Chinese side, India opened up new territory on the map, incorporated part of the areas under the local jurisdiction of Xinjiang and Tibet into its Ladakh union territory… This forced China into the Kashmir dispute, stimulated China and Pakistan to take counter-actions on the Kashmir issue, and dramatically increased the difficulty in resolving the border issue between China and India.” According to Shida, India’s unilateral move of abrogating Article 370 and 35A from the state of J&K “posed a challenge to the sovereignty of Pakistan and China”. The year 2020 has been tough for the Indian security forces. According to South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), in 73 incidents since January 2020, a total of 132 militants and 13 civilians have been killed at the cost of 31 security forces personnel. This number includes at least two officers and five from the Special Forces. Worse, despite COVID-19 and periodic clampdown in the Valley, the practice of civilians converging at the site of the encounter to disrupt the operation continues.Yet, the government of India, afflicted by an exaggerated sense of self, has not only refused to press the pause button in Kashmir, it has been going ahead with its integration plans unmindful of the cost of doing so. Such is its determination to not connect the dots that even the senior commanders on the ground are working in a vacuum, not just doing the same things repeatedly, but also saying the same things.   https://thewire.in/security/india-china-kashmir-ladakh
9.   Biden on Kashmir: Jul., 12, 2020: The Biden administration, if elected, will raise the issue of Kashmir with India and would also convey its concerns on a recent Indian law that discriminates against Muslims, says the Biden campaign’s foreign policy adviser, Antony Blinken  It was Mead who raised the issue of Kashmir in the conversation, pointing out that India had some serious human rights and democracy issues, particularly with Muslims, in Kashmir and elsewhere. “We obviously have challenges now and real concerns, for example, about some of the actions the Indian government has taken, particularly in cracking down on freedom of movement and freedom of speech in Kashmir, and about some of the laws on citizenship,” said Blinken while responding to the moderator. Blinken declares that concerns on recent Indian law that discriminates against Muslims will be conveyed to Delhi. Mead noted that while India was a democracy, “it has somewhat a different view of what that might mean than we do”.   https://www.dawn.com/news/1568227/biden-as-president-will-raise-kashmir-issue-with-india-says-his-adviser
10.          .Youth martyred: Jul., 12, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kupwara district, today.the troops martyred the youth during a military operation in Handwara area of the district.  . #FreeKashmir    #DeportIndiansFromMuslimLands   (DEPORT 20 INDIANS FROM MUSLIM LANDS) https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/11/indian-troops-martyr-2-kashmiri-youth-in-kupwara/ 

Kashmir Update 82: Week Jun.,29, 2020 to Jul., 5, 2020
      
1.   Youth martyred: Jun., 30, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district, today( Monday) .The youth were killed during a cordon and search operation in Runipora area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/29/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-iok-3/
2.   Dead grandfather: Jul., 1, 2020: Heartbreaking images have emerged from Sopore area of Indian Occupied Kashmir showing a wailing kid trying to wake up his dead grandfather who was shot dead by Indian forces. https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/552228-Heartbreaking-images-show-3-year-old-crying-over-body-of-grandfather-kil https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/552228-Heartbreaking-images-show-3-year-old-crying-over-body-of-grandfather-kil
3.   Conference: Jul., 2, 2020: A conference in Turkey called on Tuesday for the secretary-general of the UN to appoint a special envoy to resolve the dispute surrounding Kashmir and for it to start mediation efforts on holding a UN-sanctioned plebiscite in the region. In a 13-point joint declaration issued at the end of a virtual two-day international conference on Kashmir hosted by Istanbul University, the participants demanded an "early, just and durable resolution" in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.Welcoming recent remarks by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that Ankara is "in favor of resolving the Kashmir issue by taking into consideration the expectations of our Kashmiri brothers, through dialogue based on UN resolutions," participants in the conference condemned alleged demographic changes by India in the disputed region after a new residency law. Fears have risen in Indian-administered Kashmir after India began to grant citizenship to thousands of Indian nationals in disputed Jammu and Kashmir after implementing the "tendentious and politically" motivated Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules. The participants in the conference called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to renew its offer to India of sending its fact-finding and good offices missions to Jammu and Kashmir. The conference participants decried what they called "serious crimes against humanity committed by the Indian military and paramilitary forces in Jammu & Kashmir" and sought the release of political prisoners by India."These crimes include genocide, massacres, extrajudicial killings, reprisal killings, arbitrary detention, torture, use of rape as a weapon of war, burning of houses," they added.   https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/istanbul-conference-urges-special-un-envoy-on-kashmir/1895237
4.   UN: Jul.  2, 2020: The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres while expressing grief over the killing of a grandfather before his three-year-old grandson in Sopore area of occupied Kashmir, has said that those responsible for the killing of the civilian must be brought to account. Stephane Dujarric, the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General, during a weekly press briefing in New York when asked about the gruesome incident, said, “We will look into it. Obviously people who were responsible need to be brought to account. But let me look further into it.”  The family members of Bashir Ahmad Khan immediately intervened to reject the police claim. They said the troops shot the 65-year-old man to death after dislodging him from his car. In reply to a question about the Indian restrictions on protests against the killings in occupied Kashmir, Dujaric said, “As anywhere, we encourage people to be, authorities to allow people to demonstrate freely and that they can express their rights to demonstrate.” https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/02/un-chief-gets-tough-against-sopore-killing-ban-on-protests-2/
5.   KBDS: Jul.,3, 2020: Pakistan is piling on pressure at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, but it all boils down to whether Arab powers will relent. Adding further specifics, Khan proposed a “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” movement against India, one modelled on the successful BDS Israel campaign, which began in 2005. Khan advocates that the import of 'non-halal meat and non-halal products from India' be banned.    But where there’s crisis, there’s also hope – and when it comes to Kashmir, hope can be found in Arab countries, where growing and measurable anger towards India’s repressive and discriminatory policies towards Muslims in Kashmir, and 180 million more in India, can be found.  This rage was sparked thanks to efforts by right-wing Indians to blame Muslims for the spread of Covid-19, and anti-Muslim posts made on social media by Indian expatriates living in Dubai. “Thanks to anti-Muslim bias in the media and even official messaging over the coronavirus in India, the intelligentsia in India-friendly Gulf countries, like Kuwait and UAE, has started critically examining the ruling BJP’s attitudes towards Muslims and Arabs,” observes the Indian online newspaper The Wire. Moreover, Arab populations are now starting to identify and compare India’s recent moves in Kashmir with Israel’s illegal colonisation of the Palestinian territories, which leaves Arab rulers with reduced political space to continue their unfettered support for the current Indian government. Countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE may soon find it increasingly difficult to resist Pakistan’s call for a BDS campaign against New Delhi.None of this augurs well for Modi’s Hindu-nationalist agenda in Indian-occupied Kashmir. https://www.trtworld.com/opinion/can-pakistan-trigger-a-bds-campaign-against-india-over-kashmir-37801
6.    

7.   Youth Martyred: Jul., 3, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred one Kashmiri youth in Srinagar city, today.The youth was martyred by troops in Hazratbal area of the city   https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/03/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-srinagar/
8.   Grandfather killed: Jul., 3, 2020:  Barrister Tramboo and Prof Shawl expressed their anguish and shock having seen the images of 3 years old child over the his grandfather dead body, which was riddled with bullets, crying and screaming for help at Sopore in occupied Kashmir. Both the leaders emphasised that the slain civilian, Bashir Ahmad Khan, was killed by the Indian troops having dragged out of the car, shot dead at a point blank range thereafter placing his grandson on his body and audaciously taking the pictures. The car in which the deceased was travelling had no trace of any bullet shots. In all probability, he was dragged out of the car, shot and his body stretched on the ground with his arms and hands upwards and placing his grandson on his chest; and The slain Khan’s pictures taken with his 3-year-old grandson by the Indiantroops to cover their ghastly execution. The OKC leaders further highlighted that the reign of terror has intensified in occupied Kashmir since 5th August 2019 when the Indian authorities repealed the special status of Kashmir and divided it into two union territories. They called upon the international community and the world leaders to constitute an international commission of enquiry on all the killings including that of 3-year-old boy’s grandfather. They also urged the world community to persuade the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to open a formal investigation to bring to book all the perpetrators of the crime of genocide in occupied Kashmir. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/02/okc-leaders-highlight-indias-cruelties-in-occupied-kashmir/
9.   Youth martyred: Jul., 4, 2020: Youth martyred: Jul., 5, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, today.The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Arreh area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/04/india-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam/
10.          Conference: Jul., 5, 2020:  The speakers at an international Kashmir virtual conference raised the massive human rights violations by Indian forces’ personnel in occupied Kashmir. The international Kashmir virtual conference on ‘Twin Lockdowns in Kashmir and Global Response’ was organized by Tehreek-e-Kashmir, UK. The President of Azad Jammu Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan participated as chief guest .  Liam Byrne MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, in his address said, “I think the recent conflagration between India and China has just underlined for many of us the risks which are at play here in the narrative in the UK about the urgency to resolve Kashmir issue, as it is a conflict between two nuclear powers and people at a risk of conflict between three nuclear powers.” He said that the region was very important and China had already built One belt one Road which would connect the whole world, so for the peace in the region, there must be peace and justice for the people of Kashmir, and the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions that were agreed to all of those years ago Jim McMahon OBE MP, said, “I’m kind of looking towards next week and the 8th of July and thinking that would be a year since the UN Human Rights Commissioner obviously report on the human rights violations were taking place again to Kashmiri people and we’ve seen almost no progress, we’ve seen almost no international assertion that international rule of law and the protection of human rights we’ve seen very little from the UK government and taking a leadership role in this.” He said, UK government needs to decide what role it wants to play in the world; does it want to be a spectator, does it want to turn a blind eye or actually doesn’t want to uphold the international rules the order based a system. Brendan O’Hara MP, said that it was disappointing but not unsurprising that the COVID-19 pandemic was being used as a cover for the oppression of people of Kashmir. “The situations are deepening and intense, three nuclear states are going head-to-head here. People in the UK are concerned about human rights abuses in Kashmir,” he added. He also supported the Kashmiris right to self-determination and pledged his support for the Kashmir cause. Nadia Whittome MP, said Modi has effectively declared war on people of Kashmir by revoking articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution, with tens of thousands of troops descending on Kashmir with political leaders under house arrest, the blackout in communications and of course the widespread human rights abuses. “We need clear things from our government Condemnation of Indian Govt, reinstatement of Article 370 and 35A, demanding media and urgent military de-escalation, sending international observers to Kashmir, and publicly asserting the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination. Alex Norris MP, Chairman Conservative Friends of Kashmir and Vice Chair APPG on Kashmir, said that COVID-19 was being used to erode human rights and that’s not something ‘we can tolerate and it’s something that we as parliamentarians have to use our precious platforms to talk about’. James Daly MP, said that new domicile rules imposed in Kashmir were simply unacceptable as they were an attempt to change the ending balance of the indigenous population within the territory. He added that the issue with Kashmir and Pakistan and India was not bilateral, it’s internationalist. He said, “We cannot walk away from the United Nations resolutions of many years ago. We simply can’t ignore them as if they go they’re not there they should do that internationalist solution the peace and the protection of human rights I believe will be sought. I think we have made some very points regarding the role of third parties in fighting discrimination, fighting human rights, fighting the oppression of people’s and that’s what’s happening in Kashmir.” Christian Wakeford MP, said, “I’ve been working very closely with my colleague from Baranof James Daley to keep on highlighting the concerns of the Kashmiri residents from Barry that actually you know too long far too many people have been raped abused tortured and murdered and we should have been speaking out not just on a national stage but an international stage and we have been far too quiet on this particular topic, what I think is vital is we do actually start speaking up because there will be no real change until this is seen on an international level.” Stell Creasy MP, said, “I fear if we don’t deal with Kashmir issue now the situation will deteriorate, I also just want to touch on the human consequences for our communities here in the UK who are desperately worried for friends and family in Kashmir desperately concerned about what is happening in Kashmir, and desperately frustrated that they see a political process that seems to be moving backwards not forwards in Kashmir.” Phil Benion, former Member of European parliament, said that revocation of articles 370 and 35A was illegal because it was clear that changes regarding Kashmir could not be done unilaterally and it had been done unilaterally so it’s very clear that Indian authorities were out of order and excluding people like Human Rights Watch the United Nations, Amnesty International and others from access to the region. So where we need to go forward now as I think getting an international coalition that wants to see Kashmir issue resolved now, he maintained. Danish writer, Jane Teller, said that the immediate absolute need for humanitarian aid has to just somehow find a way to break the chokehold of moody on Jammu and Kashmir. With the revocation of Article 370 and 35A Kashmiris went from the situation of being occupied to actually a situation of being colonized, Jane Teller added. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/07/04/speakers-rise-massive-hr-abuse-by-troops-in-iok/
    


Kashmir Update 81: Week Jun.,22, 2020 to Jun.,28, 2020
      
1.   Refugees: Jun., 21, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, the unabated Indian state terrorism during the last thirty one years has forced over forty thousand Kashmiris to live outside the territory as refugees.A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the World Refugee Day observed, today, revealed that a big number of the Kashmiri refugees lived in the refugee camps in Azad Jammu and Kashmir while many of them lived in Pakistan and in the European countries. The report pointed out that due to the Indian atrocities against the struggling Kashmiris since 1947, over 2.5 million people had taken refuge in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan and in the UK.The report referred to the 1951 Refugee Convention which says “a refugee is someone who fled his or her home and country owing to “a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion”.The report says that the Muslim majority of occupied Kashmir has been facing threat to its existence and religious identity due to the Indian occupation of Jammu and Kashmir for the past several decades, particularly since 2014 when Narendra Modi-led fascist BJP government came into power. It adds that the RSS-backed Modi regime by furthering its Hindutva ideology is hell bent upon converting the Muslim majority in Kashmir into a minority and turn the territory into a Hindu state. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/20/thousands-of-kashmiris-rendered-refugees-in-31-years-2/
2.   LoC Violations: Jun., 22, 2020: A 13-year-old girl was killed and her mother and 12-year-old brother injured in Indian firing across the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday   India has committed 1,440 ceasefire violations since the start of this year, resulting in the deaths of 13 people and causing "serious injuries" to 104 others.  https://dawn.com/news/3000853/13-year-old-killed-two-others-injured-by-indian-firing-on-line-of-control
3.   OIC: June, 22, 2020: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir will hold an emergency meeting via videoconference on Monday to discuss the latest situation in the disputed territory.The online meet will bring together the foreign ministers of the Jammu And Kashmir Contact Group member states: Azerbaijan, Niger, Pakistan Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the OIC said in a statement.“The meeting is part of a series of continuous Jammu And Kashmir Contact Group meetings to address the issue,” OIC Secretary General Dr. Yousef Al-Othaimeen was quoted as saying. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/21/oic-to-hold-emergency-meeting-on-jammu-and-kashmir-tomorrow/
4.   Youth martyred: Jun., 22, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three Kashmiri youth in Srinagar city, today.The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Pazwalpora area of the city. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/21/indian-troops-martyr-three-youth-including-phd-scholar-in-iok/
5.   Fake encounters: Jun., 23, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir People’s Freedom League (JKPFL) led by Muhammad Farooq Rehmani has made startling revelation that Indian Army is involved in picking up Kashmiri youth from jails and houses and killing them after labeling them as militants. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/22/indian-army-picks-youth-from-jails-houses-and-kill-them-in-fake-encounters-jkpfl/
6.   Youth martyred: Jun., 23 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today.The youth were killed by troops during a cordon and search operation at Bandzoo area of the district.Earlier, an Indian central Reserve Police Force personnel was killed in an attack during operation in the same area https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/23/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-4/
7.   China on LAC: Jun., 25, 2020: When Chinese troops were trying to negotiate about the matter; they were suddenly attacked by Indian officers and soldiers. That led to fierce physical conflicts between the two sides in which the Chinese troops used defensive measures and fought back to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Wu said.The entire incident was caused by India's betrayal of consensuses and unilateral provocations and took place on the Chinese side of the line. China demands India punish those responsible for the matter, strictly control its front-line forces, and make sure such incidents will not happen again, Wu said.  At another news conference on Wednesday afternoon, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said China hopes India will strictly follow and carry out bilateral agreements and take concrete steps to restore peace and stability on the border https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202006/25/WS5ef3e4a4a310834817255403.html
8.   Youth martyred: Jun., 26, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Sopore town, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Hardshiva area of the town. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/25/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-sopore/
9.   Demographic changes; Jun., 26, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, government has made another illegal move to further its nefarious plan of altering the demographic composition of the territory. The Indian government launched the One Nation-One Ration Card scheme in occupied Kashmir. Under the scheme, ration cards will be issued to the Indian Hindus putting up in occupied Kashmir to show them as the citizens of the territory. In the initial phase, the scheme has been started on only two government ration depots. The Modi regime aims to implement it across occupied Kashmir by the end of August, this year.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/25/modis-another-move-to-change-demography-of-iok/
10.          Youth martyred: Jun., 26, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today, taking the number of slain youth in the territory to five from yesterday.The troops martyred the three youth during a cordon and search operation in Tral area of the district. Earlier, two Indian troops were injured in an attack in the same area, last night. The troops have sealed all entry and exit points of Tral. The occupation authorities have snapped mobile internet service in the area.The troops had killed two youth during a similar operation in Hardshiva area of Sopore town, yesterday. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/26/indian-troops-martyr-a-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-2/
11.          Child martyred: Jun., 26, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, unknown armed men killed Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in South Kashmir’s Islamabad district, today. The CRPF man was killed in Bijbhera area of the district. In retaliation, the troops killed a 4 years old boy.Media reports said that unknown men attacked 90 battalion of CRPF near Padshae Bagh on Friday afternoon. As a result one CRPF personnel, identified as Shymal Kumar, suffered critical injuries and was removed to hospital but succumbed to his injuries.The 4-year-old boy, killed by Indian troops, was identified as Nihaan Butt, son of Mohammad Yaseen Butt of Machoo, Kulgam. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/26/crpf-man-killed-in-iok-troops-kill-4-years-boy-in-retaliation/
12.          LaC: Jun., 26, 2020: Chinese mobilisation in parts of eastern Ladakh indicates that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could open a fresh front in Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) and Depsang Sectors, says an Indian media report. India  Today reported that data has confirmed Chinese mobilisation east of DBO. Camps and vehicles were spotted near the Chinese base in June. The said Chinese base was erected prior to 2016 but new camps and vehicle tracks in the region were seen only this month in satellite images and the same was confirmed by tracking movement on the ground.    https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/26/pla-can-open-fresh-front-in-dbo-depsang-sectors-report/
13.          Joe Biden: Jun., 26, 2020: Democratic Presidential nominee and former Vice President, Joe Biden, wants India to take necessary steps to restore rights of Kashmiris. Joe Biden has also expressed disappointment over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam.“These measures are inconsistent with the country’s long tradition of secularism and with sustaining a multi-ethnic and multi-religious democracy”, according to the policy paper Joe Biden’s agenda for Muslim American community, posted recently on his campaign website https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/26/us-presidential-nominee-seeks-restoration-of-iok-peoples-rights/–.
14.          Youth and Child martyred: Jun., 27, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiris including an 8-year-old boy in Pulwama and Islamabad districts, today. These killings raised the number of slain Kashmiris in the territory to six since yesterday.The troops martyred three youth during a cordon and search operation in Tral area of Pulwama district. Earlier, two Indian troops were injured in an attack in the area. The occupation authorities snapped mobile internet service in the area. An 8-year-old child, Nihaan Butt, was martyred when Indian troops resorted to indiscriminate firing after the killing of a soldier in an attack on a camp of Indian Central Reserve Police Force near Padshahi Bagh in Bijbehara area of Islamabad district. The troops had killed two youth during a military operation in Hardshiva area of Sopore town, yesterday. The Jammu and Kashmir Tehreek-e-Wahdat-e-Islami and Pairwan-e-Wilayat in their statements strongly denouncing the killing of the child termed it as the worst display of state terrorism. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/26/4-more-kashmiris-including-8-year-old-boy-martyred/


Kindly respond with comments or news that you wish included in next weeks update at: jarad_us@yahoo.com


                                          
Kashmir Update 80: Week Jun.,15, 2020 to Jun.,21, 2020  
           
1.   China and Kashmir ; Jun., 15,, 2020: While China and India were trying to resolve the standoff at high-altitude Ladakh region through military contacts, there has been a messaging going on at the civilian leadership level between the two countries. If observers and assessment of the diplomatic circles in Islamabad are to be believed, China has linked the de-escalation in tensions with India to its commitment for restoring the status of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir to pre-August 5, 2019 level. this is for the first time the current standoff between China and India is being linked with Modi’s August 5 move in IOJ&K. a recent article written by a Chinese scholar, who is working with an influential Chinese think tank, hinted at China’s border tussle with India having tied to the Kashmir dispute. Dr Wang Shida, deputy director of the Institute of South Asian Studies at China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, writes that India has, since last August, taken constant actions to unilaterally change the status quo of Kashmir and continued to exacerbate regional tensions. On the Chinese side, he adds India “opened up new territory on the map,” incorporated part of the areas under the local jurisdiction of Xinjiang and Tibet into its Ladakh union territory, and placed Azad Jammu Kashmir within its so-called union territories of Jammu and Kashmir.“This forced China into the Kashmir dispute, stimulated China and Pakistan to take counter-actions on the Kashmir issue, and dramatically increased the difficulty in resolving the border issue between China and India,” Dr Wang notes. Significantly, the spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad shared the article, something that created a storm in New Delhi, with Indian commentators termed the move as an extraordinary development. “China wants both ways: PLA has changed LAC alignment, made DSDBO road to SSN adjacent to Siachen unusable for army reinforcements. China wants Indian commitment from the highest level to restore the J&K state. Indian military cannot do much and the US will not. Modi’s government’s biggest challenge!,” tweeted Pravin Sawhney, a retired Indian army officer and expert on China.  .Some reports suggested the corps commander level meeting took place at least 3.5 kilometres inside a territory which was under the Indian control in Ladakh region before the current standoff began. Indian govt and media were reluctant to acknowledge the fact that Chinese troops changed the alignment of Line of Actual Control (LAC) by now controlling areas that were under Indian control till May. Not just that, Chinese forces have made advances at the LAC, a de facto border between two countries, to the extent that the road recently built by India in Ladakh for defence purposes is no more usable  In fact, the current border tussle was triggered by the road and other military infrastructure built by India in the Himalayan region. China, observers believe, moved to stop such infrastructure since it considered the area as part of China. Before the corps commanders level meeting, there were at least 18 sessions between the level of local commanders and three meetings took place at the level of major generals. However, all those efforts yielded no result with China strengthening its position as some of the Indian retired generals admitted that China now controls 40 to 60 square kilometres of the Indian territory in the disputed region. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2242695/3-china-wants-occupied-kashmirs-pre-aug-5-status-restored/
2.   China on Kashmir Jun., 16, 2020: India has, since last August, taken constant actions to unilaterally change the status quo of Kashmir and continued to exacerbate regional tensions, wrote the Chinese scholar. Chinese scholar says India’s constitutional amendment changed status quo of Kashmir and triggered regional tensions  India’s unilateral move to change the status quo of Kashmir constitutes a serious threat to regional peace and stability, Dr Wang Shida, Deputy Director of Institute of South Asian Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), has stated in his article published by China Economic Net (CEN). India has, since last August, taken constant actions to unilaterally change the status quo of Kashmir and continued to exacerbate regional tensions, wrote the Chinese scholar. On August 5 last year, the Indian government revoked the Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir territory a special status. China at the time reacted angrily since the change also affected the status of Ladakh, which is claimed by Beijing. It also took the issue to the United Nations Security Council.  Dr Wang opined that this (changing Kashmir’s status) has posed a challenge to the sovereignty of Pakistan and China and made the India-Pakistan relations and China-India relations more complex. “For Pakistan, the ownership of Kashmir is a matter of the very foundation for building Pakistan. The country was founded as “the home of Muslims in South Asia” and Kashmir is an area with a majority Muslim population, so Pakistani side believes Kashmir is supposed to be a part of its territory. The whole of Pakistan was seething with anger over India’s unilateral move to change the status quo of Indian Occupied Kashmir. The Indian and Pakistani troops made separate platoon deployment near the Line of Control (LoC), with the high-intensity confrontation lasting until now,” the article stated. On the Chinese side, India “opened up new territory on the map,” incorporated part of the areas under the local jurisdiction of Xinjiang and Tibet into its Ladakh union territory, and placed Pakistan’s Kashmir within its so-called union territories of Jammu and Kashmir. This forced China into the Kashmir dispute, stimulated China and Pakistan to take counter-actions on the Kashmir issue, and dramatically increased the difficulty in resolving the border issue between China and India, he opined. The article said that the State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi mentioned in his meeting with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar that India’s moves challenged China’s sovereign rights and interests and violated the agreement on maintaining peace and tranquillity in the border areas between the two countries.  Dr Wang said that India used domestic legislation to deny the UN’s designation of Kashmir as a disputed region. The world body initiated active mediation over the war between India and Pakistan due to the ownership of Kashmir in 1947 and adopted resolutions 38, 39, 47 and 51 in the year 1948 alone, followed by several other resolutions.“The above resolutions suggest that the UN recognises Kashmir as a region with undetermined status and that Kashmir is a disputed territory recognised by the international community. India substantially changed the status of Indian Occupied Kashmir with domestic legislation and treated it as a general domestic provincial state unit. Such a unilateral move obviously violated the UN resolutions, but also altered Kashmir’s status quo.” Thus, the UN Security Council held an informal closed-door consultation on the Kashmir issue on August 16, 2019, and heard a briefing by the UN Secretariat on the situation in Kashmir and the work of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan. It was the first special meeting on Kashmir held by the UN Security Council in 50 years. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the status of Jammu and Kashmir would ultimately be settled through peaceful means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and therefore called upon all parties to refrain from taking steps that could affect the status of Jammu and Kashmir, the article stated. In the article, Dr Wang quoted Pakistan’s permanent envoy in UN who said that this (UNSC) meeting fundamentally refuted India’s argument that the affairs in Jammu and Kashmir were India’s responsibility. China’s permanent representative to the UN stated that the Kashmir was an issue rooted in the history between India and Pakistan and that the relevant UN Security Council resolutions identified the status of Kashmir as undetermined and the region was internationally recognised as a disputed area, the article added.“The Kashmir issue shall be settled properly in a peaceful manner in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the relevant Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. This is the consensus of the international community. India’s constitutional amendment changed the status quo of Kashmir and triggered regional tensions. The Chinese side was seriously concerned about Kashmir’s situation, and therefore it was opposed to any unilateral action that would complicate matters.” Declaring that India’s attempt to seize territory by force will be in vain, Wang Shida remarked that the arbitrary manner in which the Indian authorities have coped with a serious of major issues including territorial disputes in recent years revealed that the Hindu nationalism is prevalent in India and that the Indian authorities and the strategic community have been blinded by so-called “double confidence  Dr Wang hoped that the Indian government and the strategic community should take the measures to create a good surrounding environment for its “colourful dream of becoming a great power”  such as drawing lessons from history, capitalising on precious opportunities for peaceful development, working in concert with other regional countries, and settling the territorial disputes with China, Pakistan and Nepal through negotiations. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2243256/9-india-challenges-chinas-sovereignty-changing-occupied-kashmirs-status/
3.   Youth martyred: Jun., 16, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred three Kashmiri youth in Shopian district. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Turkwangam area of the district. Shopian Encounter Militants Belived To Be Zubair ul Islam Wani from Turkwangam shopian (TOP Commander) Hizb Kamran Manhas from Zawoora Shopian relative of Apni party leader Zaffar Manhas Muneeb ul Islam from Sugan Shopian ( Son of Imam e Jamia Sugan Habib ullah) https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/16/indian-troops-martyr-three-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-3/
4.   LAC violence: Jun., 16, 2020: In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the Indian Army revealed that three Indians – a colonel and two soldiers – were killed in a “violent face-off” with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley on Monday night. Indian military sources have revealed that no shots were fired and it was a hand-to-hand skirmish, and there were casualties on both sides “During the de-escalation process underway in the Galwan Valley, a violent face-off took place yesterday night with casualties. The loss of lives on the Indian side includes an officer and two soldiers. Senior military officials of the two sides are currently meeting at the venue to defuse the situation,” the Army’s statement said   It appears as though shots were not fired and there was “physical brawl” between the two armies. The Chinese foreign ministry has responded to this by saying that India had carried out “provocative attacks” on Chinese soldiers after “illegally crossing” the border, Global Times reported. “China and Indian side agreed to resolve the bilateral issues through dialogue to ease the border situation and maintain peace and tranquility in border areas,” it continued. #Indian troops on Mon. seriously violated the consensus of the two sides by illegally crossing the border twice and carrying out provocative attacks on Chinese soldiers, resulting in serious physical clashes: Chinese FM said on reports that 3 Indian soldiers were killed. Chinese foreign minister spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that China had lodged “solemn representations against Indian military’s border crossing and proactive actions, which led to serious clashes on Monday. China urges the India side to restrain its troops in accordance with the consensus.” The chief editor of Global Times, Hu Xijin, also said that there were casualties on the Chinese side as well. He also told India not to “be arrogant and misread China’s restraint as being weak”. “China doesn’t want to have a clash with India, but we don’t fear it,” he said.  These are the first casualties at the India-China border in 45 years, since 1975, when four soldiers will killed in a Chinese ambush 500 metres south of Tulung La. In 1967, in a clash in Sikkim, 80 Indian soldiers and 400 Chinese soldiers are estimated to have been killed. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army carried out multi-prong deep incursions of three to five kilometres across north Sikkim and east Ladakh last month. Starting on May 5, the Chinese not only occupied Indian territory but also built concrete defences on it.  China was talking a hard line in the talks, with PLA interlocutors flatly rejecting the Indian demand for Chinese troops to withdraw from areas they occupied in May and restore the status quo that prevailed in April. https://thewire.in/security/indian-army-officers-killed-china-galwan-valley
5.   India China Stand Off update: Jun., 17, 2020: At least 20 Indian soldiers have been killed in a "violent faceoff" with Chinese forces on the disputed Himalayan border, the Indian army said late on Tuesday, the deadliest clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades. The latest incident took place in the Galwan Valley in the mountainous region of Ladakh, the Indian army had said in a statement earlier. It said there were "casualties on both sides" in the incident which took place on Monday, although Beijing made no mention of any — while laying the blame squarely on Delhi  An Indian army officer in the region told  AFP that there had been no shooting in the incident. "It was violent hand-to-hand scuffles," the officer said on condition of anonymity. Beijing on Tuesday confirmed a clash took place, but made no mention of casualties. It accused Indian soldiers of crossing into Chinese territory and "attacking Chinese personnel". Foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Indian troops "crossed the border line twice ... provoking and attacking Chinese personnel, resulting in serious physical confrontation between border forces on the two sides"."We again solemnly request that India follows the relevant attitude and restrains its frontline troops," he said.  Observers, however, say that the face-off was triggered by India’s construction of roads and air strips in the region.   . https://www.dawn.com/news/1563892/indian-army-says-20-of-its-troops-killed-in-border-clash-with-china
6.   UNSG: Jun., 17, 2020: The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has expressed serious concern over the killing of children in occupied Kashmir. The Secretary General’s report released on Monday said, the UN has verified the killing of eight children in Kashmir. Guterres said in the report that the casualties in Kashmir occurred mainly due to torture in detention, shootings, including from pellet guns. A report released on Monday said, “The UN has verified the killing of eight children in Kashmir.” Guterres said in the report that the casualties in Kashmir occurred mainly due to “torture in detention, shootings, including from pellet guns, and cross-border shelling”. The report also spoke of attacks on nine schools by “unidentified elements”. Guterres said that he was concerned about the detention of 68 children between the ages of nine and 17 on various charges with one of them held for allegedly associating with “armed groups”. He asked the Indian government to take preventive measures to protect children and to ban the use of pellet guns against them. “The UN is concerned about the arrest of children during nocturnal raids in Kashmir, and their detention at army camps, “torture in detention” and detention without due process as he urged the government to end these practices,” the report read. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/16/stop-arresting-children-in-kashmir-ban-pellet-guns-guterres-to-india/
7.   China on LAC: Jun., 17, 2020: China urged India on Tuesday to stop all infringements and provocative actions and work with China to return to the correct track of dialogue and talks to resolve disputes. Senior Colonel Zhang Shuili, spokesman for the Western Theater Command of the People's Liberation Army, said that there was a serious violation of commitment when Indian troops on Monday night crossed the line of control at the Galwan Valley region at the border area of China and India and engaged in provocative attacks, which resulted in "fierce physical confrontations and casualties". Indian border troops seriously violated accords between the two countries and the consensus reached at talks between high-ranking officers at the group army commander level of both sides, Zhang said in a statement on Tuesday evening. He stressed that the region has always been Chinese territory and that India's actions seriously harm bilateral military relations. "We demand that the Indian side strictly restrain its front-line troops, immediately stop all infringements and provocative actions, and work together with China to return to the correct track of dialogue and talks to resolve differences," he said.   https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202006/17/WS5ee9503ca3108348172537c3.html
8.   LoC fatalities; Jun., 18, 2020: In yet another ceasefire violation, four civilians, including a woman, were martyred while another sustained injuries when Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing across the Line of Control (LoC), a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday. In 2020, India has so far committed over 1,100 truce violations. Aisha Farooqui, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called on the UN to task UNMOGIP to validate Indian claims of “infiltration attempts” and targeting launch pads on the Pakistani side of the border along LoC. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2244810/1-four-civilians-martyred-another-indian-ceasefire-violation-along-loc/
9.   Arabs on Islam phobia and Kashmir : Jun., 19, 2020: Sheikha Hend bint Faisal Al Qasimi is an Emirati Royal of the Al Qasimi family of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, a businesswoman, and a philanthropist. She is also a peace activist. Recently, she hogged limelight for publically speaking out against Islamophobic social media posts made in the UAE amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Hend : Some Indians who are Hindus and are part of Hindutva have shown disrespect, and some have run off from the Gulf due to the current economic situation. India is a member of the United Nations and they have commitments and there is a clear violation of human rights in Kashmir. I would understand being under lockdown for a week or a month as during the current pandemic. But Kashmir has been under lockdown for up to 8 months and how long will it continue? Kashmir is a living prison and a camp. It is like Gaza happening all over again except it’s worse. Internet services have still not been restored fully. Why is the international community silent about this?  The situation is bad. This young girl Safoora Zargar has not been heard and denied bail. She is pregnant and I don’t understand that by having her locked up, what do they want to achieve? It’s horrible. The American Lawyers Bar Association has spoken against her detention and demanded her release. It has become an international embarrassment for India to deny human rights to a young woman and her unborn child. What’s happening in India is that there is this policy that you can’t discuss anything anymore as you will be attacked. In the Emirates, I can tell you for a fact that if anyone attacks Islam while living in the Emirates, there will be consequences. They were all contacted and called to the police station and depending on the extent of the damage, they were fined. That scared many of these people as they can’t afford to pay such hefty fines and don’t want to lose their jobs or shut down their companies. No one would want that. Indians and Arabs are both raised to respect each other, whether they are older folk or belong to different religions. I have never seen Islamophobia in my country except recently. I want to tell you that Muslims will never accept Islamophobia. Muslims of the Emirates may be quiet but this is a very sensitive issue for us. It will not be tolerated. We may be very peaceful people but I can tell you that already in Kuwait, they are not trusting Hindus employees or professionals anymore. After the video of this doctor in India surfaced saying all Muslims should be killed, it resonated very strongly in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. I didn’t know that such a political party could exist by ‘erasing’ or eradicating all others, even if they are also Indian nationals. Unfortunately, we keep hearing this and it is acting as a deterrent . They feel that these people have an agenda. People now are saying that they would rather go to a Muslim doctor or a Christian doctor then go to the Hindu one because people do not know the difference between Hindus and Hindutva. It’s a shame that the legalizing of abuse against non-Hindutva people has become accepted. I pray that peace once again returns to India. https://twocircles.net/2020jun18/437562.html
10.          Youth martyred: Jun., 19, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth in the territory, today. The troops martyred one youth during a cordon and search operation in Pampore area of Pulwama district. The occupation authorities sealed all entry and exit points of the area and suspended internet service in the district. Another youth was martyred by the troops during a joint operation launched by Indian Army, police and Central Reserve Police Force in Bandpawa area of Imam Sahib in Shopian district. The troops also cordoned off Janglatmandi area in Islamabad district and conducted house-to-house searches. The troops arrested many youth during the operations. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/18/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-3/
11.          Youth martyred: Jun., 19, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred six more Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Pulwama districts, today, taking the number of martyred youth in the territory to eight since yesterday. During cordon and search operations, the troops martyred four youth at Bandpawa Chitragam in Shopian and two others inside a mosque in Pampore area of Pulwama, today. The troops had martyred one youth each in these areas, yesterday.Indian police and troops also used brute force and fired teargas shells in Pampore on the demonstrators protesting against the killings.. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/19/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-kashmiri-youth-in-pulwama-3/
12.          LoC Fatalities: Jun., 19, 2020: At least four civilians have been killed by Indian shelling inside Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Pakistan's military and local officials said. Three people were killed in the Nakyal region, while a fourth person died after a shell hit her home in the Baghsar area, the military said in a statement released late on Wednesday. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/pakistan-civilians-killed-indian-shelling-loc-200618072318096.html
13.          UNHRC: Jun., 20, 2020: In Geneva, the speakers have strongly condemned the Indian brutalities in occupied Kashmir.The speakers at the 43rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council denounced the human rights violations by Indian troops in the occupied territory. They also slammed the extra-judicial killings, arrests, harassment and torture of innocent Kashmiris by the Indian government.The speakers in their speeches demanded the constitution of an inquiry commission to probe the extrajudicial killings in the territory.They also criticised the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi for not allowing the international observers to visit occupied Kashmir and monitor the prevailing situation there.The speakers pointed out that India was committing genocide of Kashmiris and the international community and human rights organisations should take notice of it.They said that India claimed to be the largest democracy but it was committing the worst type of brutalities in the territory https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/19/speakers-in-geneva-condemn-indian-brutalities-in-iok/
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15.          Youth martyred: Jun., 21, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district, today, taking the number of martyred youth in the territory to nine in last three days. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation at Lokhdipora in Nehama area of the district.. The occupation authorities suspended internet services in entire Kulgam district.The troops martyred eight youth during violent military operations in Shopian and Pulwama districts during last two days. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/20/indian-troops-martyr-nine-youth-in-iok-in-three-days/
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Kashmir Update 79: Week Jun.,8, 2020 to Jun.,14, 2020  
           
1.   Petition:  http://chng.it/rTKQnhPPxc Kindly sign and support this petition which demands that 4G be immediately restored in Indian Occupied Kashmir
2.    Youth martyred: Jun., 7, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred five Kashmiri youth in Zainapora area of Shopian district, today. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Reban village of the district. The operation was jointly launched by Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and police. Immediately after the killings, the authorities suspended internet services in Shopian and Kulgam districts https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/07/indian-troops-martyr-five-youth-in-iok-2/
3.   Youth martyred: Jun., 8, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today, raising the toll to 9 in the past two days. The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation in Pinjoora area of the district. Five youth were martyred by the troops in the same area, yesterday. The troops destroyed at least one house during the operation. Hundreds of locals came out of their houses, threw stones on the troops and shouted anti-India slogans.Earlier, three Indian troops were critically injured in a clash in the same area. The authorities suspended all mobile internet services in Shopian district.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/08/toll-climbs-to-9-as-troops-martyr-four-more-in-iok/
4.   Blue Star: Jun., 10, 2020: Eight-day long Operation Blue Star (OBS) still haunts the Sikh community although 36 years have passed. For those who lived through Operation Blue Star (OBS), the situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir today brings back vivid memories of what they went through in 1984. OBS was an official beginning of a systematic purge of the Sikhs community in India. Over 100,000 Sikhs (mostly youth) were killed in the next four years (till 1988) while over 25,000 victims were left crippled for the whole of their lives. Over 20,000 Sikh families migrated out of India (mostly in Canada, United States, United Kingdom) after this event as they felt India does not own them and they were alien in their land people in Amritsar could not have imagined in their wildest dreams in mid-May .1984 that their beloved Golden Temple would be fired upon by their own Army.The OBS assault started on June 1, 1984, and continued till the night of June 8. Indian government came out a cooked, fictional, concocted and fabricated ‘White Paper’ on Operation Blue Star, but no one believed it. Then as now, the official version projected the government’s decision as absolutely justified, given the fact that militant leader JS Bhindranwale had dug in his heels inside the Golden Temple with his heavily armed followers. Then as now, came the whitewash of the terrible fallout. Desperate to restore the Akal Takht, reduced to rubble by tank fire, the Centre ultimately found a little-known Nihang to undertake ‘kar seva’, the voluntary labour with which Sikhs build their gurdwaras. “Stories coming out from Punjab (Indian Punjab) of Army excesses resulted in anarchy within the Indian Army and Punjab Police. As many as 2,800 Sikh soldiers deserting their regiments. Three officers were shot by deserters; one, Brig SC Puri, died. Many deserters were jailed, court-martialed, and dismissed. The 9th battalion of the Sikh Regiment, the first to react, was never raised again,” said Jyoti Punwani in her article published on August 2, 2019, in New Indian Express under the .One of the most important events related to OBS is the “Mutiny of 9th battalion of the Sikh Regiment” that started from Bihar and spread as far as Rajasthan and over 2600 Sikh soldiers were killed by Indian Police and Army after this mutiny and their bodies were not handed over to their relatives. One serving Brigadier Brig Puri was shot dead at brigade headquarters in Ramgarh in Bihar by Sikh soldiers. Sikh Soldiers were under constant surveillance in the Indian Air Force, Army, and Indian Navy for years to come after this incident. Operation Blue Star was planned by RAW to purge the rising demand of the Khalistan movement. It was planned well before it started to purge the rising demand of the Khalistan movement. The Khalistan movement was a politico-religious Sikh nationalist movement which aimed at creating an independent state for Sikhs inside the current North-Western Republic of India. Even though the Khalistan movement started in the early 1940s and 1950s, it gained popularity in 1970s when former East Pakistan became “Bangladesh”. Sikhs understood that India helped Bangalis to form their separate country on the bases of language, culture, ethnicity then why Sikh should not get their own separate country on the same basis  Her murder was instantly followed by Anti-Sikh riots spread all over India, killing more than 8,000 Sikhs in New Delhi alone in four days, and an estimated 20,000 or more Sikhs were killed in 40 cities across India. At least 50,000 Sikh families were displaced and their belongings, homes, shops, transport, offices, and businesses were looted and burnt down. Like recent Anti-Muslim Delhi Riots which took place in February 2020, Hindus attacked Sikhs with iron rods, knives, clubs, and combustible material (including kerosene and petrol). They entered Sikh neighbourhoods, killing Sikhs indiscriminately and destroying shops and houses.Armed mobs stopped buses and trains in and near Delhi, pulling off Sikh passengers for lynching; some were burnt alive. Others were dragged from their homes and hacked to death, and Sikh women were reportedly gang-raped and acid was thrown on them. Anti-Sikhs Riots continued for four days (like recent Anti-Muslims riots in Delhi) with the complete support of Police and paramilitary forces all over India. The next two years for Sikh community were very punitive and their economic survival was at stake. Hindu community did not forgive them and caused all kinds of social and economic boycotts of the Sikh community. The first Operation Black Thunder took place on April 30, 1986, and was carried out by Black Cat commandos of National Security Guards (NSG) to remove Sikh militants from the Golden Temple. Second Operation Black Thunder began on May 9, 1988, and both operations cost disappearance of over 7,000 young Sikhs and killing of over 3,500 undocumented youth from Indian Punjab. Indian Army used tanks, artillery, helicopters, and armored vehicles in this Operation. Retired Sikh bureaucrats claimed that Intelligence Units working in universities all over India were keeping eyes on Sikh students almost two years before Operation Blue Star and their (students) data had been compiled with details. Indian Army simultaneously attacked over 45 gurdwaras in Punjab and did massacre all over Punjab which was not confined only to Amritsar. Over 50,000 Sikhs were killed within the first three weeks of Operation and businesses and shops belonging to Sikhs were looted by Indian Army and Hindu mobs. Thousands of Sikh girls and women were raped by soldiers of the Indian Army and Hindu Policemen who were sent from Delhi. It is pertinent to mention that pro-Hindu leaders including LK Advani, Vajpayee demanded Army action against Sikhs in 1984 and led the anti-Sikh Movement. Economic cost and social deprivation faced by Sikh Community after OBS, Anti Sikh Riots, and Operation Black Thunder (Part I and II) are still undocumented and need detailed research work. https://dnd.com.pk/from-operation-blue-star-to-operation-black-thunder/190989
5.   Youth martyred: Jun., 10, 2020: Shopian occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred five more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Sugoo Hendhama area of the district .Those who embraced shahdat are: Sakir Ahmad Pal r/o Molu Dangerpur.; Adil Hussain Lone, r/o Ganaupura.; 

 Muneeb-Ul- Haq Sheikh ,r/o Sugan; Owais Ahmad Bhat,r/o Molu Chitargam.; and Unknown.

6.   Visa denial: Jun., 12, 2020: India has turned down a travel request for members of a US government panel seeking to review its religious freedom, saying foreign agencies had no standing to assess the constitutional rights of citizens. The visa snub to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Wednesday came as the US Congress released its own religious freedom report while a top Trump administration official said he was "very concerned" about the South Asian country's situation US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday released a new 2019 International Religious Freedom Report in Washington, DC. The report, mandated by the US Congress, documents major instances of violations of religious freedom across the world. Referring to India, the report highlighted the revocation of Indian-administered Kashmir's autonomy by the Modi government in August, the passage of the CAA in December, and attacks by Hindu vigilante groups on Muslims and Dalits (community once referred to as "untouchables") over the cow, an animal considered sacred by Hindus."Mob attacks by violent Hindu groups against minority communities, including Muslims, continued throughout the year amid rumours that victims had traded or killed cows for beef," said the report, adding that charges were often filed by the police against the victims of mob violence. Hours after the release, Samuel Brownback, ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom in the Trump administration, said the "trend lines [on religious freedom] have been troubling" in India, according to a report by the Press Trust of India on Wednesday."We do remain very concerned about what's taking place in India. It's historically just been a very tolerant, respectful country of religions, of all religions," Brownback said during a phone call with journalists on Wednesday."It really needs a lot more effort on this topic in India, and my concern is, too, that if those efforts are not put forward, you're going to see a growth in violence and increased difficulty within the society writ large." https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/india-denies-visas-panel-religious-freedom-200611070153569.html
7.   Global dimensions of Indo China Face Off: Jun., 12, 2020:  it began to sink in that the incidents were not of the usual scuffle and flag-meeting variety, it turns out that the PLA has opened several fronts along the LAC. On May 26, the episodes were capped by high-level meetings in Beijing and Delhi. President Xi Jinping is reported to have urged “battle preparedness” on the part of the PLA. Prime Minister Modi’s meeting, with his military chiefs and national security advisors on the same day, concluded without any comment to the media. All of these occasions may have been pre-scheduled, but the Ladakh situation added a visible dimension. Objective observers compared the confrontations to the 2017 Doklam hostilities, suggesting that they may have to do with India’s cartographic rush to show Aksai Chin as part of its territory and China’s objections to the construction of a road near the Galwan River Valley just south of Daulat Beg Oldi. Astute practitioners and cautious pundits characterised the confrontations as “predictable Chinese behavior”, even berating Delhi for its lack of foresight.   The observation by Gautam Bambawale, India’s former ambassador to China, Pakistan and Bhutan, comes closest to a statement of realpolitik scrutiny: “One cannot discount that the [Chinese] actions are guided by concerns regarding the Indian UTs [or “Union Territories”] of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.” It is a perceptive observation that intuitively addresses both historical idiosyncrasy and legal confusion through a geostrategic lens. The Sino-Indian boundary dispute is a geopolitical conundrum that has been almost two hundred years in the making. In that span of time, the region defined by the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and its twin, the Line of Control (L0C) with Pakistan has flared up as a global (I use the term advisedly) political issue each time there has been a paradigmatic shift in the global world  That said, Delhi’s J&K policy was marked by two significant changes after the second coming of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government in 2014. First, the government adroitly sought to make the J&K dispute a unilateral problem, internal to India. Its instrument for that objective was to abandon any nuanced paradigm of Islamophobia as a policy frame and to replace it with a monomaniacal hatred of Islam and Muslims. This served to strengthen its demographic and electoral base in the name of a Hindutva nationalism. To wit: by promoting a thousand years of the presence of Islam and Muslims in South Asia as the cause of India’s ills; by helping to define India’s rivalry with Pakistan as a civilisational one; and to sharpening the demonisation of the seven million Kashmiris of the Valley as the vanguard of an existential threat to the one billion Hindus of India.The second mood change was the BJP’s ideological zealotry, political impatience and deficit in geo-strategic sensibility. This resulted in the BJP government pursuing an internal policy of brutalising Kashmiris, a bilateral policy maximally alienating Pakistan and, in its external policy, triggering a clumsy choreography of statecraft in its messaging on J&K. It is these blind spots of smug ideological certainty, arrogant confidence of power and tetchy methodology in communications that produce the governmentality that led to the August 5, 2019 action on India’s side of the LoC – the ending of J&K autonomy and its partitioning into two separate Union territories. The dismantling of the state of J&K on its side of the LoC was enabled by the BJP’s ideological zealotry, administrative subterfuge, political arrogance and military force. But Delhi has been bereft of a consistent external strategy on J&K other than intransigence. In that context, it must be admitted, the August 5, 2019 decision was unexpected, bold and clever. In one fell stroke, the government hived off Ladakh so that it could be ruled directly by Delhi and gave Ladakhis what (Ladakhis thought) they wanted. Simultaneously, in declaring Kashmir and Jammu a Union Territory, it brought mostly Muslim Kashmir under Delhi’s thumb, while positioning mostly Hindu Jammu to dominate it as power becomes incrementally concentrated in Delhi under a muscularly centralising Indian state. However, Delhi did not anticipate the implications of its action for China’s and Pakistan’s territorial interests along the LAC and the LoC. First, in its eagerness to embrace the United States, particularly after Trump’s virulently anti-Muslim policies starting in 2016, Delhi initiated a policy trajectory of a rapid expansion of its relationship with an unstable White House. So, when the latter came up with its 2017 Indo-Pacific Strategy, Delhi’s eager embrace of that initiative left its already susceptible Himalayan boundary even more vulnerable, especially considering the PLA’s infrastructural fortifications along that boundary. This factor goes some way in explaining the 1,025 boundary incidents between 2016 and 2019 along the LAC. Second, the Kashmir issue refused to go away despite the BJP government’s hardline domestic policy in Kashmir and its confident braggadocio in the international arena since 2014. Today the ten-month old dismantling of the J&K state is witnessing far-reaching consequences in Delhi’s relations with Beijing. Its cartographic assertiveness ignores the reality that the the territory of erstwhile J&K is disputed, even by its strategic ally the United States, let alone China. Moreover, the boisterous claims by BJP ministers for many months now, most recently on May 21, 2020, that all that now remains is for India to regain Gilgit and Baltistan – clearly endangering not just China’s claims on the Aksai Chin and its conditional occupation of the Shaksgam valley, but also its not-small investment in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) portion of the Belt & Road Initiative (BRI). Add to this Ladakh’s territorial contiguity to Xinjiang directly to the north and we have the full sense of the meaning of a geopolitical dispute. It is no accident that the nub of Delhi’s negotiations with China today are focused on ambiguities along the LAC in “eastern Ladakh”. The Indian media’s emphasis of “eastern” is an assertion meant to exclude “western” Ladakh, which, of course, would drag the LoC into the discussion and link Islamabad to its all-weather friend. Few would have imagined this scenario even two months ago. So, unlike routine flag meetings following bellicose chest bumps and stone pelting skirmishes, or even protracted talks such as the ones following the more serious 2017 Doklam confrontation, this altercation is far from over. In effect, Beijing has expanded the canvas to include the LAC, and itself, in future talks on the J&K conundrum. As a result, it has forced statements of support for India from United States, coaxed Russia to act as a calming voice between Washington and Beijing, and even emboldened a claim of Indian cartographic aggression by Nepal. It is a stark irony that this has happened during the BJP government’s watch; a party that has consistently and vociferously claimed that J&K is not a dispute and sought to reduce it to a unilateral, internal affair. Instead, it finds itself facing a discourse that has catapulted the J&K dispute from its tacitly accepted bilateral dispute into a multilateral one and, indeed, now, a global “issue”.  In doing so, the BJP government has brought the former princely state of J&K’s geopolitical locus back into fashion after a hiatus of almost half a century. https://thewire.in/diplomacy/global-dimension-india-china-confrontation-in-ladakh
8.   China on Kashmir: Jun., 13, 2020: “India’s actions of unilaterally changing the status quo of Kashmir and continuing to exacerbate regional tensions have posed a challenge to the sovereignty of China and Pakistan and made the India-Pakistan relations and China-India relations more complex,”Wang Xianfeng, the spokesman of the Chinese embassy in Islamabad tweeted. The tweet comes at a time when soldiers from the two countries are camped out at  Galwan Valley in the high-altitude Ladakh region, accusing each other of trespassing over the disputed border.  Wang’s tweet stirred confusion and panic in New Delhi as many saw it a “collaborated” effort of Islamabad and Beijing to bring New Delhi under pressure. “It seems as if the Chinese are leaning on us and the situation isn’t as simple as some are making it out to be. It’s also strange that such a tweet emanated from a Chinese official in Islamabad. There is a Pakistani connection to it and it’s almost as if the Chinese are trying to reassure the Pakistanis,” he said. When India scrapped Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s special status on August 5 last year, the Chinese foreign ministry had issued two statements criticising the development, including one that focused on the splitting of the state into union territories. “China has always opposed India’s inclusion of Chinese territory in India’s administrative jurisdiction in the western part of the Sino-Indian border,” it said. Wang’s tweet was linked to the article, titled “India blinded by ‘double confidence’” by scholar Wang Shida of the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, which began by saying India had since last August “taken constant actions to unilaterally change the status quo of Kashmir and continued to exacerbate regional tensions”. According to the article, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had conveyed his country’s position on these issues to his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar when he visited Beijing last year that “India’s moves challenged China’s sovereign rights and interests and violated the agreement on maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas between the two countries”. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2241542/3-chinese-diplomats-tweet-ladakh-standoff-ruffles-feathers-india/
9.   US Senator: Jun., 13, 2020: The US senator, Edward John Markey, has urged the State Department to impress upon the Indian government to lift restrictions on the Internet in occupied Kashmir in view of the Coronavirus pandemic. Edward John Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, in a letter addressed to State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, said although video conferencing is helping people around the world cope with isolation during lockdowns, a lack of access to this technology puts further strain on millions of Kashmiris, or nearly half of all adults, who have some form of mental illness after decades of conflict.  While urging the State Department to take up the issue of internet restriction with the Indian government, the senator stresses “that communications restrictions inflict harm not only on affected communities but also on India’s democracy and economy.” Besides Kashmir, the senator also talks about the rise in anti-Muslim violence, human rights and press freedom concerns. He says the “failure to address” these issues seem to contradict the pluralistic and democratic principles of India.“I urge the State Department to take steps to act on the recommendations related to India in the Annual Report of the USCIRF,” Senator Markey said. He also appealed to his government to follow the “the report’s recommendations to strengthen engagement with communities affected by discrimination and to designate India as a country of particular concern for engaging in and tolerating religious freedom violations”. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/12/press-india-to-lift-internet-restrictions-in-iok-us-state-department-urged/
10.          Youth martyred: Jun., 13, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred four more Kashmiri youth in Kulgam and Islamabad districts, today. The troops martyred two youth each during cordon and search operations at Nipora in Kulgam and in Lallan area of Islamabad. The operations continued till last reports came in. Indian police and troops sealed all entry and exit points of the areas. The occupation authorities suspended internet service in the two districts.  . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/06/13/indian-troops-martyr-4-more-kashmiri-youth-in-iok/

Kashmir Update 77: Week May,25, 2020 to May, 31, 2020  
           
1.   Fatalities: May, 25, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, two more civilians wounded at Nawakadal encounter site in Srinagar last week succumbed to their injuries, today. With these two deaths the toll of civilians who died of the injuries suffered at the site has mounted to three. The Indian troops had killed top mujahid commander Junaid Sehrai and his associate in Nawa Kadal area of Srinagar on Tuesday (May 19). The troops later blasted many houses at the encounter site resulting in a fire that also damaged scores of surrounding homes. Several people were injured when a partially damaged house collapsed after the encounter ended. First a 55 year old man identified as Manzoor Ahmad Khan a resident of Hawal, Srinagar, who was injured in the house collapse at the encounter site, succumbed at SMHS Hospital on Sunday morning, the health officials said. Barely a few hours later, one more injured youth identified as Fayaz Ahmad Bhat, 35, of Jamalatta, Nawa Kadal, also breathed his last at the same hospital. Earlier, a 12-year-old boy, Basim Aijaz, who was also injured at the same spot on Tuesday, succumbed to his injuries at the same hospital on Wednesday. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/24/2-more-hurt-at-nawakadal-encounter-site-succumb-toll-reaches-3/
2.   Youth arrested: May,25, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops arrested at least four youth in Badgam district, today.The troops arrested the youth identified as Wasim Ganai, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Muhammad Yasin and Azharudin Mir during a cordon and search operation in Beerwah area of the district https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/24/indian-troops-arrest-four-kashmiri-youth-during-caso-in-budgam-2/
3.   Youth martyred: May, 5, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district, today.The youth were killed during a cordon and search operation, jointly launched by the personnel of Indian army, paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force and Indian Police in Damhal Hanjipora area of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/25/indian-troops-martyr-tow-kashmiri-youth-in-iok/
4.   China: May, 27, 2020: China’s heightened concerns over Aksai Chin and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is routed, in part, through Gilgit-Baltistan, may have set the backdrop for the ongoing stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh.“There appears to have been a strategic shift in Chinese thinking after India abrogated Sections of Article 370 last year and created the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. India has always claimed Aksai Chin, but the issue appears to have been re-interpreted in China after the special status of Jammu and Kashmir was revoked,” says P. Stobdan, former ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, who specialises in trans-Himalayan studies. Mr. Stobdan added that the CPEC — China’s strategic pathway to the Indian Ocean — which passes through Gilgit-Baltistan — has emerged as an entirely new factor, reinforcing and clubbing the already strong security relationship between China and Pakistan. https://www.defenceaviationpost.com/2020/05/pakistan-factor-behind-india-china-stand-off-in-ladakh/
5.   China and Kashmir: May, 27, 2020: Chinese actions at LAC are aimed to arrest and possibly reverse the ongoing preparations of the Indian Army to attack Gilgit Baltistan and CPEC. The road built can allow Indians planes to land and discharge men and equipment. We need to support the Chinese , seems that the first statement of China after 370 was abrogated was misread by most including myself, the statement in fact signify’s a basic change in Chinese policy on India and the disputed Kashmir . Indians were building communications infrastructure to allow them to move equipment and men to launch an attack on Gilgit Baltistan
6.    Internet: May, 29, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian authorities have extended ban on high-speed internet service in the territory   An order issued by the Home Department of occupied Kashmir said that the gag on Internet connectivity would continue until further orders. Narendra Modi-led fascist government in New Delhi had suspended the internet and mobile phone services in occupied Kashmir on August 05, last year, when it revoked the special status of the territory and placed it under lockdown. Meanwhile, 48 rights groups from different parts of the world, including US-based Human Rights Watch in a letter to the World Health Organisation urged the World Body to impress upon India to restore internet access in Kashmir. The rights groups informed the WHO that residents in Jammu and Kashmir were unable to access information about COVID-19 due to the restriction of high-speed internet access. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/28/india-extends-ban-on-high-speed-internet-in-iok/
7.   Petition: May, 29, 2020: http://chng.it/rTKQnhPPxc Kindly sign and support this petition which demands that 4G be immediately restored in Indian Occupied Kashmir
8.   Domicile law: May, 30, 2020: In the absence of any representative government in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre has exercised undiluted and direct control in the region through a bureaucratic administration since June 2018. Last week, the Jammu and Kashmir administration notified the Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (procedure) rules, 2020. These rules provide a fast-track procedure for issuance of Kashmiri domicile certificates, within 15 days, to people from any part of India. The sense of urgency to legalise the region’s new status is further underscored in the new rules since non-compliance with the time frame provided therein attracts a penalty of Rs. 50,000 from the salary of an errant officer. The domicile certificate has been made mandatory for employment in Kashmir following amendments to the Jammu and Kashmir Civil Services rules. Eligible individuals from any part of India will also be granted the right to purchase immovable property in J&K, something that has not been possible till now in J&K and is still not possible in those parts of India governed by special laws and provisions. The new ‘domicile’ rules are a major departure from an established body of historical precedent, law and jurisprudence. This position was guaranteed to Kashmiris under the Delhi Agreement of 1952, the Presidential Order of 1954, Article 35A of the constitution of India and Part III Section 6 of the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. These instruments and articles recognised the right of Jammu and Kashmir to define its citizens, known as “permanent residents” or popularly called “state-subjects” based on a 1927 notification by the erstwhile king of Jammu and Kashmir. Through the new rules, with retrospective effect, a “permanent resident” has now been replaced with “domicile” even though no instrument has ever granted such power to the Indian government.The rules grant eligibility of domicile to new classes of people, including migrants, Central government employees, Indian armed forces personnel and their children who meet the eligibility criteria. It is pertinent to add that in this new arrangement, there is no space for a diaspora Kashmiri whose parents do not have an existing certificate of permanent residence, to obtain domicile without living in the region for 15 years or serving the Indian government for 10 years. Effectively, the child of an Indian citizen from any part of the country is eligible, even if the child has never lived in Kashmir, but the child of a diasporic Kashmiri may not be eligible if the parent does not possess an existing certificate of residence.It is relevant to mention that since 1995, Israel has been escalating the use of residency revocation as a punitive measure when the Israeli interior ministry started reinterpreting the 1952 Law of Entry. In 1952 Israel enacted its own Nationality law and repealed the Palestine Citizenship Order of 1925.Israel uses three discriminatory (and illegal) criteria to forcibly transfer Palestinians  These changes are an erasure of Kashmir’s history as a princely state, governed separately from the rest of India, and a project in creating homogeneity – so that there is no legal difference between a Kashmiri and someone from any part of India who has lived in Kashmir for a specified period.The threat of demographic change, loss of livelihood and increased competition for scarce resources is bound to electrify an already incensed population. In any sensible democracy, this situation would be alarming but authoritarian and xenophobic actions seen over the last year suggest that Modi’s government is neither sensible nor democratic. https://thewire.in/rights/kashmir-domicile-law
9.    
10.          Rape a weapon of war: May, 30, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, India is using rape and molestation of women as a weapon of war to suppress the Kashmiris’ struggle for securing their inalienable right to self-determination. An analytical report issued by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, today, in connection with the completion of eleven years to the gory incident of Shopian double rape and murder said that women were the worst victims of Indian state terrorism in occupied Kashmir. The report maintained that Indian troops had molested 11,204 women since January 1989 till date. Indian men in uniform had abducted 17-year-old Aasiya and her 22-year-old sister-in-law Neelofar after they had gone to their orchard on this day in 2009, gang-raped and subsequently murdered them in custody. Their bodies were recovered from a shallow stream in the area on the next morning. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference spokesman in a statement issued in Srinagar, today, said that India was victimizing the Kashmiri women for their active role in the ongoing freedom movement.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/29/india-using-molestation-of-iok-women-as-weapon-of-war/
11.          Youth martyred: May, 30, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Wanpora area of the district. The troops have sealed all entry and exit points of the area. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/30/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-kulgam-4/
12.          Cost of Kashmir struggle   
Kashmir Update 76: Week May,18, 2020 to May, 24, 2020  
           
1.   Youth martyred: May, 18, 2020:In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops  martyred two Kashmiri youth during a cordon and search operation in Doda district of Jammu region, today. Indian Army claimed that the youth were killed during an encounter with the troops in Gundana area of Doda town. An Indian soldier was also killed in an attack during the operation in the same area. In another incident, an Indian policeman was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Yaripora area of Kulgam district.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/17/two-youth-martyred-indian-soldier-killed-in-iok/
2.   OIC: May, 19, 2020: The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir People’s Freedom League (JKPFL), Muhammad Farooq Rehmani has appealed to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OiC) to take up robustly before the United Nations the question of Jammu and Kashmir, the ordeal of the people after 5th August, 2019, heinous crimes by Indian forces inside and along the Line of Control even during the attack of COVID-19 for immediate focus on grave humanitarian issues. Muhammad Farooq Rehmani in a statement issued in Islamabad said Pakistan as the advocate of the rights of the Kashmiris and member of the OIC has already brought in the notice of the organization the flagrant human rights violations of Indian troops in Kashmir. Now, he said, under the given conditions the OIC can frame a line of action to invoke the relevant UN clauses to spotlight the illegal political changes brought about India for its novel program of converting the Muslim majority state into a Hindu State.  . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/17/oic-should-raise-ordeal-of-kashmir-muslims-before-un-rehmani/
1.   Commander martyred: May, 19, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, a top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, Junaid Sehrai along with his associate was martyred by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Nawakadal area of Srinagar, today. Junaid is the son of senior All Parties Hurriyat Conference leader, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai. The troops also destroyed, at least two houses, during the operation. The cordon was launched by the troops in the early hours of the morning. The troops sealed all entry and exit points and conducted house-to-house searches. One Indian Central Reserve Police Force man and two Special Operation Group personnel were injured during the operation in the area. The authorities have snapped mobile internet services in Srinagar. Junaid Sehrai, the son of senior APHC leader Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, along with his associate, was martyred by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Nawakadal area of the city, early in the morning.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/19/top-mujahid-commander-junaid-sehrai-martyred-in-iok/
2.   London conference: May, 19, 2020: The speakers in an online conference in London highlighted human rights violations by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir. The online conference of the British parliamentarians on the current situation and gross rights abuses amidst COVID-19 in the territory was organized by Tehreek-e-Kashmir, UK.  Andrew Gwynne, MP and Chairman, Labour Friends of Kashmir, said that India and Pakistan had to talk to one another but there could be no decisions about Kashmir without the involvement of the people of Kashmir. He assured that they would seek to use their position in the House of Commons and House of Lords to ensure that those voices were heard in the British parliamentary system as well. He reiterated that there is a room for international leadership and whether or not that’s Britain that takes that role or the United Nations or some other third party. Paul Bristow, MP and vice-chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir, said, “We need to do the soft lobbying with our own within our parties with our Partners to try and change attitudes of our frontbenchers and ministers on Kashmir dispute. While we need hard lobbying certain through debate through questions Etc.” He said, “We will discuss Kashmir issue in Parliament with shreds of evidence, we all have seen images, and videos of suppression and brutality, and evidence will make our argument stronger.” Alison Thewliss, MP, while supporting Kashmiris right to self-determination said that he would support Kashmir cause and assured President Masood Khan that they would assist and support in every way possible. She added that she had continuing concerns raised by her constituents who had family and friends and Kashmir, and they would keep Kashmir dispute in their agenda. Richard Burgon, MP, said that Indian government revoked the special status of Kashmir and the territory had been under lockdown for 7 months, without internet now another 2 months lockdown due to COVID-19 while grave human rights violations and suppression of Kashmiris continued in this period.He added, “We support Justice and self-determination as per United Nations resolutions for the Kashmir people given our historic involvement in that area of the world.”Kate Hollern, MP, said that due to the lockdown and Internet suspension amidst COVID-19 outbreak doctors in Kashmir couldn’t have searched and download for the latest information about the pandemic, while students were barred from using online resources for studies. Steve Baker, MP, said, “We might need to say to the UN. What are you for? If not to pursue the resolutions that you’ve asked bring peace and fundamental rights around the world and in particular in Kashmir. Jess Phillips, MP, said, “We should be able to push for some action from our government in this regard and whilst it’s vitally important that we keep on hearing about what is going on on the ground.” James Daly, MP, said they have heard and seen evidence of human rights violations in IOK, also the repressive laws such as Public Safety Act (PSA) which enables Indian forces to detain anybody without charge for 2 years and repeat it once the period is near to end. “We must work through the United Nations to ensure that as per United Nations resolutions Kashmiris decide for their future,” he added. Jonathan Gullis, MP, showing solidarity and defending Kashmiris right to self-determination as per UN resolutions, said, “The lockdown that we have felt in the UK whilst having to sacrifice a small amount of our freedom cannot even come close to that of the people of Jammu Kashmir who are facing human rights violations.” He also urged the British government to use the voice within the United Nations and the participant MPs to raise this issue loudly and clearly. Rachel Hopkins, MP, said that despite being a new MP she had decided to represent her constituents who had friends and family in Kashmir, and were concerned about their well-being amidst COVID-19 and lockdown in Kashmir.“I will continue to pursue Kashmir issue with others collectively and until we can see greater changes and the absolute right of the Kashmiri people for their self-determination in the future” she added. Antony Higginbotham, MP, said this conference has shown us is that there is incredible cross-party consensus on this issue in the UK. “I do believe that the UK has a very powerful voice on the world stage. And as UK parliamentarians, we have a very clear role to make sure that the UK is using that to maximum effect because of the situation on the ground in Kashmir that is very awful, he added. Marco Longhi, MP, said that the time had come to offer more than just solidarity and ‘I think in what we need to do is to speak up as loud as we can within our own Parliament and make sure that that very question that I believe my colleague Steve Baker mentioned earlier in this presentation, which is what is the point of the UN if the UN cannot intervene in these terrible circumstances.’ Tracy Brabink, MP, said COVID has been used as a bit of a smokescreen to continue the human rights abuses in Kashmir. “We were discussing the labour party’s position and unequivocally supporting the right for Kashmiri self-determination. Suppression and persecution of Muslims in India and Kashmir are heartbreaking. We need leadership to bring this issue on the table for a practical solution,” she added. Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Convener, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir, said, Kashmir is under twin lockdown, and Kashmiris demand freedom as per United Nations resolutions and for peace and stability in South Asia it is of vital importance that Kashmir dispute is resolved as per the aspirations of the Kashmiris and UN resolutions. Sara Britcliffe, MP, said that she along with Jim and Mike visited Kashmir and the Line of Control this year and saw firsthand the atrocities and ‘we were able to go on the ground and speak to families that are affected.’ https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/18/speakers-highlight-hr-abuses-in-iok-by-india-in-london-moot/
3.   Trauma: May, 20, 2020: More than a week after the Jammu and Kashmir police, the CRPF and the Special Operations Group (SOG) allegedly went on a rampage in Nasrullahpora, Budgam, North Kashmir, residents of the village remain traumatised and terrified. On May 8, after photographs of damaged shops and vandalised houses in Nasrullahpora went viral on social media, the media reported a night of horror when even women were beaten up by security forces.Shakeela Bano (38) said she was preparing for iftaar and her three daughters were weaving shawls when suddenly a group of angry policemen and CRPF men barged into their house. “First they broke our four-wheeler, then they broke all the windows and mirrors in the house without telling us why,” said Bano. “When I pleaded with them to stop, they began thrashing me with the stocks of their guns.”The injuries are still visible on Bano’s legs. “I cannot move or work properly. My legs hurt,” said Bano. The policemen also beat Bano’s ailing 16-year-old daughter Rahila* with sticks. “Her lower abdomen still hurts,” said Bano. “We are both on medication now.”Bano was terrified that her daughters would be molested during the attack. “The policemen hurled abuses at me and treated us without respect,” she told The Wire. Shafiya Jan* alleged that the police not only vandalised her home but also stole ornaments and other items she had purchased for her wedding next month. The 25-year-old said: “When the police entered our house, they asked where my father was. We said he wasn’t home, so they locked me and my two sisters in a room and ransacked the house. My wedding jewellery and some clothes were stolen from the new house we had constructed in our courtyard.”  Jan has not been in touch with her father for 10 days. “He left his phone at home in his rush to get away,” she said. “There are only women at home now and a handicapped uncle.” The police destroyed even the groceries Jan’s family had bought for her wedding feast. They broke jars, smashed utensils and mixed chilly and salt together. “We had brought groceries worth Rs 20,000 and they scattered them all over the ground,” said Jan. “They even broke our refrigerator and inverter.” There are very few men left in the village now, say the residents. Most have gone into hiding for fear of being tortured. “We are not able to go outside or remain inside our homes; we fear constant raids by the police,” said Jan. “Women here don’t switch on the lights during sehri; instead they eat by candlelit, such is the fear.” The alleged attack by the security forces on the village was apparently in retaliation for an incident a week earlier when the local deputy superintendent of police (DSP) was beaten up and severely injured. The DSP and his escort had entered a mosque when clashes broke out among the worshippers gathered for Friday prayers. According to a resident of the village, “The DSP barged into the mosque with his shoes on, which infuriated the worshippers and triggered their reaction. However, even while some people beat him, others tried to save him.”Like those of his fellow villagers, local BJP leader G.M. Dar’s house and property were also vandalised in the alleged attack by security forces. His terrified children, he said, burst into tears when the police smashed his car. Dar is now trying to sort out the issue between the police and the residents of the village. The police have demanded the surrender of those who harmed the DSP and threatened the village with consequences if that does not happen.“We held a meeting today in which I made people understands that those who are responsible for injuring the DSP should surrender and they will be treated as per the law,” said Dar.   “There was no harassment of women,” he said. “Our DSP was grievously injured by miscreants who tried to lynch him and snatch away his rifle. The police party only raided the houses of the people who were involved.” Nagpuri said a few people had been arrested for the attack on the DSP and four FIRs had been registered in the case. “They are being summoned under section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and some of them are still evading the law,” he added. Nagpuri also said that those who spread rumors against the police will be dealt with according to the law. https://thewire.in/rights/kashmir-budgam-police-attack
4.   Property Destruction; May, 20, 2020: .People across Kashmir say government forces are destroying civilian property with increasing frequency. In recent years, almost every gunfight has led to homes being turned to rubble. According to official data accessed by IndiaSpend, in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district alone, at least 105 homes were destroyed during gunfights between 2015 and March 2018. Eyewitness accounts and videos shared on social media show the Indian Army setting houses on fire shortly after tracking down militants. Security officials, however, claim an announcement is always made after a house where militants are hiding is besieged, giving them a chance to surrender.The Army has also ransacked entire neighbourhoods across South Kashmir, where support for militancy runs high.  Wani Mohalla is one such neighbourhood. “No militant was killed, but our houses were burnt to the ground,” the shopkeeper said. “The head of the search party said the building was clear of militants. They still burnt it down. All our cash, gold and documents are gone with the house.” Residents of Khudwani say the Army prevented fire tenders from dousing the flames. Another shopkeeper in his 30s whose home was also burnt down said the local Army unit’s then commanding officer as well as a senior district police official watched the buildings burn. “No one heeded our pleas,” he rued.  The police eventually allowed firemen access to the buildings, but the Army was stern. “They warned against dousing fires in the houses,” the younger shopkeeper said. “They said they would shoot us if we tried. They allowed the firemen to control fires in our shops, though.” Only a few rooms were left of his house, where he lived with his parents and a younger brother. The family is now staying in the house of a neighbour, who was gracious enough to offer them a floor and without taking rent.The Army, the younger shopkeeper said, does not distinguish between civilians and rebels. “Now, all of us are terrorists to them,” he said. “This should not happen. They should fight with militants. Why do they fight with unarmed civilians like us? For one militant, they trouble 50 civilian families, damage our property.” As he rushed to tend customers at his shop, he added, “We are fed up with both sides.”Three months after his home was destroyed, the older shopkeeper started rebuilding, only for his plans to be stalled. In July, another gunfight broke out in Wani Mohalla. This time, the Army did not relent: they immediately set on fire the house in which the militants were hiding. “It is now better to shift out of this area,” the shopkeeper said. In Pulwama, the Army used flamethrowers to burn down a house where the Hizbul Mujahideen militant Sameer Bhat, alias Sameer Tiger, was hiding. A video seemingly shot from inside an Army vehicle near the site of the gunfight, which took place in April, shows Bhat emerging on the roof soon after the fire is lit. He is gunned down within seconds. An undated video that first started circulating on social media in June shows soldiers surrounding a two-storeyed Kashmiri house. Soon, there are explosions in the ground floor and the house collapses in just five seconds. Panning away from the wreckage, the camera turns to the smiling face of a soldier. Why are security forces destroying homes in Kashmir? The answer depends on whom you ask. For villagers, it is a form of punishment. “I feel they did it so we would not shelter militants again,” the old shopkeeper from Khudwani said. “But what can we do? We are helpless. We are forced to give them shelter. Both sides have guns.” All over the Valley, one question repeatedly crops up regarding gunfights: given that militants lack enough “samaan”, the colloquial term for arms and ammunition, why can security forces not wait for their supplies to run out and apprehend them, instead of killing them or burning down houses? In response, security forces point to a recent change in the dynamic of gunfights. In the past, a senior police official said, they preferred room to room searches. Today, security forces cannot prolong gunfights as protesting crowds around sites of operations swell the longer they last. Trying to avoid killing militants in such situations would result in civilian killings. Then, there is the matter of media attention. The security establishment does not want “spectacles for the press”, the official said, so they prefer to finish operations swiftly.Another police official who has supervised several counterinsurgency operations in recent years, largely agreed. “Material damage is acceptable to all rather than loss of lives on any side,” he said.He added that the methods used to expedite operations involve tossing improvised explosive devices inside houses or planting them close to a wall to “stun or kill” the holed up militants. Since 2017, after protestors started disrupting operations with increasing frequency, the Army has been using flamethrowers as well. The official, however, claimed using explosives and flamethrowers “is not meant to blow up the house entirely. The damage is collateral.” Such destruction of homes is not new to the Valley. A retired lieutenant general of the Indian Army who has served as a commander in Kashmir said destroying houses has always been part of the counterinsurgency methods “in vogue”. “It is the easiest way to do it,” he said.The Army, he said, generally avoids confrontations that threaten the lives of its men. Protocol is not followed each time militants are tracked down as there usually is not enough time. “In battle you use firepower to avoid casualties,” he added. “Minimum force for [maximum] effect. And the effect you want to see produced is one that kills terrorists. It is better to fire a thousand rounds than let them [militants] kill two of our men, it is better to bring the house down than lose two men.”Houses are destroyed, he said, because militants usually do not heed announcements offering them safe passage and an option to surrender. Has the Army ever considered how such a policy would affect the civilian population and shape its perception of the Indian state?“No,” the general replied, and accused the affected homeowners of being “complicit” for giving shelter to militants. “Where is the question of outrage?” he asked. “You are complicit.” He said there are “no idealistic rules” in wars, pointing to a war strategy that has been around “since times immemorial”. “Why do you bomb cities?” he asked. “To break the will of the people”.The police official who has supervised counterinsurgency operations in recent years claimed the Army destroys homes to prevent deaths of security personnel. “Conflicts within the country are difficult for the Army,” he said. “They are trained to kill in wars, to eliminate all that moves on the opposite side.” A raft of international statutes prohibits the “unnecessary destruction” of property. These include the Geneva Conventions. While India is a signatory to the four main conventions, which primarily deal with international armed conflicts, it is yet to sign the additional protocols. Among other things, these protocols codify violations in the case of non-international armed conflicts.  In Kashmir, as militancy raged in the 1990s, residential areas came under fire. The northern town of Sopore, for example, witnessed repeated burnings. In September 1990, the Border Security Force set 83 houses and 50 shops on fire in the town’s Arampora locality, in retaliation for an attack on their convoy. On January 6, 1993, they set fire to the town’s main market, this time to “avenge” the killing of one of their men, killing at least 53 civilians and burning down 300 shops and over 100 houses. In April 1993, The New York Times reported that Indian security forces had been blamed for arson and killings across Srinagar.  Bhat alleges his house was set ablaze well after the gunfight had ended. The fire also consumed his sister’s home next door. It is not the destruction of his home that Bhat regrets so much as the loss of his work. “I know the value of a mujahid,” he said, using the popular term for militant. “If their sacrifice is accepted, then all my property isn’t worth even a shoe. The injustice they died fighting, I think God will accept them.” The destruction of his work has broken his resolve to write. “I only regret this,” he said, laying on a sheet on the bare cemented floor of his new home that is still under construction. “Today, I write a line and then think of all that was lost. It stops me right there.” Save for a separatist leader who “put a band aid on my deep wounds” by offering a paltry sum of money, Bhat said, no one has came forward to help him. “One made a speech here,” he recounted. “Telling people not to worry because he would rebuild this house. He said he considered it his own house. Seeing that, the local people did not come to my help. Neither did [that separatist leader].” Today, Bhat, his wife, two adult sons and a daughter live in a single-room outhouse that survived the gunfight. His sister’s family has erected a tin shelter. Bhat and his wife spend most of their days in the house he is now rebuilding. The outhouse is too hot during the day. “It is making a lesson out of us,” Bhat said of the destruction of his home. “So that the next time militants seek shelter anywhere, people would rather be killed by them than face this.”  For ordinary Kashmiris, to have their homes destroyed is to feel “doomed”, the poet said. “But for those who know how movements are run, it doesn’t matter,” he added. “When so many people have died, what is a house worth?”The responsibility for supporting such families, Bhat argued, should lie with the Hurriyat leaders, “who claim to run the tehreek”, or the Azadi movement. People whose homes are destroyed during gunfights are eligible for compensation. After a claim is made, the district administrations seeks a police report on whether the owner harboured militants willingly or under duress. Bhat said he has applied for compensation but there has been no progress on his claim. He suspects his vocal support for the separatist movement has led to an unfavourable report from the police. But the counterinsurgency official claimed the police give favourable reports in most cases. This is done on “humanitarian basis” so that the homeowners do not suffer any further, he added. But the process is long and the money given, often years later, is generally a fraction of the losses suffered. Moreover, the process can only start if a homeowner files a claim. Not all do. Waheed Khan’s home in Anantnag town was damaged during a gunfight in July, but he did not even consider seeking compensation. “We know they will not compensate us, so why should I humiliate myself?” Khan said, sitting in his shop in the ground floor of his home. The windows in the upper floors are still broken, the walls riddled with bullet marks. “They will call us anti-national, so why should we approach them? What can we tell them?”Khan’s brother, Tariq Khan, ran away to join the militancy soon after the gunfight.  Gunfights across Kashmir follow the same routine: homes reduced to rubble, vast funerals for militants, people thronging the sites of the gunfights. People regularly travel to such places from distant villages. In local folklore, the wrecked buildings mark the sites where militants achieved “martyrdom”.A young villager from Pulwama said going to such sites was like “visiting a shrine”. “There are stories and anecdotes, and martyrs linked to an encounter site,” he said. The visitors trace bullet holes in the rooms and follow the slain militants’ footsteps, trying to imagine the scene of their death. The day after Sameer Tiger was killed in Drubgam village, the visitors struggled to climb a narrow staircase to the spot on the roof where his blood was still visible. Unsurprisingly, the destruction of homes and the displacement of families invariably fuels anger. “There is a feeling of deliberate victimisation,” said the young man from Pulwama. “We see what the hundreds of soldiers do to kill two people holed up in a house, the hatred for Army only increases.” https://scroll.in/bulletins/272/the-best-of-eco-india-and-a-brand-new-season
5.   Youth killed: May, 21, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, a 12-year-old boy, who was injured yesterday at the site of an encounter that took place between the mujahedeen and Indian troops in Srinagar, succumbed to his injuries, today.
The boy identified as Basim Aijaz son of Aijaz Ahmad of Chota Bazar Karan Nagar was injured yesterday along with three other persons at Nawakadal encounter site in Srinagar on late Tuesday when a house which was earlier blasted by the Indian troops got collapsed. Basim Aijaz died today at Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital where he was undergoing treatment. As the news of boy’s death spread, people took to the streets at Karan Nagar and Eidgah areas of Srinagar and started protesting against the killing. Clashes also erupted between the protesting youth and Indian troops in these areas. Protests and clashes were going on when this report was being filed. Pertinently, two mujahideen including top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, Junaid Sehrai, were martyred by the troops at the site. The troops also destroyed over a dozen houses in the area. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/20/srinagar-boy-injured-at-encounter-site-succumbs/

6.   Indian troops killed: May, 21, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, two Indian paramilitary troops were killed in an audacious attack in Ganderbal district, today.The attackers fired indiscriminately at a party of 37 battalion of Border Security Force near Pandach area in the district this evening, resulting in injuries to two troops.The injured troops were rushed to Soura Institute of Medical Sciences where the both were declared as brought dead on arrival by the doctors who attended them. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/20/two-indian-troops-killed-in-iok-attack/
7.   OIC: May, 21, 2020: The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has denounced India’s new domicile law for occupied Kashmir, calling it a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.The OIC in a statement said, “The General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has been following with deep concern the unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 and subsequent measures to alter the demographics of and undermine the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir”. Reaffirming the importance of complying with international law and UNSC resolutions, the OIC termed the Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules 2020’ as baseless, running counter to international laws.The Islamic organization also urged the international community to gear up its efforts to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and as per the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/20/oic-condemns-new-domicile-law-in-iok/
8.   Demographic changes: May, 22. 2020: The Settler project starts more preferably in weaker or easily controllable regions and then the change in the statistics in terms of administrative divisions follows. This goes with their new administrative reorganisation where they’ve already initiated the process of putting three districts of the Valley — Islamabad, Kulgam and Shopian — with three districts of Chenab Valley. Many colonising powers have used and continue to use this policy with Israel being the obvious example. And a lot has been written about the Zionism-Hindutva nexus in the past few years. The obnoxiousness of the policy is widely accepted and all that.   The policy is heinous and that’s it. how do we counter the policy.1. We’re all for hosting guests — mehmaan-nawazi, but anyone who is a settler under any category is not a guest! This distinction is to be made and we’ve to disperse the thinking in our society to the point that our 5-years-old kids, as well as the 90-years-olds, should be able to make the distinction in a jiffy. 2. We’re all for loving people but we’re unable to shower this love on settlers. We’re not living in an ideal world and we can’t risk our existence. Though no Indian per se is our enemy, but when you’re a settler we’ve no option but to treat you as such.3. The combination of the previous two points leads to the situation where we’ve to avowedly say that we’ll make the life of a settler a living hell. There is no exception here. This may sound fantastical but it’s possible and is a very important role we all Kashmiris have to play. Settlers won’t have the laps of Modi-Shah to snore in. They’re living among us and we sure can bring hell on to them.4. We should stop compartmentalising the occupier, as soft and hard governments. It gives a sense that our case is not one of occupation but of misgovernance. The occupational state, grabs this opportunity — a situation of diverging opinions amongst the subjects on the nature of Occupation — in implanting its agents, civil servants or social workers and human rights activists. These henchmen and stooges working for the state, pretend to share the pain and grief of the people, doing whatever they can, in order to win over peoples’ hearts. The Case of Collaborators in Kashmir: Integral to Occupation & Colonization Since 1947, India’s occupation of Kashmir has relied on local Kashmiris to sustain their hold over Kashmir. As with…medium.com, Basant Rath and the ilk are an archetypal example of state, through its henchmen, using its subjects’ psyche and sentimentality towards either maintaining status quo &/or strengthening the occupation. There’s a power difference between doing social work, while your feet are still on the Occupational State’s side and doing work while being grounded on the side of powerless people occupied & oppressed. The public support that these pretentious sympathisers are actually after, will go a long way in legitimising the occupation they are a part of.5. People in the other regions of the erstwhile state, where the resistance’s weaker (because of geographic & demographic reasons) need to be alert and communicate with each other better, as the settlement is most probably going to start in these areas.6. And keep making the distinction between terrorism and insurgency. A central goal of terrorism is to attack civilians to scare the whole communities and therefore the name, terrorism. ‘Ism’ is very important here because it is the philosophy of terror that is important not the number of people killed in terror attacks. If a terror attack by the Indian army in Islamabad kills 4 persons belonging to Islamabad. It is of less significance than the terror attack by the Indian army in Srinagar killing only 3 persons belonging to Islamabad, Srinagar and Baramulla because the latter brings terror to more homes and regions than the former.The insurgency in Kashmir, fortunately, hasn’t gone that path but it is the occupation army which has been reigning terror in Kashmir by killing civilians at regular intervals with a conscious geographic purpose to scare the whole population.India is a terror state and Kashmiri insurgency is a fight against occupation and fight for freedom. Now with settler colonialism being put to operation, the settler population may lose the privilege of being classified as civilians which used to be the case with the Indian tourists. The common distinction between armed forces and a civilian would lose the relevance, with the civilian — now a settler — becoming a part of the colonial project of the Colonial State. A settler, as experienced in the Palestinian cause, becomes more dangerous and symbolically more reflective of the Occupation.Israeli Settlers Are Illegal Occupiers, Not Civilians - Here's Why It is time to pose a question: Are Israeli settlers civilians? Or are they illegal occupiers? A group of Israeli… www.mintpressnews.com 7. Don’t wait for leaders to come up with mechanisms to deal with this policy. Put up your ideas and see what works. And on a personal level keep scaring the Indians about living in Kashmir; they’re scared already, and rightly so, but keep up the ante. https://medium.com/@media_41618/realpolitik-countering-indian-settler-colonialism-in-kashmir-dcde97f52a16
9.   Schools: May23, 2020: Ulfa Rafiq’s school is walking distance from her home in the Hawal area of Srinagar’s old city. But since August 5 last year, she has only attended classes for 11 days.As the Centre stripped Jammu and Kashmir of special status and divided it into two Union Territories on August 5, a complete lockdown and communications blockade was imposed on the Valley. Schools would remain shut for months, despite the government announcing that they had reopened. The schools that opened saw scant attendance, as parents were afraid to send their children out amid the communications blackout and the constant arrests. Within months of the August 5 lockdown, the government announced a two-and-a-half-month long winter vacation, from December 10 to February 22. On February 25, Rafiq went to her school for the first time since August 5. But on March 11, the administration ordered the closure of all educational institutions. The Valley was entering a second lockdown, this time to contain the coronavirus.
10.          “We were yet to settle down and go back to normal school life when another shutdown was announced,” said Rafiq, a Class 10 student. “But we thought it’ll be over soon.”
11.          Like more than a million other students in the Valley, Rafiq has known little formal schooling since August 5 last year. She breaks into a smile when she recalls last year’s final exams. “In November, we went to school where we were given study material, question papers and answer sheets,” she said. “We were asked to write exams at home and submit the answer sheets after a week. You can only imagine how easy it would have been. We just consulted our study material on our own and then wrote answers. Was it really an exam?”Across the country, schools have taken classes online for those students who have access to the internet. In Kashmir, this is complicated by the ban on 4G internet imposed on August 5 and defended by the government as being necessary for security purposes. After a complete ban on mobile internet for close to six months, the administration restored 2G mobile internet and fixed line internet services in the Valley. But few internet users have fixed line services and 2G mobile internet is inadequate to the demands of online learning. “Our school announced online classes several weeks ago but the lack of high-speed internet makes it hectic,” said Rafiq, who relies on 2G mobile internet to attend online classes through the Zoom video-conferencing app and receive lectures through WhatsApp voice notes. “Most of the time, the connection gets lost and we have to reenter the session. The video quality is very poor.”   The private schools’ association, along with a group of media professionals and doctors, filed a plea in the Supreme Court challenging the internet curbs. “Our contention was to allow us to have online schooling so that we can close schools,” said Var. “Who knows how long this pandemic will continue? But they are making a mockery of things.” The Supreme Court, which heard the petition on May 11, refused to pass an order to restore 4G internet, leaving the decision to a special committee, led by the Union home secretary. Schools in the Valley are making the best of limited resources. In North Kashmir’s Kupwara district, Sajad Ahmad painstakingly records and sends video lectures on WhatsApp. It takes him at least an hour and a half to record a 15 minute lecture. On average, he teaches three to four classes a day.“All of our online schooling relies on WhatsApp,” he explained. “I have to first shoot the lectures myself and then upload them on WhatsApp. Every day, I send two to three videos to the different classes I teach. After the classes, I send and receive assignments from the students from WhatsApp only.” Sending a video lecture on 2G internet means having to monitor it constantly to ensure it gets uploaded. “Once it’s sent, it takes my students the same amount of time to download the video lecture,” said 33-year-old Ahmad.There is an added anxiety – Ahmad has not been paid his monthly salary of Rs 5,000 since the lockdown began in March, he says. “I have to feed my family and parents and I am expecting a baby soon,” he said. “All these months, we have been buying essentials from a village grocery shop on credit. Recently, I borrowed Rs 1000 from my friend to purchase a gas cylinder,” said Ahmad. Schools in Srinagar have fared a little better, with teachers holding online classes on Zoom. But even this process is hobbled by the fact that most students have only 2G internet. “Our teachers are giving online classes to kids and the classes are monitored online by supervisors to ensure quality and understanding,” said Mohammad Yousuf Wani, chairman of the Green Valley Educational Institute, an English-medium school in Srinagar. With online classes set up, they might be able to cover the syllabus, Wani believes. “We will be in the process of holding online examinations soon,” he added. The only time she has been to school since August 5 last year was in November, when she collected study material and question papers to be answered at home. Now with 2G internet, she has entered a new routine during the Covid-19 lockdown.  At 11.15 am, she logs in to Zoom for three half-an-hour long classes. She is joined by 90 other students. “After attending classes, I finish my assignments,” she said. “These days, I am preparing for online examinations scheduled from next week  In Kashmir, however, the strain of the Covid-19 lockdown comes on top of decades of mental health problems caused by the armed conflict. According to a Doctors Without Borders study in 2016, 45% of the population in Kashmir wee experiencing “mental distress.” “If half of the population has such a condition, how will they cope with the mental health care of their kids?” asked Khan. “Parenting will also be affected by the loss of livelihoods and jobs due to the shutdown.” https://scroll.in/article/962295/in-kashmir-school-children-have-barely-gone-to-classes-for-nine-months  

Kashmir Update 75: Week May,11, 2020 to May, 17, 2020  

           
1.   UNSC: May, 11. 2020: Voicing deep concern over rising anti-Muslim attacks in parts of the world, Pakistan has called on the UN Security Council to act and prevent impending atrocities, including against the Muslims in India and in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. “Sadly,” he added,” State-sponsored Islamophobia has found a fertile home in Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ruled India. “The founding fathers of the RSS were avowedly inspired by Hitler and endorsed the aim to cleanse Germany of the Jews. The ‘sevaks’ of the RSS, modeled on the Nazi ‘brown shirts’, are launched on a programme to eliminate India’s Islamic heritage - as evident in the 1992 destruction of the historic Babri Mosque and anti-Muslims pogroms in Mumbai in 1992, Gujarat in 2002 and New Delhi in 2020, a few months ago. India’s Muslims are also being vilified as the source of the Covid virus in India.”  https://nation.com.pk/10-May-2020/pakistan-asks-unsc-to-act-stop-indian-atrocities-against-muslims
2.   HR crimes: May, 11,2020: Kashmiris under Indian occupation should prepare video logs, witness statements, photos, diaries and record the all the war crimes, crimes against humanity and atrocities committed by the Indian army and security officers. This will be used in the future ICC war crimes trials, and they will be brought to justice even after their retirement with international arrest warrants. They will be arrested at international airports while travelling abroad. They should send all the evidence to the UN and ICC’s official email addresses, social media platforms and other apps. It is time that all the occupied, oppressed and abused groups in India join hands and start a joint struggle against Nazi-fascist BJP and RSS terrorism. India has over 900,000 military force deployed in occupied Kashmir and become the highest militarised zone in the world. Any brave commander should be thinking where the hell, I am going to find space to bury them all? For Prime Minister Imran Khan it is time to stand up for action with all the ‘humanly possible resources’ to support the occupied Kashmiris facing genocide. It is time to call the United Nations and International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Indian Armed Forces on the orders of BJP leadership and Prime Minister Modi. Covid19 Pandemic has exposed many things like that: ‘US cannot save the world as they show in Hollywood movies and Indians cannot achieve in occupied Kashmir what they show in the Bollywood movies. As Pakistan Air Force can go inside their camps at 9 am broad day light and hit all the targets as they did successfully on 27 February 2019 in held Kashmir. At the same time Pakistani media should declare ‘unilateral declaration of independence’ from their foreign paymasters and others should be shut down as no one can tolerate this treachery. Indian Prime Minister Modi’s love for guns, madness and criminal behavior has led both countries India and Pakistan at the verge of war between two nuclear states. The so called 350 KG Pulwama terrorist attack was very indigenous or seemingly self-inflicted which lead to the damaging the moral as soldiers refused to go by road and now, they are being airlifted. 11/05/2020 Indian Army Committing Genocide in Occupied Kashmir – UN & International Criminal Court (ICC) must Investigate War Crimes | The L… thelondonpost.net/indian-army-committing-genocide-in-occupied-kashmir-un-international-criminal-court-icc-must-investigate-war-crimes/?fbclid=IwAR… 3/7 There are 64 terrorist organizations listed on Indian Government list among them only 4 are linked with Muslims and Kashmir rest are indigenous separatist movements with manpower, explosives and ideology to support their cause. All it requires is a fully functioning ATM machines and long arms of support. Modi worshipping guns cannot be a man of peace? The madness of Modi has already damaged India and its reputation as a secular state. It is now a state run by the Hindu racist Brahmins where they have no space for Sikhs, Christians and Muslims as all the minorities are a victim and target. 11/05/2020 Indian Army Committing Genocide in Occupied Kashmir – UN & International Criminal Court (ICC) must Investigate War Crimes | The L… thelondonpost.net/indian-army-committing-genocide-in-occupied-kashmir-un-international-criminal-court-icc-must-investigate-war-crimes/?fbclid=IwAR… 4/7 “The Indian High Commissioner to London, H.E Renandra Sen got upset with my question at London School of Economics in a seminar about ‘India emerging power’. “I merely asked him how you can play a role at international stage when you (India) had three wars with Pakistan, one with China, border dispute with Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. The only country you have good relations is Mauritius.” His reply was, ‘this is not a fair question’. Professor Gautam Sen was hosting the program in the packed auditorium of LSE. India is dying and drowning in occupied Kashmir and now after months curfew it will have a trickle-down effect all over. This might lead to break up of India into small states as long before the arrival of Muslim Mughals who consolidated and united whole of India into one rich super state. Non-racist Muslims rulers made India rich, prosperous and powerful. India has no history of Hindu – Muslim riots. The first riot happened during the British occupation of India wrote former police chief of Mahrahrata (Mumbai), S M Mushrif, in his bestseller book – ‘Who Killed Karkare? – The Real Face of Terrorism in India’. The Indian media has become a mouthpiece of this racist rule of the BJP-RSS racist government. 11/05/2020 Indian Army Committing Genocide in Occupied Kashmir – UN & International Criminal Court (ICC) must Investigate War Crimes | The L… thelondonpost.net/indian-army-committing-genocide-in-occupied-kashmir-un-international-criminal-court-icc-must-investigate-war-crimes/?fbclid=IwAR… 5/7 If Indians were wise, they would have let Kashmiris have their ‘UN recognised right of selfdetermination’ and have excellent relations with Pakistan, China and Bangladesh. But Indian Brahmins ‘white supremacist’, ‘Arian mentality’ lead them to in the lap of European arms dealers who obviously don’t want this matter to be resolved? They would like more states in India. All the arms contracts in India are full of corruption from Bofors Guns by Rajiv Gandhi to French Rafael fighter Jets by Prime Minister Modi. The India Today reported, “Bofors: Perhaps the scam most widely remembered in popular memory. Thanks to it Rajiv Gandhi lost the 1989 general elections. The scam was to do with a $1.4-billion howitzer deal between Swedish arms manufacturer Bofors and the Indian government signed in 1986. It was alleged that the Swedish company paid nearly $9 million to politicians, Congress leaders and bureaucrats. The case is still alive in the Supreme Court.” https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/from-rafale-to-bofors-dubious-defence-deals-thatrocked-india-1451287-2019-02-08 The occupying Indian Army is officially assessed by the US as 68% obsolete and unable to fight. The New York Times wrote: “And 68 percent of the (Indian) army’s equipment is so old, it is officially considered “vintage.” The Indian army with its Israeli – Nazi mindset advisors using same tactics what they are doing in Palestine, but it will fail eventually as Kashmir is not Palestine. The only way forward for the Kashmiris would be to follow the Afghan model of resistance against invasion and occupation. As Kashmiris have every legal right to resist by using all available means including armed resistance under the UN Charter. Afghans never protested outside the US or NATO embassies after 2001 US invasion and Soviet invasion of 1979? I sincerely believe that: ‘some sane people in India have this view that current escalations have everything to sell the arms to poverty stricken, naked and hungry Indians whose BMI (Body Measure Index) is close to a poverty stricken African due to lack of toilet facilities and water born diseases’. Every morning over 350 million sit on both sides of railways tracks to defecate themselves due to lack of toilet facilities. However, Prime Ministers Modi sent space craft to the moon or shooting a satellite in the space to further make mess in the sky. 11/05/2020 Indian Army Committing Genocide in Occupied Kashmir – UN & International Criminal Court (ICC) must Investigate War Crimes | The L… thelondonpost.net/indian-army-committing-genocide-in-occupied-kashmir-un-international-criminal-court-icc-must-investigate-war-crimes/?fbclid=IwAR… 6/7 Since February 2019, after the failed Indian air attacks on Pakistani territory, US and Israeli press was too quick to publish assessments about the lack of professionalism and use of obsolete arms by the Indian forces. The New York Times reported on 5 March 2019, “After India Loses Dogfight to Pakistan, Questions Arise About Its ‘Vintage’ Military”, which seems to be absolutely true after the recent display modern Chinese weaponry with hyper-sonic technology at China National Day military parade in October 2019. The New York Times wrote: “It was an inauspicious moment for a military the United States is banking on to help keep an expanding China in check. An Indian Air Force pilot found himself in a dogfight last week with a warplane from the Pakistani Air Force, and ended up a prisoner behind enemy lines for a brief time. The pilot (wing commander Abhinandan) made it home in one piece, however bruised and shaken, but the plane, an aging Soviet-era MiG-21, was less lucky. The aerial clash, the first by the South Asian rivals in nearly five decades, was a rare test for the Indian military — and it left observers a bit dumbfounded. While the challenges faced by the India’s armed forces are no secret, its loss of a plane last week to a country whose military is about half the size and receives a quarter of the funding was still telling. The New York Times further wrote, “India’s armed forces are in alarming shape. If intense warfare broke out tomorrow, India could supply its troops with only 10 days of ammunition, according to government estimates. And 68 percent of the army’s equipment is so old, it is officially considered “vintage.” “Our troops lack modern equipment, but they have to conduct 21st-century military operations,” said Gaurav Gogoi, a lawmaker and member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defense. American officials tasked with strengthening the alliance talk about their mission with frustration: a swollen bureaucracy makes arms sales and joint training exercises cumbersome; th 11/05/2020 Indian Army Committing Genocide in Occupied Kashmir – UN & International Criminal Court (ICC) must Investigate War Crimes | The L… thelondonpost.net/indian-army-committing-genocide-in-occupied-kashmir-un-international-criminal-court-icc-must-investigate-war-crimes/?fbclid=IwAR… 7/7 WP Facebook Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com Indian forces are vastly underfunded; and the country’s navy, army and air force tend to compete rather than work together. Whatever the problems, the United States is determined to make the country a key ally in the coming years to hedge against China’s growing regional ambition.” While keeping in view the Chinese troops deployment and preparation in Ladakh and rest of the Indian-China border ‘it will be impossible for the Indian army to resist and fight with its 68% vintage army and obsolete weapons’. As for occupied Kashmir the Indian army have no choice but to leave. Kashmiris have already sacrificed over 100,000 people but now they to have decide either to give their lives for freedom or take the Indians with them? (Dr Shahid Qureshi is senior analyst with BBC and chief editor of The London Post. He writes on security, terrorism and foreign policy. He also appears as analyst on AlJazeera, Press TV, MBC, Kazak TV (Kazakhstan), LBC Radio London. He was also international election observer for Azerbaijan 2020, April 2018, Kazakhstan 2015, 2016, 2019 and Pakistan 2002. He has written a famous book “War on Terror and Siege of Pakistan” published in 2009. At Government College Lahore he wrote his MA thesis on ‘Political Thought of Imam Khomeini’ and visited Tehran University. He is PhD in ‘Political Psychology’ and studied Law at a British University. He also speaks at Cambridge University. He is a visiting Professor at Hebe University in China http://thelondonpost.net/indian-army-committing-genocide-in-occupied-kashmir-un-international-criminal-court-icc-must-investigate-war-crimes/?fbclid=IwAR1ZWGDDGqZ27ojm5_8T96jUh1KMaZBBaoViFpp4_2AHJFNbSe0rlzcSiCk
3.   LoC: May, 11, 2020; A private schoolteacher was killed in Poonch district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) during heavy Indian shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday evening, raising the number of such deaths in the ongoing year to seven, ofhcials said on Sunday. Rashid Naeem Khan, deputy inspector generalof (DIG) police in Poonch, told Dawn by telephone that Indian troops shelled Abbaspur sector, using light and heavy arms and targeting civilian population.One of the shells landed in the kitchen of a house in Polas Kakota village at about 6.45pm where Shazia Bibi, 22, wife of Usman Hafeez, was preparing meals for Iftar, he said.`Splinters from the shell pierced through her body, leaving her dead on the spot,` he added. https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php?StoryImage=11_05_2020_001_002
4.   Troops vandalize property : May, 13, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops and police went berserk, vandalized public property and arrested people randomly in a village in Budgam district. For the last three days the occupational troops and police personnel have been appearing in Nasrullah Pora village of the district and running amok damaging public property, beating locals and arresting people before leaving the village. Some reports say that the troops and police personnel have looted 27 shops including hardware stores and gas cylinders, damaged 162 vehicles and 42 houses as well as breaking window panes of nearly 800 homes in the village in last three days. The villagers said that the forces either looted or destroyed their valuable possessions including cash, electronic appliances, furniture, cooking gas cylinders, and jewellery during the raids. Indian forces’ vandalism have forced people to migrate to other villages. A villager said that forces personnel arrested people randomly during night, adding even elderly people were not spared and arrested.“The forces damaged parked vehicles, shops and gates of the house. They barged into the houses and damaged my JCB, LeD TV, washing machine, refrigerator, Maruti Alto and other things. They spared only a few households and created havoc in almost every home,” another resident of the village said. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/12/indian-troops-resort-to-vandalism-in-iok-village/
5.   Youth arrested: May, 13, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian police arrested four Kashmiri youth in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, today.The police arrested the youth identified as Shabbir Ahmed Parray, Sheeraz Ahmed Dar, Shafat Ahmed Mir and Ishfaq Ahmed Shah from Awantipora area of the district.All the youth are residents of Bathen area of Khrew. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/12/indian-police-arrest-four-youth-in-pulwama-2/
6.   Youth mattered: May, 13, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops shot at and martyred a civilian in Budgam district, today. The civilian was killed after Indian paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) fired on his vehicle near Kawoosa Khalisa in Narbal area of the district.The bullets hit him in chest and he was shifted to SHMS hospital, Srinagar, where doctors declared him as brought dead https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/13/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-budgam/
7.   Indian Supreme Court: May, 14, 2020: On May 11, the Supreme Court rejected a petition seeking the restoration of 4G internet services in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The plea was premised on the rights violations caused by suspending the internet during a pandemic and national lockdown, including the rights to health, education, freedom of speech, freedom of trade and access to justice. The 4G judgment undermines the rule of law. In the judgment, the court accepts that the government has violated Bhasin, but itself fails to apply the relevant principles laid down in Bhasin. In addition, the court finally abdicates the judicial task of deciding upon the constitutional validity of the internet suspension to a “Special Committee” – composed of members of the executive. The most striking feature of the 4G judgment is the somewhat clear, somewhat cryptic acknowledgement that the government has violated the law laid down in Bhasin on two counts. First, in Bhasin, the court had held that the minimal requirement for any suspension order to be lawful is that it must list the reasons for imposing restrictions: “[O]rders passed mechanically or in a cryptic manner cannot be said to be orders passed in accordance with law.” Relying on this holding, the petitioners argued that since the repeated suspension orders pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir did not disclose any reasons, they contravened Bhasin. The court agreed. Second, in Bhasin the court was clear that any restrictions on the freedom of speech must satisfy the “proportionality” test – which means the restrictions must be a proportionate response to the aim sought to be achieved through the restrictions. Proportionality is judged by looking, among other things, at the “territorial extent” of the restriction. This means the internet must only be suspended in regions where an imminent threat to public order exists. The petitioners relied on this holding and challenged the suspension orders on the ground that they apply to the entire union territory, without explaining why such a need exists. Once again, the court agreed. Surprisingly, however, despite agreeing with the petitioners on both counts, the court refused to invalidate the suspension orders. It held that while the petitioners’ submission would merit consideration in “normal circumstances”, the present situation in Jammu and Kashmir is “compelling” and warrants consideration. . https://thewire.in/law/supreme-court-4g-jammu-and-kashmir
8.   Deliberate killing; May, 14, 2020: The US daily, New York Times, quoting family sources of the youth, Merajuddin, martyred by Indian forces in Badgam district, today, denied the police account saying the victim did not drive through any checkpoints; instead Indian soldiers first stopped him and then shot him dead.The newspaper in its report particularly mentioned the narrative of the youth’s father Ghulam Nabi Shah to counter the police version that he was killed when his car didn’t stop despite warning shots. As the troops moved in to stop the villagers from marching, hundreds threw stones at the troops, who fired shotgun pellets and tear gas to quell the protests, the newspaper added. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/13/anti-india-protests-held-in-badgam/
9.   USCIRF: May, 15, 2020: The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Thursday noted with concern reports that the Indian government is arresting Muslim activists during the Covid-19 crisis who protested against the country's contentious CAA."At this time, India should be releasing prisoners of conscience, not targeting those practising their democratic right to protest," the USCIRF, which is a bipartisan agency of the federal government, said in a tweet. It specifically mentioned the arrest of Safoora Zargar, a pregnant activist who was arrested in connection with the communal violence that flared up in Delhi in February over the CAA. In a second tweet, the USCIRF noted that in its annual report for 2020, the commission had recommended that India be designated a Country of Particular Concern for its "systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom" during 2019."Unfortunately, this negative trend has continued into 2020," the US agency said. https://www.dawn.com/news/1557104/us-commission-expresses-concern-over-indias-arrest-of-muslim-activists-during-covid-19-crisis
10.          EU: May, 16, 2020: The European Parliament in a report has expressed concern over the situation in occupied Kashmir and controversial policies of the Modi government regarding minorities living in India.The report prepared by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) said that after the recommencement of second consecutive tenure of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party after its success in the May 2019 general elections, the situation in India regarding democracy, tolerance, rule of law, and managing patchwork of cultures and religions had been changing in recent months under the impact of an ever-increasing Hindu nationalist grip on society and politics.The report authored by Enrico D’Ambrogio, Members’ Research Service, said that Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2020 report placed India under the spotlight and ranked occupied Kashmir as ‘not free’. “Some warning signs were already present during the first term served by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in charge since the Hindu nationalist BJP won an absolute majority in the lower chamber (Lok Sabha) in 2014. Communal violence has increased, as have violence and discrimination against religious minorities, it said.The report said the 2019 World Press Freedom Index has highlighted violence against journalists as one of the most striking characteristics of the current state of press freedom in the country. The government has banned several thousand non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from receiving foreign funding and has sought to get a firm grip on information technology, however, its proposed changes to the Information Technology Act have raised a number of concerns, it added. Furthermore, the report said, the government members evoked limits on free speech and have equated dissent with a lack of patriotism. It said, India is a world leader in internet shutdowns (there were 106 such suspensions in 2019). In June 2018, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report on Kashmir criticising the excessive use of force by Indian forces in occupied Kashmir, it said, adding the July 2019 version of this report found that India had taken no steps to improve the situation in Kashmir.The EU report said that since the BJP’s May 2019 landslide electoral victory for the Lok Sabha the party had stepped up several initiatives catering to its Hindu nationalist electoral base. The report said a symbolic move was when in early August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir was stripped of its special status through the repeal of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. It said, the move was preceded by a vast deployment of troops to the territory and the detention of thousands of political leaders and activists. It said, telephone and internet services were cut off and after several months of blackout, in January 2020 the Indian Supreme Court ruled that internet services could only be suspended temporarily. It said a further issue prompting reactions all over the country, and concern abroad, has been the Parliament’s adoption of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) in December 2019. It added amending the 1955 Citizenship Act, it enables migrants/foreigners from six religious communities (Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian, but not Muslim) in three neighbouring countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan), who had come to India before 31st December 2014, to apply for Indian citizenship via a fast-track route.It said the adoption of the CAA has prompted spontaneous nationwide protests, some of which have been the focus of violent police crackdowns. It said, in most parts of the country, the narrative against the CAA is based on the government’s decision to grant citizenship along religious lines, which arguably undermines India’s secular tradition enshrined in the Constitution. Outright critics see the legislation as deliberately anti-Muslim, it added.The report said, India’s Muslim majority already felt targeted when in July 2019 the Parliament passed a bill criminalising the Muslim practice of instant divorce (triple talaq). The government, it said, has announced its intention to move towards the launch of the National Register for Citizens. As many Indians lack the documents needed to attest their citizenship, they fear that the NRC in liaison with the CAA could lead to them facing deportation, it added.The report said the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, has echoed these concerns, warning of the risk of statelessness. It said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet Jeria, has filed an Intervention Application on the CAA to the Indian Supreme Court; the latter is due to examine more than 160 CAA-related pleas.The report said, several hate speech incidents occurred during the BJP rallies in the wake of the 8th February 2020 election for the Delhi Legislative Assembly. It said a few BJP leaders and activists raised the slogan goli maro salon ko (‘shoot the traitors of the country’) in response to the protests against the CAA, symbolized in Delhi by a continuous sit-in in the Shaheen Bagh area. It said on 23rd February, just before the US President, Donald Trump’s visit to India – which failed to deliver deals on trade or security – a BJP leader gave a three-day ultimatum to Delhi police to clear a protest against the CAA and the NRC by women at Jaffrabad metro station, threatening to intervene directly if his orders were not obeyed. Hours later, it said, three-day riots, mostly targeting Muslims, began in the north-eastern parts of Delhi; the tally was 53 dead due to physical assault or gunshots and 200 injured. Furthermore, the report said, houses and shops were burnt and mosques were vandalised. It added on 26th February, a Delhi High Court judge who, as part of investigating the riots, had asked the police to register first-information reports against BJP leaders for delivering hate speeches, was transferred to another location with immediate effect, a move causing concern over the independence of the judiciary. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/15/eu-mentions-indian-controversial-policies-in-its-report/
11.          UK Parliamentarian: May, 17, 2020:Judith Cummins, Member of UK Parliament from the Labour Party, has expressed serious concern over the human rights abuses in occupied Kashmir, particularly since August, last year, when India revoked the special status of the territory. Judith Cummins in a statement issued in London said, “I firmly believe that we must redouble our efforts towards securing a safe and peaceful future for Kashmir. The United Kingdom must play its part in achieving this. I have said before that I believe the British Government must play an active role within the international community in securing a peaceful solution through facilitating genuine dialogue between India and Pakistan. In this respect, I do not believe that Kashmir is solely a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan.” The MP said she also fully backs the Kashmiris’ right to self-determination as mandated by the UN Security Council resolutions. I will support all peaceful and diplomatic efforts to facilitate this right to self-determination, she added. Judith Cummins said she wrote to the Foreign Secretary on the 8th August 2019 to raise the Kashmir issue. “I firmly believe that Labour must stand against human rights abuses wherever they occur and in the case of Kashmir we must be vocal in our support for those suffering,” she said.    https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/16/uk-mp-expresses-concern-over-hr-abuses-by-indian-troops-in-iok/
12.           


Kashmir Update 74: Week Mat,4, 2020 to May., 10, 2020  
           
1.   Freedom of Press: May, 4, 2020: India has dropped two places on the World Press Freedom Index, now ranking at 142 out of 180 countries. Reporters Without Borders says a communications blackout in Indian-administered Kashmir, which made it increasingly difficult for journalists to report on what is happening in the region, played a significant role in that shift. Their report calls the area a "vast open prison". . https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/05/india-142-world-press-freedom-index-kashmir-blackout-200503103800529.html
2.   Indian losses and Freedom fighters martyred: May, 4, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, two senior army officers and a Sub-Inspector of police were among five Indian forces’ personnel killed in a gunfight with the mujahideen  in Chanjimulla Handwara, a forest area in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, on Sunday. Two mujahideen were also martyred in the gunfight.   8 Indian Army commandos were killed during an encounter in Zurhama, Keran area of Kupwara district on  April 5-6, while four CRPF personnel were killed and several injured in an ambush at Noorbagh near Ahad Bab’s crossing in Sopore town on April 18.The latest killings brought the total number of Indian forces personnel killed during clashes with the mujahideen to 17 since April 5, this year. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/03/colonel-major-2-soldiers-police-officer-killed-in-iok/
3.   Indian losses: May, 5, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, at least four personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and seven injured after a patrolling party of the paramilitary force was attacked in Wangam Qaziabad area of Handwara today. The incident triggered a fierce gun-battle in the area.  In retaliatory action the Indian troops martyred a 14-year-old boy. As per reports the army personnel have gone berserk beating every passer-by and ransacking the houses. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/04/three-crpf-personnel-killed-seven-injured-in-handwara/
4.   Pulitzer Prize: May, 6, 2020: Photographers Dar Yasin, Mukhtar Khan and Channi Anand, based in Jammu and Kashmir, have been awarded this year’s prestigious Pulitzer Prize for feature photography. The Pulitzer citation said the award was for “striking images of life” by the photographers in what it called “the contested territory of Kashmir” in the aftermath of the August 5, 2019 revocation of its special constitutional status,  “executed through a communications blackout.” Yasin and Khan are based in Srinagar while Anand is based in Jammu. All three work with the Associated Press, a news agency. AP executive editor Sally Buzbee said that the Kashmir prize was “a testament to the skill, bravery, ingenuity and teamwork of Dar, Mukhtar, Channi and their colleagues”.   https://thewire.in/media/dar-yasin-mukhtar-khan-channi-anand-pultizer-prize-2020-kashmir-photography
5.   Grenade attack: May, 6, 2020: n occupied Kashmir, at least six persons including an Indian police officer and Central Reserve Police Force constable were injured in a grenade blast in Badgam district, today. the Assistant Sub-Inspector of Police (ASI) Ghulam Rasool alias Dilawar, CRPF constable Santosh Kumar and four pedestrians were injured in a grenade blast at Pakherpora market of the district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/05/two-kashmiris-injured-in-grenade-blast-in-budgam/
6.   Naseer Ahmed: May, 6, 2020: Nasser Ahmad wani S/o Mohd Hussain wani of Dompora village ,Rajpora Pulwama- Kashmir .The Family alleges that he was picked up by The Army RR on November 29 ,2019 ,That was the last time he was seen by his family ,After his detention his family went to Army camp and police station but the concerned Authority neglected them and told we left him but his family never received his minor son. They Approached to DC Pulwama but there was no response. The Naseer is sole bread earner for the family he has ailling father and 2 sisters .Her mother is suffering from depression and stress ,They are appealing the LG Mr Murmu sir plz show our son once we don't know whether he is dead or alive, plz if he is any jail of Kashmir or India plz show us once ,we will sell all our property to get him back, plz give us our child back he is innocent ! They are requesting to High Court also plz set the enquiry on this matter ,# News.click Mr Kamran yousuf has already covered this story but there was no response
7.   HeM Commander amongst three martyred: May, 7, 2020: Indian troops killed four Kashmiri fighters in gun battles in Indian-occupied Kashmir on Wednesday, including the commander of the biggest separatist group fighting New Delhi in the disputed Himalayan region, a police official said. Hundreds of Indian soldiers launched an operation late on Tuesday after receiving intelligence that Hizbul Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo was hiding in a village in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. Two fighters were killed in another gun battle nearby on Wednesday, Kumar added.  Naikoo, 35, had joined the fighters in 2012, two years after around 100 people were killed by troops during a restive summer marked by protests and violence. A former maths teacher with a bounty of 1.2 million rupees ($15,800) on his head, Naikoo was an aide to Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani who was killed in July 2016, leading to months of unrest. “It is a major success for the troops in Kashmir,” Kumar said. Since late March, Indian forces have killed 36 fighters, losing around 20 soldiers, including a high-ranking army officer, during the same period, according to official data. https://www.dawn.com/news/1555033/maths-teacher-turned-top-kashmiri-fighter-killed-by-indian-troops
8.   Protestors killed: May, 8, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, forceful anti-India demonstrations were held in different places of Pulwama, Srinagar and other districts, today. The demonstrations were held against the killing of the top mujahid commanders, Reyaz Naikoo and Aadil Ahmad. One person was killed when Indian troops fired on him at Beighpora Awantipora in Pulwama district. Clashes between the demonstrators and the troops occurred at many places. The troops used bullets and pellets to disperse the protesters injuring dozens of people. The troops also destroyed the shamyana which was installed by the villagers in the area for the people coming to mourn the killing of Riyaz Naikoo. Fearing large-scale participation of people in the funeral, the occupation authorities did not hand over the bodies of Reyaz Naikoo and other martyrs to their families and secretly buried them in army-run graveyards. The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has said that the anti-India demonstrations will continue in the occupied territory.    https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/07/forceful-anti-india-demos-one-killed/
9.   Award to video: May, 8, 2020: Kashmiri multimedia-journalist Ahmer Khan, and team, has been awarded the prestigious 24th Human Rights Press Awards (2020) in short video category for a short-film shot during post-August 5 lockdown. The short-film titled Defending Kashmir: Anchar’s last stand against India’s control, won under the ‘Short Video’ category, was published by The Guardian. The team that worked on the film included Siddharth Bokolia, Sami Ullah, Rebecca Ratcliffe and Claudine Spera.
10.          Cost of Kashmir struggle   
(From Jan 1989 till Apr 30,2020)
Total Killings *
95,548
Custodial Killings
7,139
Civilian arrested
159,602
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed
109,506
Women Widowed
22,913
Children Orphaned
107,786
Women gang-raped / Molested
11,179

(Apr 2020)
Total Killings *
33
Custodial Killings
0
Tortured/Injured
152
Civilian arrested
845
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed
44
Women Widowed
1
Children Orphaned
2
Women gang-raped / Molested
0
(From July 8, 2016)
Total Killings *
1031
Custodial Killings
68
Tortured/Injured
27739
Arrested
11858
Structures Arsoned/Destroyed
3306
Women Widowed
91
Children Orphaned               
205
Women gang-raped / Molested
933


Inured by pellets
10298
Youth lost total eye-sight
147
Youth lost one eye sight
215
Schools arsoned
56
People detained under PSA
951
Compiled by: Kashmir Media Service
Kashmir Update 73: Week Apr.,27, 2020 to May., 3, 2020  
           
1.   History; Apr., 27, 2020: The abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A marked another chapter of imperialist oppression in the valley of Kashmir. This move was followed by an unequalled shutdown and blockade on communication, blocking movement and putting prominent Kashmiri faces under house arrest. Article 370 ensured the Muslim-majority state its own constitution and autonomy over all matters, except foreign affairs, defence and communications. However, this is nothing new but another direct attempt to silence the cries for independence and total freedom in the valley. Kashmir’s oppression began way before the markings of the border of modern India as we know it. During 1589 A.D., the empire was annexed by the Mughal rulers. Since then, Kashmir has never been ruled by Kashmiris by themselves. First came the Mughals, who turned ‘Kashmir’ into a summer refuge for the leisure of the rich and the elite. Then came the Afghans who treated Kashmiris like slaves—Muslims and Pandits alike. Then came the Sikhs, known for their humanitarian fight, who, in the words of William Moorcroft, treated the Kashmiris “little better than cattle“. The religious bias that Kashmir faces to date came during the Sikh rule. In 1846, the East India Company defeated the Sikh empire in the Anglo-Sikh war, and ‘Kashmir’ was sold to the Dogras for an amount of ₹7.5 million, of which they made sure they got the worth back. The Dogras forever remained loyal to the British and forced Kashmiris to fight in both the world wars. During this time, Kashmiris were also banned from holding any land or property. The Dogra rule also re-introduced bonded labour, under which workers were employed with little or no payment. Apart from taxation on professions, Kashmiri Muslims also had to pay tax to get married. The administrations’ pro-Hindu bias was clear as Kashmiri Pandits were slightly well off compared to their Muslim counterparts. They were allowed to hold more ‘intellectual’ and ‘high-paying’ jobs such as teachers and civil servants. The official language of the State was made Urdu which made it impossible for the ‘Koshur’-speaking Muslim to break free from poverty. The Dogra rule in the valley was as much about class oppression as it was about religion.  In 1930, young intellectual left-wing Muslim men formed a ‘Reading Room Party’ to start a liberation movement of Kashmir from autocracy and oppression. The growing spirit of revolt among the Muslim community also alerted the Dogras, and three more parties namely—the Kashmiri Pandit Conference, the Hindu Sabha in Jammu, and the Sikh Shiromani Khalsa Darbar—were approved as political forces, meaning that only non-Muslims could have political representation in the valley. The history of Kashmir, as we know it, has always been communalized. The struggle of Kashmiris has been boiled down to their religion as if it makes their suffering legitimate. Following Britain’s departure from India, the situation in the valley did not become better. Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy, was given the task of making India anew. The two-nation theory, invented by Savarkar and later brought up by Jinnah, transformed the British colony into two sovereign states—India and Pakistan. Under the Partition plan, Kashmir was given the option to either become independent or accede to India or Pakistan. Faces that decided the fate of Kashmir after independence: (From left) Sheikh Abdullah, Lord Mounbatten, Maharaja Hari Singh and Pandti Jawaharlal Nehru.||Credit: JK Now. The Dogra ruler at the time, Hari Singh, wanted Kashmir to remain independent. However, in October 1947, tribesmen from Pakistan started evading Kashmir. The then-Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru knew that Hari Singh’s forces would not be enough to stop the infiltration without help from India. It was then that Nehru took note of Sheikh Abdullah—a Kashmiri Muslim who started started ‘Quit Kashmir’ to oppose the Dogra rule in the valley during the British time and hence was a prisoner. Nehru knew that Sheikh wasn’t eager to join Pakistan, and if an understanding could be created between Hari Singh and Sheikh, Kashmir’s accession to India would become easier. The Pakistani strategy was easier—create enough pressure on the Maharaja so he has to abdicate, and then claim the region for Pakistan as the majority of the population of Jammu and Kashmir was Muslim. During negotiations with Mountbatten, the Pakistani government rejected plebiscite, later to the advantage of India. Liaquat Ali Khan also questioned the transparency of the plebiscite as it was to be held in a Kashmir that was Indian-administered and that was ‘bound’ to vote for them.  Nehru was not only able to get the Maharaja to his side but also gained the confidence of the National Conference, which allowed for the Maharaja to accede to India on October 26, 1947. Nehru, combined with the strong image of Patel, was able to demonstrate to the rest of the world that India wasn’t a force to be reckoned with. They were also able to portray that Pakistan supported militant activity as an act of belligerence, which allowed India to have a better international standing for years to come. When Mountbatten suggested that “UN should supervise a plebiscite” in the valley, the answer from Nehru was a firm no, as previously India had made a unilateral offer which was rejected by Pakistan. Within its border, Nehru, a Kashmiri himself, often seemed sympathetic to the cause of Kashmiris. He promised a plebiscitebmultiple times, which, however, was never met. Since 1947, India and Pakistan both have fought several wars over Kashmir—claiming to hold the ‘best intentions’. However, they forgot to take into account the voices that matter the most, which have also been oppressed the most. Chauvinistic and jingoistic policies prevail on both sides of the border. India’s grip on Kashmir has never been stronger; with more than a million soldiers stationed in the valley, Kashmir is the most heavily militarized zone in the world.  Cut back to March 2019, India’s Hindu nationalism won again, this time with an even bigger majority. To me, this says, the very idea of India is being shaped and reformed to benefit the majoritarian vote bank. To assert India as a nationalistic state, there’s no better place than Kashmir. To prove this, the government of India headed by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah breachedbthe conditions of Instrument of Accession. Kashmir, as the party claimed, was ‘unfinished’ business of the partition and now India was truly independent. How scary is it that a government of the largest democracy in the world was able to cut off millions from the rest of the world? Since the partition and the signing of the Instrument of Accession, many successive governments have undermined the terms of the ‘contract’ between India and Jammu and Kashmir to the point that all that was left was a hollowbskeleton. What India has done in Kashmir in the course of the last 30 years isbinexcusable. An expected seventy thousand individuals—regular people, activists and security powers—have been murdered; thousands have “vanished”; several thousand have gone through dungeons that dab the valley, like a system of little scope at Abu Ghraib; and hundreds have been blinded by the use of pellet guns. Kashmir continues to suffer, and remains the longest ongoing unresolved conflict with the United Nations. The people of Kashmir are being treated like a commodity, and the violence, rape and disappearances are nothing but mere ‘collateral damage’ which people rejoice in. Despite forces shutting them down, the people of Kashmir have been fighting for self-determination for hundreds of years and will continue to fight on it for a hundred more. With the abrogation of 370, people from all over India are becoming witness and allies to the plight of Kashmir. This marks the beginning of an era of unparalleled resistance and struggles for independence of Kashmir. https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2020/04/land-of-the-brave-but-never-free-kashmir/
2.   Youth martyred: Apr., 27, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district, today, taking the number of slain youth to 13 since Wednesday. The troops martyred the four youth during a cordon and search operation at Asthal in Kulgam district this evening. The operation continued till last reports came in. Earlier, Indian troops had martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district yesterday and two in Arwani area of Islamabad district on Friday. The troops had martyred four youth during a similar operation in Melhora area of Shopian district on Wednesday. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/26/two-more-youth-martyred-in-iok-toll-rises-to-11-since-wednesday/
3.   LoC Violation: Apr., 28, 2020: Pakistan on Monday summoned the head of Indian High Commission in Islamabad to lodge a strong protest over the latest ceasefire violations by Indian troops along the Line of control (LoC), leaving a woman martyred and eight-year old inured. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said Indian troops initiated unprovoked ceasefire violations in Jandrot and Khuiratta sectors along LoC deliberately targeting civilian population on Monday morning. “Due to indiscriminate fire of automatics and rockets, a 36 years old woman, Yasmeen,  resident of village Red embraced shahadat [martyrdom] while an 8 years old innocent girl, Adeeba Zaheer, resident of village Mohra Chattar sustained serious injuries. [The] injured child has been evacuated and being provided with medical care,” the military’s media wing said. “The Indian occupation forces  this year, India has committed 882 ceasefire violations,” according to the FO.  . https://tribune.com.pk/story/2208281/1-pakistan-summons-indian-diplomat-lodge-protest-ceasefire-violation-along-loc/
4.   Results: Apr., 28, 2020: Taking the revocation of Articles 370 and 35A to be a fait accompli – since it may be a vain expectation that the Supreme Court will, at any time in the future, rescind what the government has scrapped – the question that may now be asked is: nine months down the road, what has this revocation delivered? Politically, of course, the Hindutva right wing has succeeded in realising its long-standing “nationalist” agenda. It has stamped and sealed a message to Kashmiri Muslims that their decision to throw their lot in with a Hindu-majority India in the wake of the partition was no great favour, and that they must learn to view themselves, not in terms of any exclusive historical perspective, but as just another part of India’s country-wide Muslim minority. Thus, the revocation has achieved the erasure of the extraordinary choice that the then only Muslim-majority state had made while acceding to the Indian dominion when the terms of the partition may, more naturally, have induced them to a contrary resolve. And most remarkably, when the Hindu maharaja of the then princely state had wished to retain his independence from both dominions. Such erasure, therefore, conterminously cocks a snook at the struggles that Kashmiri Muslim nationalist leaderships had waged for long years against the twin sectarianisms of Dogra rule and the Muslim League – struggles which, more than most things then happening, had contributed to cementing the secular foundations of the freedom movement, and of India’s claim to becoming the opposite of what the League had brought about by obtaining a separate state on the grounds of faith. The scrapping of Article 370 has also repudiated Sheikh Abdullah’s political idealism – expressed resonantly in his inaugural speech to the constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir on November 5, 1951 – that the decision J&K was making would, in the decades to come, help bolster the conviction of all Indian Muslims in a secular and democratic future, guaranteed by a constitution that enshrined the principle of equality to all Indian citizens, and respect for all religious faiths.  And, even more particularly, help to shore up respect for regional identities in an egalitarian, federal republic, citing what Gandhi had said in our darkest hour: “I look at the hills, and my help comes from there”. Beginning from the first stirrings for freedom among Kashmiri Muslims in 1931, evolving Hindutva opinion in the Jammu region had come to view such stirrings as inimical to the majority Hindu population in Jammu, leading to the emergence and foregrounding of the Praja Parishad, and later on, the Jana Sangh. Sheikh Abdullah and the National Conference were beginning to be viewed as hegemons that would garner all the fruits of independence and of the accession to India and, chiefly, political control. That the terms of integration with India, based on the terms of the accession, had been negotiated by a popular Kashmiri leadership for over five long months with the constituent assembly of India, and the draft of what was to become Article 370 prepared by Gopalaswamy Ayyangar, and piloted by Sardar Patel despite opposition from both within the CWC and the constituent assembly, did not weigh with the RSS. It must be recalled that Sardar Patel wrote to Nehru on November 3, 1949, when Nehru was abroad in the US, about how he (Patel) had “prevailed” in obtaining the consent of the constituent assembly on the matter of granting special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Not to speak of the fact that Shyama Prasad Mookerjee was a member of the constituent assembly when the draft was approved with his signature on it as well. The decision of the Abdullah government, however, to grant land to the tiller without any compensation to erstwhile landowners was to become a trigger for the Praja Parishad agitation in Jammu, led by Mookerjee, who now sought full integration of the state with the Union, and the rescinding of the special status formalised in the Delhi Agreement of 1952. Sadly, it is a little-known fact that the imbroglio had actually reached a solution endorsed by all parties in Jammu and Kashmir and the Central government as a result of a tripartite exchange of letters between Nehru, Abdullah, and Mookerjee. On January 9, 1953, Mookerjee wrote to Nehru that while the Parishad would not object to any special position given to the Kashmir Valley, it demanded the full integration of Jammu and Ladakh with India. Nehru rejected the proposal outright, reminding Mookerjee that the latter had assented to the Delhi Agreement, but, in a detailed response, Abdullah pointed out how forces in Pakistan and elsewhere were looking forward to such divisions, to unleash all kinds of mayhem. In his letter of February 17, 1953, Mookerjee agreed to the proposal that would grant regional autonomy to all three regions – contained in a 45-page report submitted to all parties – and that the Delhi Agreement which had formalised special status to Jammu and Kashmir be “implemented in the next session of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly”. As a result, Nehru asked for a withdrawal of the agitation in Jammu, which Mookerjee agreed to consider. Sadly, Mookerjee passed away in June 1953. On July 2, the Regional Autonomy Report was sent to Durga Das Verma, the underground  dictator of the agitation, who returned it with his assent on July 3. Had this tripartite agreement not been vetoed by the RSS eventually, there may well have been no “Kashmir problem”. Be that as it may, having now accomplished a “full legal integration” of the territories of the erstwhile state, and expecting the full endorsement of the Jammu region to the move, the Central government through its agent, the lieutenant governor, has now formulated new domicile rules pertaining to the new Union territory – a move that many have seen as betokening the real point and purpose of the revocation of Article 370 and 35A. It is now stipulated that anyone who may have resided in the state for 15 years, or whose wards may have studied there for seven years and taken a class 10 or 12 examination, will be eligible to be a state subject; and thereby eligible both for jobs, scholarships and land rights in the state. Many see this as a window for absorbing security personnel, bureaucrats and academicians into state services, public sector undertakings, state-run educational institutions etc., causing a shrinkage of opportunities for local residents who previously under the old state subject laws were alone eligible for these positions. Not to speak of parcelling out precious lands and other immovable property as well to hitherto non-eligible Indians – a provision in line with those that continue to exist in many other parts of the republic in Himachal Pradesh, the tribal regions of Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland and so on. But none of the latter is a Muslim-majority state. Suddenly, however, the Hindutva right wing experienced concerted opposition to these new rules, not just in the Valley but in the Hindu-majority Jammu province – as matters of livelihood and identity came to the fore, transcending nationalist sentiments.  This new resistance is reminiscent of the decade of the 1920s when a combined opposition was launched in the erstwhile princely state against the induction of officers from outside, resulting in the state subject laws of 1927 – events in which Kashmiri Pandits had taken a leading role and raised the slogan “Kashmir for Kashmiris”. As to the claim that the revocation of the impugned Articles would see a surge of development in the erstwhile state, there is very little that has happened over the last nine months that encourages such a prospect. There has been no beeline of investors either in  Jammu or in the Valley, and no roadmaps for any such deluge to happen is in evidence either. That the  “development “ argument was always a red herring has been substantiated by studies that have shown that the erstwhile state was considerably ahead even of Gujarat in the matter of development as well as human development indices. What, then, has the revocation achieved? A complete abrogation of democracy in the state, and an unconscionable suppression of civil and democratic rights? A terminal alienation of the peoples, especially in the Valley, from the republic and its purported vision and promise? The ruling Hindutva forces have tirelessly accused the Indian National Congress and Kashmir’s nationalist parties of having denied democracy to Kashmiris. Yet, what has happened is that the state has been demoted to a Union territory run by an unelected bureaucrat, and without an elected assembly now for close to a calendar year. With no permission accorded to freedom of opinion if it is considered inimical to the powers that be, no right to free assembly or peaceful protest, and no permission even to the republic’s elected parliamentarians to visit and see things for themselves, even as chosen public representatives from select countries have been taken on guided tours to deliver an endorsement of the ruling dispensation’s actions. Where is the full integration with the Union, and what are its contours? Has this been anything more than a political and cultural appropriation of the region with little or no benefit to the local residents, Kashmiri Pandits included? Not to mention that this glorious assimilation has made not a jot of difference to the number of Indian security forces who have remained stationed there as before, battling an insurgency in a continuing saga of “disturbance”. There is clearly little likelihood of the state assembly being reconstituted until after the proposed delimitation exercise is over.  But the question remains: even if the delimitation exercise were to alter the balance of political weight in the state towards the Hindu-majority Jammu region, would that solve the problem in Kashmir, or instead exacerbate it? All told, it does seem that beyond thumbing the nose of the historical aspiration for autonomy, deriving from the erstwhile constitutional arrangements between the state and the Centre, little of value has thus far been accrued to the people, be it in the Jammu region or in the Valley. Unless, of course, the collapse of the state’s customary sources of revenue – tourism, crafts, horticulture – is to be counted as an achievement. It must appear to be a cruel irony that even the exiled Kashmiri Pandits feel obliged to make the point that the dominance of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the state has carried little change in their conditions and their so hoped-for return to the Valley on their desired terms—or any terms at all.Even they have come to see the new domicile rules as a challenge as much to their livelihoods and status in their home state as a challenge to all other domiciles of old, regardless of region or community. A  cruel consummation indeed. As to a return to civic “normalcy,” the state has yet to see a full restoration of internet services; the common complaint is that the 2G facility is grossly inadequate for the needs of users. Those in Jammu are askance that the withdrawal of these facilities should have been made applicable to them as well, as though they also constitute a threat to internal peace. Having opted for an authoritarian course in the erstwhile state over a democratic one – most reputed constitutional experts aver that the revocation could not have been operationalised without the concurrence of the state assembly and that the governor could not have been deemed to represent the elected, democratic opinion of Kashmiris – the Modi government continues to be on test with respect to the claims made on behalf of that course. Who knows what is in store for the people of that blighted part of the republic? https://thewire.in/rights/jammu-kashmir-article-370
5.   Youth martyred: Apr., 28, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops  martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Kulgam district,today, taking the total number of youth martyred by the troops to 7 in less than 24 hours.The youth were killed by the troops during a cordon and search operation at Lower Munda in Qazingund area of the district.  On Sunday, the troops martyred four youth at Asthal in Kulgam district. The latest killings have raised the number of deaths to 16 since Wednesday. Earlier, Indian troops martyred three Kashmiri youth in Awantipora area of Pulwama district on Saturday, two youth at Arwani in Islamabad district on Thursday and four others in Melhora area of Shopian district on Wednesday. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/27/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-kashmiri-youtn-in-iok/
6.   UN: Apr., 28, 2020: The United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression has said that limitations imposed by the authorities on internet in occupied Kashmir have made access to basic information difficult for healthcare professionals. David Kaye, UN rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, in his report “Disease pandemics and the freedom of opinion and expression”, has expressed concern over internet restrictions in Kashmir. It has been reported by healthcare professionals in Kashmir that the limitations imposed by the government have made access to basic information difficult to obtain, reads the report. The report is being submitted to Human Rights Council’s 44th session scheduled from June 15 to July 3, 2020. According to the report, the continuation of restrictions on internet has been troubling, amid outbreak of COVID-19. “In the context of the pandemic, it has been especially troubling to observe the continuation of several instances of Internet shutdowns. The most prominent has been the long-term disruption that the Government of India has imposed on Kashmir,” reads the report. Referring to UN experts’ statement in August 2019, the report states that the government imposed what several mandate holders found to be “a form of collective punishment of the people of Kashmir, without even a pretext of a precipitating offence”.“Early in 2020 the Supreme Court of India found that the Government must periodically justify its continuing actions in Kashmir, but even as of this writing, reporting suggests that people in Kashmir are only able to access limited Internet sites and with extremely limited speeds,” the report states. On August 22, 2019, a group of five United Nations human rights experts had issued a joint statement asking the Indian government to end the crackdown on freedom of expression, access to information and peaceful protests in Kashmir. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/27/internet-restrictions-in-iok-figure-in-un-rapporteurs-report/
7.   Apples; Apr., 29, 2020: The nationwide coronavirus lockdown has badly hit apple farmers in Jammu and Kashmir. As the farmers are not finding market for their produce, over three million cartons of apples are lying in cold storage. They are rather paying Rs 35 per box per month as storage charge, and Rs 100 as packing and grading fee to save their produce from rotting. They fear incurring more loses than the value of their produce if lockdown continues as there are no buyers due to the market conditions. The lockdown has added to their already existing problems. They had faced a complete shutdown announced by the centre last year when Article 370 was revoked. As they began operating later, their truckers were attacked by terrorists. Several truckers and apple traders were killed as part of a terror campaign to prevent apples from Kashmir to be transported to mandis outside the Union Territory. "Last year I fetched around Rs 1200-1300 a box. Today, we are not even getting Rs 500 for the same," said Nazir Ahmad, a farmer from Pulwama."Normally apple traders from different mandis of the country would come here. Now, no one is coming to buy apple," he said. The farmers say the lockdown has broken the supply chain. Activities like transportation, finding market, price bargaining have taken a severe hit. Only a government bailout can help, they say. At Lassipora, Pulwama, the largest cluster of apple cold storage facility in India, officials urge the government to announce incentives. Kashmir produces 22 lakh metric ton of apple every year which is over 70 per cent of the country's total production. https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/coronavirus-amid-lockdown-3-million-cartons-of-apples-lying-in-kashmir-cold-storage-2219068
8.   Domicile: Apr., 29, 2020: India in violation of all international norms and UN-recognized disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir has granted domicile status to more than three hundred thousand (300,000) non-residents, all Hindus, in occupied Kashmir. News reports emanating from the occupied territory have revealed that since the new domicile law has been introduced by the Indian government for occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the people fear that more than 800,000 Indian soldiers and over 600,000 migrant labourers present in the territory may also be granted the domicile status in the days to come. Kashmiri masses have a strong feeling that the people in power in New Delhi are working on an agenda of changing the demography of Jammu and Kashmir, rendering the territory into “Another Palestine in the making”. The efforts in this regard have been doubled since India abrogated Articles 370 and 35-A on August 5, last year, the reports said. As part of the sinister move, the Indian government has also renamed the Jammu & Kashmir Property Rights to Slum Dwellers Act by deleting references to “permanent residents.” This has also made it easy for non-local slum dwellers to acquire property rights in the disputed territory. However, those who closely watch the Indian moves in occupied Kashmir believe that these developments of severe political magnitude and consequences will not go unnoticed. There is a strong resentment among Kashmiri people against the India’s sinister designs. When and how anti-India sentiments explode into a full-scale uprising is only a matter of days. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/28/india-grants-300000-non-residents-domicile-status-in-iok/
9.   Youth martyred: Apr., 29, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two more Kashmiri youth, today. The troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation at Melhora in Zainapora area of Shopian district. The operation continued till last reports came in.The killing of the youth triggered massive anti-India demonstrations in the area. Indian troops fired pellets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters, triggering clashes between the demonstrators and Indian forces’ personnel. One youth suffered pellet injuries and was shifted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar for treatment. It is to mention here that the troops have martyred 10 youth in different areas of occupied Kashmir since Saturday. During cordon and search operations, the troops killed three youth at Lower Munda in Qazingund area of Kulgam district, yesterday, four youth at Asthal in Kulgam district on Sunday and three others in Awantipora area of Pulwama district on Saturday.The latest killings have raised the number of martyred youth to 19 since last Wednesday. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/28/indian-troops-martyr-two-more-youth-in-iok-12/
10.          Youth martyred: Apr., 30, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops martyred one more Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today, taking the toll to three in the past 24 hours. The body of the martyred youth was recovered from the debris of a house destroyed by the troops during the ongoing cordon and search operation at Melhora in Zainapora area of the district. Two youth were killed by the troops during the operation yesterday evening in the same area.  An Army officer and a soldier were injured during the encounter.The killing of the youth triggered massive anti-India protests in the area. Indian troops and police fired bullets, pellets and teargas shells on the protesters, triggering clashes between the protesters and the forces’ personnel. Several people suffered pellet injuries and were shifted to different hospitals for treatment. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/29/indian-troops-martyr-one-more-youth-in-shopian-toll-rises-to-3/
11.          LoC : May, 3, 2020: In response to Indian allegations of targeting “launch pads” across the Line of Control (LoC),Pakistan has formally asked the United Nation obtain information from New Delhi over its allegations.In a statement issued on Saturday, Aisha Farooqui, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called on the UN to task UNMOGIP to validate Indian claims of “infiltration attempts” and targeting launch pads on the Pakistani side of the border along LoC.“[UNMOGIP] will be welcomed to move into any area without sharing specifics with the Pakistan government to validate Indian claims,” the FO spokesperson said. Pakistan has always categorically rejected the baseless Indian allegations of so-called “infiltration attempts” and preposterous claims of targeting of fictional “launch pads,” read the statement. “To expose the Indian falsehoods to the world, Pakistan has taken neutral observers, journalists, human rights organisations and Islamabad based diplomats to the LoC on several occasions in the past.”In October 2019, following the Indian army chief’s unfounded allegations and claims, Indian diplomats were also invited to accompany other diplomats to the site of the so-called “launch pads” targeted by Indian artillery, it said. While India has restricted the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) from visiting IOJ&K and the LoC, there are no such restrictions on UNMOGIP in Pakistan or AJK.
12.          Pakistan’s policy and approach is clear as it does not allow use of its soil for any activity against anyone.“Meanwhile, as the world grapples with the global pandemic, we hope India would act responsibly, cut down on its belligerent rhetoric and aggressive measures on the ground, stop its ceasefire violations and deliberate targeting of civilian population, and enable the UNMOGIP to play its mandated role effectively,” the official communique read https://tribune.com.pk/story/2212514/1-pakistan-invites-un-hold-inquiry-indian-claims-targeting-launch-pads/
13.          Youth martyred: May, 3, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, a colonel, Major rank officer and incharge of Special Police Group have been killed in an ongoing gunfight in Chanjmulla area of north Kashmir’s Handwara. It is also reported that one youth has been martyred. The dead bodies have not been recovered so far. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/02/two-youth-martyred-in-handwara/
14.          Youth martyred: May, 3, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian martyred two Kashmiri youth during a cordon and search operation in Dangerpora area of Pulwama district, today. The troops also destroyed a residential house by using explosive material. People took to streets and staged forceful anti-India demonstrations in the area. They raised high-pitched pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. Indian police and troops fired pellets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters. Dozens of youth were injured, some of them critically, in the brutal actions of the forces’ personnel. The troops have also launched a similar operation in Chanjmulla area of Kupwara district. Illegally detained Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Islami Tanzeem-e-Azadi, Abdul Samad Inqilabi, in a statement issued in Srinagar paid rich tributes to the martyred Kashmiri youth.  . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/05/02/2-youth-martyred-protesters-injured-in-pulwama/




Kashmir Update 72: Week Apr.,20, 2020 to Apr., 26, 2020  
           
1.    Media under attack in India : Apr., 19, 2020: “Writing about issues like Delhi carnage of February 22, poor management of COVID-19 by BJP government or penning facts about Indian Kashmir (read as Indian Occupied Kashmir) is considered as too sensitive and can cause you to face perilous state if you are a writer or a journalist and you are living in India” . A creeping self-censorship is the ultimate outcome of crippling circumstances those are compelling Indian journalists to stay silent if they wish to work without taking risk of untimely seizure of their professional careers or unseen risks revolving around their families. However, there are people who courageously penning and speaking without fear of intimidation and purge but these isolated voices are becoming “news”. Cases are being registered against those reporters and writers who are reporting about government’s dealing with COVID-19 situation that left thousands of Indians dead while going back to their native places by foot due to abrupt curfew like Lockdown was clamped by Modi Sarkar, leaving over 3 million workers stranded and stuck in big cities without money, food and work. Attacks on media freedom, especially during the Covid-19 crises, endangers not just free speech, but the public’s right to information. In a recent case raised by internationally acclaimed Indian Kashmiri journalist Gowhar Geelani, an IoK based journalist Peerada Ashiq working for The Hindu is being harassed by agencies. Peerzada Ashiq is in trouble for a report published in daily The Hindu on April 15, 2020 titled “Kashmir halts sample collection after 5,000 test kits ‘mysteriously’ diverted to Jammu”. Which said” The Directorate of Health Services (DHS), Kashmir, has stopped taking samples from potentially infected persons in the Valley after a senior health official bypassed directions and diverted a Srinagar-bound consignment of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) allotted five boxes, carrying 5,000 test kits, to Jammu. Official sources said the alarm was raised by top health officials in Srinagar besides officials in-charge of the COVID-19 crisis in the Divisional Commissioner’s office when a cargo plane arrived in Srinagar on Tuesday morning and failed to deliver the 5,000 testing kits “desperately required in the Valley”.It was only following the intervention of Chief Secretary B.V.R. Subrahmanyam that 4,000 test kits were airlifted from Jammu to Srinagar around 4 p.m. on Tuesday. Sources said Jitendra Mehta of the National Health Mission, who advises Divisional Commissioner Pandurang K. Pole on procurements, diverted the testing kits to Jammu. “It’s being looked into if it was a goof-up or a deliberate attempt,” an official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.After above-mentioned report, writer of story Peerzada Ashiq was questioned by different agencies and Directorial of Information called his story as “Fake” although story was based on facts with citing different personalities Peerzada Ashiq had been called before in August and November 2019 by agencies because he wrote to unearth corruption in administrative system if Indian Kashmir (IoK). Kashmiri journalist Gowhar Geelani in one of his video clip stated that intimidation and harassment of Kashmir journalists have become a new normal and he cited different cases of harassment with Kashmiri journalists including with Hakim Irfan (Economic Times), Basharat Masood (Indian Express), Naseer Ganai (The Outlook), Aqib Javed (The Observer), Irfan Ali and Malik Haroon Nabi.  He stated that counter insurgency department, police and different other agencies are busy in harassing journalists for writing facts what Kashmir. One should remember what happened last week with Siddharth Varadarajan who is facing wrath of BJP government because an article published by The Wire pointed out that “Indian believers” more generally have been late to adopt precautions and avoid congregation, recalling UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s plans, as late as March 18, to proceed with a religious fair at Ayodhya and his flouting of the national lockdown and social distancing norms by taking part in a religious ceremony along with others on March 25. Two FIRs were filed against Siddharth Varadarajan under various sections of the law on April 1, one on a complaint by a resident of Ayodhya and the other on the basis of a complaint by the SHO of the Kotwali Nagar police station, Faizabad. The FIRs were followed up with a gross display of intimidation on April 10 when policemen arrived in a black SUV with no number plates at Varadarajan’s residence in Delhi to issue a legal notice ordering him to appear in Ayodhya on April 14 at 10 am. That the UP government sent policemen driving across 700 kilometres during the national lockdown to issue this summons when the postal system is still operational speaks volumes for its priorities. The Wire, along with other independent media and journalists, has been courageous and consistent in continuing to present the facts. The police action against The Wire also comes against the backdrop of the demonization of Muslims in a section of the media as being responsible for the spread of the novel coronavirus in India. On April 6, the WHO felt the need to reiterate the principle that media should avoid religious or other profiling of COVID-19 cases The complaint in this FIR is that Harvajan Goud came across a tweet by one Siddharth on social media and was “pained to see how someone had written such false statement” on his chief minister. The complainant therefore asked for the IT act to be invoked. No specific detail of any tweet is provided.   or its severity or magnitude, leading to panic’.FIR 0268/2020 also filed on April 1, 2020 under Sections 188 and 505 (2) by Nitish Kumar Shrivastav, Inspector in Charge, Kotwali Nagar, Faizabad, against the Editor of The Wire, (name and address unknown) notes that: (translation from Hindi) On that day it came to his notice that during the lockdown, the Editor of the Wire, with an intent to spread rumours and enmity, published the following on his ‘blog’:(reproduced in English): “On the day the Tablighi Jamaat event was held, Yogi Adityanath insisted that a large fair planned for Ayodhya on the occasion of Ram Navami from March 25 to April 2 would proceed as usual while Acharya Paramhans said that ‘Lord Ram would protect devotees from the coronavirus”. One day after Modi announced the “curfew like” national lockdown on March 24, Adityanath violated the official guidelines to take part in a religious ceremony in Ayodhya along with dozens of people.”(translated from Hindi): This is the way during the lockdown caused by the corona pandemic and the imposition of Sec 144, the improper remarks by the Wire Editor against Yogi Adityanath caused anger among the general public. This comes under Sec 188/505 (2) of the IPC. This FIR does not mention any specific article but the quoted passage appears to have been taken from a story titled ‘As COVID-19 Cases Spike in Nizamuddin, Nehru Stadium in Delhi to Become Quarantine Centre’ published in The Wire on March 31, 202.The story as it stood at the time the FIR was lodged was factually correct in every respect, and the two primary claims about Adityanath – that his government initially had every intention of going ahead with the Ram Navami mela in Ayodhya from March 25 despite the fear of COVID-19, and that he took part in a religious gathering in Ayodhya on March 25 despite the lockdown —  have been reported by multiple news outlets. Strong reaction over FIRs against Siddharth Varadarajan came from civil society. Several internationally renowned jurists, scholars, activists, artists and acclaimed public figures have already signed a statement, criticizing draconian behavior of Indian State against journalists who write truth. Those who signed statement include Justice Madan B. Lokur, Pranab Bardhan, Arjun Appadurai, Sheldon Pollock, Barbara Harriss White, Patricia Jeffery, James Manor, Ashutosh Varshney, Christophe Jaffrelot, Sumit Sarkar, Romila Thapar, Ramchandra Guha, Arundhati Roy, Vikram Seth, Nayantara Sehgal, Amol Palekar, Mallika Sarabhai, Harsh Mander, Farhan and Zoya Akhtar, Nandita Das, Prabhat Patnaik, Prashant Bhushan, Yogendra Yadav, Sandeep Pandey, Partha Chatterjee, Urvashi Butalia, Apoorvanand Jha, Harbans Mukhia. Till filling of this report, over 4,900 persons have signed an online petition to snub action against Siddharth Varadarajan. Indian intellectuals are questioning that media houses which have blatantly spewed venom, communalizing the corona virus, have just gone free and on the otherhand journalists like Siddharth Vardarajan who have been fearlessly asking questions about the misconduct by various leaders are being intimidated by filing FIRs against them. A senior journalist from Delhi Shabnam Hashmi called this behavior of government as a blatant attack on freedom of the press and condemned intimidation and demanded the quashing of the FIR against Siddharth Vardarajan. Activist Arundhati Roy who has become “Persona non grata” for New Delhi due to her bold stance in her recent interview with DW Germany said that Indian government is exploiting COVID-19 to ramp up its suppression of Muslims. She compared the government tactic to one used by the Nazis during the Holocaust. She had been voicing against censorship in India and at target board of BP since long. “The ugly practice is unchecked in India of booking journalists in fake cases, summoning them by various agencies with the aim to obfuscate truth and threatening them for dire consequences if they publish truth. This situation is attracting attention of foreign media also and now western media is reporting cases of ill behavior BJP government has towards Muslims, Dalits and independent journalists,” commented a journalist from Delhi while requesting to withhold his name because she says she has two school going daughters and she cannot take risk of their lives for being blunt and bold—- A self-censorship has already gripped Indian Media. https://dnd.com.pk/media-under-fire-in-india/186742
2.   TRT: Apr., 20, 2020:  On April 5, five Indian soldiers were killed while fighting infiltrators close to the Line of Control in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district. The soldiers belonged to the elite 4 Para—the unit which undertook the 2016 cross-LoC ‘surgical strikes’ in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Five militants were also killed in the latest operations lasting two days.  A little-known outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF), claimed responsibility for the attack on the security forces. In an audio message circulated through social media, the outfit said after stripping Kashmir of its special status, India didn’t spare anyone, not even the loyal political leaders  https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/india-news-is-kashmir-seeing-birth-of-a-new-militant-outfit-the-signs-look-threatening/303085
3.   New political set up in IOK: Apr., 20, 2020: The Kashmiri is a mere bystander as the framework of a new political order is being worked by New Delhi. With National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah being released after over seven months of detention, there is an air of inevitability to the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti, being released as well. There were expectations that Mr. Omar Abdullah and Ms. Mufti would be released in tandem, but nearly a month after Mr. Omar Abdullah’s release, it is strange that her detention should continue. Ms. Mufti has merely been moved out of a sub-jail into her official residence, where she remains in detention. Notably, since they’ve been set free, neither of the Abdullahs has rocked Delhi’s political boat leading to speculation whether there had been some understanding reached prior to their release or whether they are keeping their powder dry following the Gupkar Declaration of August 4, 2019. During that meeting, politicians from across the spectrum, minus those from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), pledged to unite to safeguard the special status and autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir. Perhaps there is fear that Ms. Mufti could queer the pitch when she is unencumbered of her strictures and inconveniently starts harking back to August 5, 2019; after all, she has support among the Jamaat-e-Islami in south Kashmir. There is no doubt that Kashmiris have felt let down by their politicians, and although Ms. Mufti has been self-destructive as a politician, the longer she remains locked up, the more credibility she gains. Competitive jostling for political space could have an undesirable domino effect as New Delhi struggles to create a new political playing field, the contours of which are becoming clearer now. For one, it would make the going much tougher for New Delhi’s favourite, Apni Party, led by Altaf Bukhari and comprising a motley group of politicians who have defected, resigned or were fired from different political parties. Left alone in the political field, the Apni Party will gain disdain and derision rather than political heft. This must have been a big factor in the rethink on continuing to keep the Abdullahs in detention. The question remains: what will be New Delhi’s road map for Jammu and Kashmir? Eight months of sustained lockdown has indubitably left many sections of Kashmiri society crushed economically and otherwise. There is perhaps a cauldron of resentments there, more susceptible than ever before to radical blandishments. Before the novel coronavirus came along, Kashmir’s apple orchards did some business. But all other avenues of income, such as the handicrafts industry, small enterprises, the papier-mâché industry, the carpet industry and tourism, could not have thrived. There was a stranglehold on social media. Broadband as well as mobile Internet services in the region were banned for months. Broadband and 2G Internet were restored in January, but they severely constrain all sorts of community, communication and business activities that normal societies thrive on. It’s spring in Kashmir, and the security forces confront a situation of increased armed activity. After claiming responsibility for the Kabul Gurdwara attack on March 25 that killed over 25 people, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan Province said that the attack was “revenge for Kashmir.” This mutual reinforcement could turn into a wellspring for the radicalised Kashmiri as well as for Pakistan which is set to get a better grip on Kabul via the Taliban. India temporarily closed two consulates in Afghanistan (Herat and Jalalabad) in the first week of April anticipating growing security threats, among other things. At least two of the five militants who killed para commandos in early April in Kupwara, close to the Line of Control, were local youth from south Kashmir.. Delimitation will be the key. There will be more electoral loading in Jammu, which will take away some of the emphasis from the constituencies in Kashmir, which have espoused separatist sentiments. Yet, delimitation based on the infirmities of the 2011 Census would make less sense than one based on 2021, which has been deferred indefinitely. Elections could happen once the seats have increased from 83 to 90, which gives plenty of time to get the panchayat elections right. The last panchayat elections were a disaster because the mainstream political parties boycotted it. Nearly 12,000 posts were left vacant. This time the government will be keen to ensure more healthy participation.  The rough road ahead looks something like this: if the COVID-19 crisis abates, the Amarnath Yatra will be held from mid-June to end-July, and if the security situation permits, the panchayat elections will be held. Later, the Census will be conducted and delimitation will occur. Following all this, the Assembly elections will take place. All this could take more than a year and a half. Somewhere in the middle of all this dangles the carrot of promised statehood. Though individual members are popular enough to stand on their own feet in their constituencies, the Apni Party cannot provide an overarching political framework for Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu BJP and Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference chairman Sajjad Lone might add some numbers. The rest the BJP may manage, as it did in Goa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. It is unclear if the National Conference and the PDP, and others of the Gupkar grouping, if they contest, can come together to deny New Delhi political space. But right now the Kashmiri is a mere bystander as the framework of a new political order is sought to be worked and put in place by New Delhi. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/preparing-for-a-new-political-field-in-jk/article31382917.ece?homepage=true
4.   Smoking gun: Apr., 20, 2020:   India is conducting “targeted strikes” on terror  launch pads across the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir and eliminating Pakistani infiltrators before they cross to the Indian side, defence minister Rajnath Singh   said on Sunday. Indian armed forces are maintaining full operational readiness and not lowering their guard while continuing to play a significant role in the national effort to combat the coronavirus pandemic, he said. “Indian armed forces are prepared for all contingencies and I can assure the country that we are prepared to defend our sovereignty from adversarial forces in all scenarios,” said Singh. “As you would have gathered from the operations along the LoC in the last two weeks, we are dominating the enemy through targeted intelligence-based strikes on their launchpads and eliminating them before they set foot on Indian soil,” he added.     https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/army-eliminating-pak-jihadis-before-they-cross-loc-rajnath/articleshow/75241049.cms
5.   Policeman killed: Apr., 2020-:In occupied Kashmir, an Indian policeman was killed after he was fired upon by unknown gunmen at his residence in south Kashmir’s Islamabad district on Sunday night. A police officer said that the unknown gunmen opened fire upon the policeman namely Manzoor Ahmad Dar at Hiller village at around 9:35 pm. Policeman was at home when the attack took place. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/19/indian-policeman-killed-in-iok-attack/
6.   Conference: Apr., 21, 2020: A joint statement issued at the end of COVID–19 Kashmir Conference has called for implementation of the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir as well as the recommendations contained in the 2018 and 2019 Reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The conference was organized by the All Parties Group on Kashmir – European Parliament (APGKEP) and Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) via video link simultaneously in Brussels and London, and it was attended by politicians, academics, jurists, human rights defenders and journalists. The speakers on the occasion said, India unashamedly is using COVID–19 guise to persist reign of terror in Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir with its iron fist. The joint statement said that the crisis around COVID-19 pandemic was overshadowing all other pressing issues worldwide. “Therefore, we are especially concerned, during these unprecedented times, that the Indian authorities are using the pandemic to silence Kashmiri voices by eradicating Kashmiri leadership and demoralising and destroying civil society  The statement noted with concern that the Indian constitution was modified in order to change the status of Jammu & Kashmir through allowing a demographic development to convert Kashmiris into a minority in their own land.  Professor Klaus Buchner (MEP) intends to forward the above joint statement to the Secretary General of the United Nations, President of the European Commission, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, President of the European Parliament, Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Co-Operation, Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister of Pakistan.  Among those who took part in the conference included: Professor Klaus Buchner (MEP); President of All Parties Group on Kashmir, President Carles Puigdemont (MEP) of Catalonia, Professor Alfred de Zayas; First (former) Independent Expert on the Promotion of Democratic and Equitable International Order, Senator Mushaid Hussain Syed, former AJK Prime Minister Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan,Sarah Owen; Member of the British Parliament, Julie Ward; former Member of the European Parliament, Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl; Executive Member of OKC,Barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo – Executive Member of Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC), Professor Josep-Lluis Alay; Associate Professor of Asian History at the Faculty of Geography and History, University of Barcelona, Professor William Schabas, Specialist in International Criminal and Human Rights Law, Shamim Shawl; Kashmiri women leader, Graham Williamson; Chairman of Nations Without States, Frank Schwalba Hoth; one of the first Green members of the German Parliament and the European Parliament, Dr Asif Dar; a Kashmiri activist, Altaf H Wani; Chairman of KIIR, Waqar Malik, Abdul Latif Butt, Ashraf Wani, Zulfiqar Ali and Shaista Safi. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/20/india-is-using-covid-19-guise-to-continue-reign-of-terror-in-iok/
7.   Journalist booked: Apr., 22, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian police registered a case, today, against senior journalist and political commentator, Gowhar Geelani, for his posts and writings on social media. The Indian police in a handout said that Cyber Police Station Kashmir Zone, Srinagar, received information through reliable sources that an individual namely “Gowher Geelani” is indulging in unlawful activities through his posts and writings on social media platforms.  The Indian authorities have already registered cases against two noted Kashmiri journalists, Peerzada Ashiq and female photojournalist Masarrat Zahra under serious charges. They were booked for uploading some Kashmir-related photographs and covering the viewpoint of the Kashmiri martyrs’ families. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/21/indian-police-book-senior-journalist-gowhar-geelani/
8.   Youth martyred: Apr., 23, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops   martyred four Kashmiri youth in Shopian district, today. The youth were killed during a cordon and search operation which was launched by the troops on Tuesday in Melhora area of the district.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/22/indian-troops-martyr-two-kashmiri-youth-in-iok/
9.   Ambedkar and Kashmir: Apr., 23, 2020: On April 15, 2020, in a continuing agenda of unfettered appropriation, an opinion piece titled ‘Ambedkar saw J&K’s special status as detrimental to national unity’ was published by Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, a two-time MP from Bikaner and Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs. The article was a repetition of the arguments that the Bharatiya Janata Party MP had used in a previous article published on August 20, 2019, under the heading “BR Ambedkar opposed the special status for J&K.” These arguments made in the latter article have been debunked many times for a  wilful misreading of history, selective presentation of Ambedkar’s statements on Kashmir and most of all an appropriation of Dr B.R. Ambedkar to suit a myopic agenda of majoritarian politics.In order to support his opinion that Ambedkar was in opposition to Article 370, Meghwal relies on a purported conversation with Sheikh Abdullah where Ambedkar allegedly said, “you want India to defend Kashmir, feed its people, and give Kashmiris equal rights all over India. But you want to deny India all rights in Kashmir…” Unsurprisingly, the earliest use of this statement can be found in an editorial in Tarun Bharat, a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) mouthpiece, dated 1991 citing a speech of Balraj Madhok, a Jammu-based RSS veteran, who attributed these lines to Ambedkar, four decades after his death. Madhok spent his lifetime campaigning against Article 370. There is no archival evidence to establish that Ambedkar ever had this conversation. Further, an assessment of the recorded positions of Ambedkar indicate a position very different from one stated by Balraj Madhok. It is well recorded that in 1951, Ambedkar was concerned about Kashmir’s Hindu and Buddhist minority and had opined that the Muslim majority part of Kashmir should be left to decide their future on their own. Ambedkar resigned from the position of Union law minister and gave five reasons for doing so. The third reason clearly displays his dissatisfaction with India’s policy on Kashmir. In a statement in explanation of his resignation from Cabinet (October 10, 1951) available in Babasaheb Ambedkar Writings and Speeches (BAWS), Vol. 14 (2), page 1317, he says: “….We are really not concerned with the Muslim part of Kashmir. It is a matter between the Muslims of Kashmir and Pakistan. They may decide the issue as they like. Or if you like, divide it into three parts; the Cease-fire zone, the Valley and the Jammu-Ladakh Region and have a plebiscite only in the Valley.” This position is reiterated in the Election Manifesto of the Scheduled Caste Federation (available inBAWS Vol 17(1) page 396): “On the Kashmir issue, the policy adopted by the Congress Government is not acceptable to the Scheduled Castes Federation…. Kashmir to be partitioned– the Muslim area to go to Pakistan (subject to the wishes of the Kashmiris living in the Valley) and the non-Muslim area consisting of Jammu and Ladakh to come to India.” The same position is observed in an interview, October 27, 1951, available in BAWS Vol 17(2): “I fear that a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir may go against India. In order to save Hindu and Buddhist population of Jammu and Ladakh, from going to Pakistan, in such an eventuality, there should be zonal plebiscite in Jammu, Ladakh, and Kashmir.” Today, the upkeep of India’s army in Kashmir costs six crore rupees per day. During the budget 1952-53 General Discussion, while criticising the expenditure on the Indian Army due to engagement in Kashmir, Ambedkar said it was a needless drain on India’s exchequer: “The question of plebiscite is in no way new in the history of the world… After the First World War, I certainly remember there were two questions to be settled by plebiscite… which we can usefully carry into the Kashmir dispute and have the matter settled quickly so that we can release Rs. 50 crores from the Defence Budget and utilise it for the benefit of our people”. During the same discussion, Ambedkar said “Out of 350 crores of rupees of revenue we raise annually, we spend about Rs. 180 crores of rupees on the Army. It is a colossal expenditure which has hardly any parallel.” Ambedkar reiterated his support for a plebiscite in Kashmir, stressing that India could learn from “the line of action taken by the League of Nations with regard to the plebiscite in Upper Silesia and Alsace-Lorraine”. The peculiarity of Indian politics is that despite Ambedkar’s clear positions on Kashmir, it is surprising that even Dalit political leaders like Mayawati, former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and national president of the Bahujan Samaj Party, have supported the scrapping of Article 370 while relying on a position of Ambedkar that does not exist in recorded text and history. A concerted effort is being made to obfuscate the ulterior motives behind the de facto annexation of Kashmir. Statements are thrown around either with no contextual understanding or as outright falsehoods meant to validate their unconstitutional moves at the altar of the father of India’s constitution.   . https://thewire.in/politics/jammu-kashmir-ambedkar-article-370
10.          Facebook and India: Apr., 24, 2020:  Reliance snapped up a cool $5.7 billion (Rs 43,574 crore) investment from Facebook in return for a 9.99% stake in Jio Platforms, the subsidiary that will house a majority of the empire’s digital assets. Ambani also has more than a few reasons to be happy. Facebook’s investment and corresponding valuation is higher than the average Rs 4.2 trillion enterprise value given to the company by top brokers such as Citi Investment Research, Kotak Institutional Equities, JP Morgan India and Goldman Sachs India.  RIL’s total investment in Jio currently stands at about Rs 1.8 lakh crore — one way of looking at this therefore is that what effectively cost the company about Rs 18,000 crore (a 10% stake) is now being sold for over three times that amount (Rs 43,574 crore  While Ambani no doubt has plans for unlocking the value of the Jio ecosystem’s apps, one key line of attack was unveiled with the Facebook announcement – mixing WhatsApp with JioMart. Both Zuckerberg and Ambani, the latter more so, went out of their way to describe how the deal will give Reliance access to the over 400-million-strong database of WhatsApp as it seeks to jump-start its commerce business under JioMart. Under this partnership, the company said, it would offer consumers the ability to access the nearest kirana, which can deliver products and services, after transactions via JioMart using WhatsApp. “In the very near future, JioMart and WhatsApp will empower nearly three crore small Indian kirana shops to digitally transact with every customer in their neighbourhood. This means all of you can order and get faster delivery of day-to-day items from nearby local shops. At the same time, small kiranas can grow their businesses and create new employment opportunities,” Ambani said in a video on Wednesday. This ‘phygital commerce’ strategy – where your local kirana store is on WhatsApp and you send him a message to order your groceries – appears to be the first major project that Facebook and Jio will work on. “Facebook wants to use WhatsApp for e-commerce opportunities with small businesses. Amazon, Flipkart can’t compete with Jio-Facebook because they don’t have an edge on data. While in the short term, there may not be much market impact as due to COVID-19 nothing significant shall happen in the next 3-6 months, however in the long term the alliance will not only counter competitors like Amazon and Flipkart, but will rupture the entire e-commerce ecosystem in the country,” said Waris. There are also broader mutterings about how Jio and Facebook could eventually create a super-app, along the likes of WeChat in China  The second explanation doing the rounds is that Facebook’s investment in Jio is a safe bet on avoiding the future wrath by India’s authorities. There has never been more scrutiny of ‘Big Tech’ and the challenges posed by foreign companies in terms of law enforcement and how they handle the sensitive personal data of Indian citizens and organisations. The theory here is that COVID-19 pandemic will only accelerate these protectionist concerns and by picking up a near 10% stake in Jio, Zuckerberg appears to be buying ‘protection’ in a manner of speaking. Or at the very least, Reliance and Facebook may find more common ground when it comes to their lobbying efforts in the future.    2019  ”. https://thewire.in/business/four-reasons-why-facebook-is-buying-a-nearly-10-stake-in-mukesh-ambanis-reliance-jio
11.          Workers attacked; Apr., 24, 2020: As many as 18 Kashmiri labourers were severely injured when they were beaten to pulp by the goons of Bharatiya Janata Party in Nara Kaltum district of Himachal Pradesh in India. A gang of BJP workers carrying iron rods and bamboo sticks on Wednesday night attacked the Kashmiri labourers leaving two of them seriously injured. Earlier, three Kashmiri labourers were also subjected to an unprovoked attack at their place of residence in Barot area of the Indian state. The assailants had also hurled obscenities and warned them to leave the place or bear the consequences. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/23/bjp-goons-beat-18-labourers-from-iok-in-himachal-pradesh/
12.          Bodies denied; Apr. 24, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, in order to prevent large funeral processions, Indian authorities under a new brutal policy are denying the bodies of the martyred youth to their families for proper burial as per the Islamic rituals and norms. The authorities while pursuing the new wicked policy took the possession of the bodies of four youth who were martyred by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Melhora-Zainapora area of Shopian district, yesterday. Indian Army took the bodies of the martyred youth to Gantbal area of Ganderbal district and buried them without funeral and other religious rites. It is to mention here that many graveyards are under control of the Indian Army where troops bury the youth killed during custody or in fake encounters. As per local rights bodies, there are over six thousand Kashmiri youth, who were killed in custody and were later buried in unmarked graves in these graveyards. The families of the martyred youth have demanded the dead bodies to accord them proper burial after performing religious rites. Pertinently, last week, the occupation authorities also did not hand over the bodies of two youth who were killed by the troops in Shopian. They were buried at Gantmulla in Uri area of the Baramulla district. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/23/troops-deny-martyred-youths-bodies-to-their-families-in-iok/
13.          Human Rights and India: Apr., 24, 2020:  12 Kashmiri students were assaulted in Dehradun by Hindu extremist groups calling all Kashmiris as ‘traitors’. In the days and weeks that followed, Kashmiri civilians have been under attack on a regular basis in so many parts of India, including most recently in Lucknow. It is common knowledge in the international arena that India has a dismal track record in human rights. The last five years under the “Hindu nationalist” regime has seen an unprecedented increase in human rights violations. Officially reported atrocities on Dalits has increased eight fold in the last five years, compared to the preceding five years. The vast majority of the nearly 200,000 reported crimes are extreme in nature – murders, rapes and the like.Beef-related lynchings, which led to over 25 deaths in the last four years, shocked the world  The minister of state for home affairs himself disclosed that in 2017 alone there were 822 communal “incidents” resulting in 111 deaths. There has been an alarming number of attacks and even murders of journalists, the most visible one being the tragic killing of Gauri Lankesh in September 2017.    UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath alone breaking all records; within nine months of taking power, 1,038 encounters were carried out in Uttar Pradesh resulting in 32 deaths. What is appalling is the level of impunity that powerful leaders and corporates enjoy. In the most sensitive cases, witnesses regularly turn hostile or go mysteriously missing. All of this is on top of the on-going reality of a criminal justice system that has almost half a million people languishing in our prisons for years, sometimes decades, for petty crimes, stuck there because they cannot afford bail, despite a Supreme Court order to the contrary. Most of these people are poor Dalits, Muslims and backward castes as one would expect. Violations of women’s rights abound and even this is increasingly being justified in the name of religion, like the entry of women into Sabarimala temple.  Fast forward to the last five years and two successive UN human rights chiefs have called out India’s human rights abuses in the last two years. I don’t recall this happening in the history of independent India. When Prince Zeid bin Ra’ad Zeid chided India for serious human rights violations in Kashmir in June 2018, the Indian establishment was livid and dismissed it as the baseless and illegitimate rant of an outgoing “Muslim” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights But on March 6, 2019, High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet, the soft spoken ex-President of Chile, while presenting her annual report to the UN Human Rights Council, warned India about the growing reports she has been receiving of attacks on minorities, Dalits and adivasis. She also took the unusual step of expressing concern that this divisiveness was being fomented to meet political ends.. https://thewire.in/rights/india-human-rights-record-since-2014
14.          Youth martyred: Apr., 25, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops martyred two youth in Islamabad district, today evening. The youth were killed during an operation in Kharpora area of Arwini in the district. Indian police claimed that the slain youth were militants who were killed during a shootout while trying to escape in a car after abducting a policeman from the area. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/24/indian-troops-martyr-two-youth-in-iok-19/
15.          Youth martyred; Apr., 26, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district, today, taking the number of slain youth to nine since Wednesday. The troops martyred the three youth during a cordon and search operation at Goripora in Awantipora area of Pulwama district, today morning. During similar operations, the troops killed two youth at Arwani in Islamabad district, yesterday, and four others in Melhora area of Shopian district on Wednesday.  . https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/25/indian-troops-martyr-nine-youth-in-four-days-in-iok/
16.           



Kashmir Update 71: Week Apr.,13, 2020 to Apr., 19, 2020  
           
1.    LoC Violations: Apr., 13, 2020: A four-year-old boy was killed and four other civilians were injured by Indian shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC) on Sunday, officials said. The four-year-old victim, Hussain Mir, was killed in Bantil village when the Indian forces started shelling earlier today. "The innocent boy was hit by shrapnel from a mortar shell in the first bout of shelling while he was standing in the courtyard of their house. He died on the spot," Shahid said.Bantil is part of revenue village Tehjiyan and five kilometres away from Dudhnial. Both Tehjiyan and Dudhnial had suffered damages from Indian shelling on Friday as well. In Rakhchikri sector, two men, aged 26 years and 70 years respectively, were injured from Indian shelling . Meanwhile, in Poonch district, a 14-year-old boy was critically injured after shelling started in the area at about 6:30pm Early in the morning, a 50-year-old woman was injured in Gaahi Barhu village of Samahni sector in the southernmost Bhimber district The Nakyal sector of Kotli district was also being “indiscriminately” shelled by Indian troops, residents said, adding that there were no reports about casualties.“Indian army is targeting Mohra Dharoti, Balakot, Nara Lanjot and other adjoining villages. As I speak to you, I can hear the thunder of mortars and artillery,” Abdul Qayyum Tahir, a Nakyal-based journalist told Dawn by telephone.“We will be able to ascertain losses only when the shelling stops,” he added. The number of people killed by Indian shelling in the year 2020 has increased to three while 54 civilians have been injured, out of whom 38 are men and 16 women. Unprovoked, indiscriminate and unrelenting ceasefire violations by Indian Army were not only causing civilian casualties and damages but also disturbing our efforts to contain Covid-19 in areas along the restive ceasefire line [LoC]. Earlier today, the Inter-Services Public Relations had said that two civilians were injured from "unprovoked ceasefire violation" by Indian forces during the night. On Friday, six civilians were injured after Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing in various sectors near the LoC, the ISPR had said. https://www.dawn.com/news/1548651/4-year-old-boy-killed-near-loc-from-indian-shelling-officials-say
2.   Arrests: Apr., 13, 2020: in occupied Kashmir, since the world is coping with the coronavirus pandemic, India while stepping up its state terrorism arrested more than 50 civilians during nocturnal raids in Sopore area of Baramulla district to suppress the freedom movement.Raids are being conducted by the police particularly against the youth across the territory on the pretext of anti-corona drive. The relatives of the detained youth while talking to the media said the coronavirus has become a new tool in the hands of the occupational authorities to persecute the innocent Kashmiris. .  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/12/over-50-people-arrested-in-iok/
3.   Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK: Apr., 15, 2020: Kayani said that Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK have launched Justice for Kashmir campaign to expose Indian efforts to change the demography of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir . British Pakistanis, Kashmiris and peace loving people will send emails to the United Nations, British MPs, International Human rights organisations and international media during this justice for Kashmir Campaign. https://www.wntv.uk/justice-for-kashmir-campaign-in-the-uk/?fbclid=IwAR3NPjO3OVai6KWuOGCPSluKQ1VqXYLZDe7rxz5JCGt5PduFdrPustGTomY
4.   LoC violations: Apr., 16, 2020: The Pakistan Army categorically rejected Indian allegations that Islamabad was involved in ceasefire violations and was purposefully “infiltrating COVID-affected individuals” in occupied Kashmir, saying they were “baseless” and “delusional”.“Indian insinuations about infiltration and CFVs by Pakistan are not only baseless but are also patently designed to divert global and domestic attention from the unending fiasco post – 5 Aug 2019.” The military’s media wing also rejected India’s accusations that Pakistan was “infiltrating COVID-affected individuals into IOJK”, saying Islamabad had always offered the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) unhindered access to sites where ceasefire violations had occurred.


“No less delusional are the allegations about Pakistan infiltrating COVID-affected individuals into IOJK. Pakistan has always extended unhindered UNMOGIP access to CFV sites.“We will continue to do that most transparently,” the ISPR warned.

“Indian leadership will be well advised to focus on addressing the internal mess, created not only by COVID-19 mishandling but also by the tragedy unfolding in IOJK for years on end,” it added  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/15/pakistan-rejects-indias-claims-of-infiltration-into-iok-ceasefire-violations/


5.   Protest: Apr., 16, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, the forcible occupation of farmers’ land by Indian troops in Soibugh area of Badgam district prompted the locals to come out of their houses and stage protest against the Indian army’s brutal act. The troops captured the land and set up an army camp in the area. Annoyed by the Indian army’s move, the locals defied restrictions and lockdown, came out of their houses and pelted stones on the troops. The troops fired bullets and teargas shells on the protesters. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/15/indian-troops-face-stone-pelting-over-capture-of-farmers-land/

6.   Apple farmers: Apr., 16, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, apple growers and traders are forced to pay for cold storages but are earning nothing as all markets and transport are shut because of the lockdown imposed to prevent spread of coronavirus. As many as one lakh tonnes of apple are lying in cold storages in Pulwama, Shopian, and other areas of occupied Kashmir. The traders say that there was a huge demand for the apples but it all vanished overnight due to the lockdown. The apple industry in occupied Kashmir had already suffered heavy losses, last year, due to the prolonged lockdown imposed by the Modi government after abrogating the special status of the territory. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/15/iok-apple-industry-going-through-worst-phase/

7.   1992 Documentary; Apr.,16, 2020: Documentary of human rights c violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir, n rape, extra judicial killings, arson , involvement f Indian Armed Forces in gross human rights violations  https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=811090262614405&id=608649652858468

8.   Youth martyred: Apr., 17, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred two Kashmiri ( Shoib Lone Arshad, Mursi Bhai)  , youth in Shopian district, today. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a cordon and search operation in Dairoo Keegam area of the district.   https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/17/indian-troops-martyr-one-kashmiri-youth-in-shopian-4/, Youth martyred: Apr., 18, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops  martyred four Kashmiri youth in Shopian and Kishtwar districts, today.The troops martyred two youth each during cordon and search operations at Dairoo Keegam in Shopian and in Dachan area of Kishtwar. The operations in both the areas continued till last reports came in. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/17/indian-troops-martyr-4-youth-in-occupied-kashmir/

9.   Youth mistreated: Apr., 18, 2020:  Thus is how Indian security Forces treat Kashmiris and in the process have alienated the Kashmiri youth to a point if no return. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2575012629419838&id=2318465695074534

10.          Kashmiri workers attached: Apr., 18, 2020: Three Kashmiri labourers attacked in Barot village in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday by a group of unidentified locals apparently fearful of the coronavirus are anxious to return home as they continue to fear for their safety.The three Kashmiri labourers – among a group of nine Gujjars from Banihal who had come to Barot to work on a transmission tower in November – claimed that they were subjected to an unprovoked attack at their place of residence. The assailants also hurled obscenities and warned them to leave the place or bear the consequences, claimed 60-year-old Abdullah. Even after attacking the labourers with cricket bats, the men allegedly followed them to the government hospital and threatened them while calling them “aatankwadi (terrorists)”. “They hate us because we are Muslims,” said Bahaardeen Naik, a 32-year-old victim, who sustained injuries in his arm. Abdullah, who was severely beaten, is bedridden as a result. “I cannot work now, I feel like I am crippled,” he said, speaking to The Wire. On April 11, at around 10:30 pm, Naik and eight other workers were sleeping in two separate rooms when the men broke into their house and attacked them. “They started thrashing us without telling us the reason,” Naik said. “I tried to escape and ran out crying for help, while others were struggling to get rid of them,” he said. Joy Choudhary, a digital marketing consultant, who lives half a kilometre away from the labourers, was the first person to come to their rescue after Naik narrated the whole incident to him. “I saw his right hand severely injured when he ran for help towards my place,” said Choudhary. After that Choudhary, with the help of another friend, reached the place of the incident and saw the labourers lying on the road with injuries on different parts on their bodies. “We then took them to the hospital,” .“The premises where the labourers were residing is adjacent to the Durga Mata Mandir. Some people already had issues about the labourers living there,” said Chaudhary. “They are Muslims and their passage is through the temple, so the locals were troubled by that. They thought they [the labourers] were polluting the place and there is already a campaign in the media about it as well,” he said. Advocate Deshraj, a lawyer who lives near Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, however, said that the attack against the labourers was communal in nature as the locals felt that Muslims are responsible for spreading the coronavirus. “It is a result of the hate campaign which is creating a communal divide between two communities,” he said. “There is no other reason,” he said. “The police are calling it an altercation, which is not the case.” “We have not seen such cases from here before this, but what is being circulated on social media and also by certain sections of the media, has made a target out of these laborers right now,” he said. “People here have also circulated posters about not providing rooms to Muslims on the grounds that they are responsible for spreading the coronavirus,” he added. The accused got bail within 24 hours of the incident. https://thewire.in/communalism/himachal-pradesh-kashmiri-labourers-attacked

11.          Kashmir Conference: Apr., 18, 2020: Speakers at the Covid-19 Kashmir Conference expressed concern that during the current unprecedented times, the Indian authorities were using the Pandemic to silence Kashmiris' voice by eradicating Kashmiri leadership; demoralising and destroying civil society. The conference was organized to take stock of on the ground happenings in Indian occupied Jammu and Kahsmir, according to joint statement issued at the conclusion of the moot which was organized through via video link from Brussels. According to the joint statement, the participants urged that pertinent United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir must be implemented, as well as the recommendations contained in the 2018 and 2019 Reports of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

12.          The speakers said that although the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir was not the only burning subject in international politics, but efforts would be made to undertake all such measures to maintain the Kashmir conflict higher on the agenda at the international fora. The conference noted with satisfaction that the United Nations Secretary General had asked the Indian authorities to release the Kashmiri leaders and other political prisoners. The participants urged other international institutions to join and to support the efforts of the United Nations, the statement said and urged the European Parliament to continue with their strong involvement (through Urgency Resolutions, Initiative Reports including physically sending official delegations to both parts of Kashmir, Global Discourses, Exhibitions) in overcoming the conflict. It urged the European Union to use their direct and indirect diplomatic channels to underline that any trade agreement would not be achieved, if the human rights situation (and especially the situation of those prisoners) is worsening and that India through sheer force attempts to implement its planned demographic change contrary to international law and the United Nations resolutions on Kashmir. Further, the participants urged the Organization of Islamic Co-Operation (OIC) to adopt similar policy towards India as recommended to the European Union. Indian government was stressed to allow international organizations to evaluate those prison conditions and to urgently prepare the conditions under which the detained Kashmiri leaders and other political prisoners can be freed. It also urged the Indian government to restore complete internet services including G4.The conference stressed for taking concrete measures for negotiations at a neutral location - Geneva - within the next 12 months. Among others who spoke on the occasion included, Prof MEP Klaus Buchner; President, All Parties Group on Kashmir European Parliament (APGK EP); President Carles Puigdemont (MEP) of Catalonia, Member of APGK-EP; Professor Alfred de Zayas, Professor of Law and History at Geneva University; Senator Mushaid Hussain Syed, Sardar Attique, former Prime Minister AJK, Barrister A Majid Tramboo, Executive Member of OKC and IHRAAM Permanent Representative to the United Nations; Sarah Owen, Member of the British Parliament, Julie Ward, Former Member of the European Parliament, Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl, Executive Member of OKC; Professor Josep-Lluis Alay, Associate Professor at University of Barcelona; Professor William Schabas, Professor at Middlesex University; Victoria Schofield, Author and Historian; Shamim Shawl, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Graham Williamson, Chairman, Nations Without States; Frank Schwalba Hoth, Founding Member of the German Greens. https://www.urdupoint.com/en/kashmir/india-using-covid-19-pandemic-to-silence-kash-896708.html

13.          CRPF men killed: Apr., 18, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, three Indian troops were killed and two others injured during an attack in Sopore area of Baramulla district on Saturday.The attackers opened fire on a joint party of CRPF and Police at Noorbagh near Ahad Bab’s crossing in Sopore. In the incident, three Indian troops were killed and two others were injured. The injured were evacuated to nearby Sub District Hospital.  ToI”A lone terrorist with an AK-47 rifle concealed under his traditional robe struck at a security checkpoint at Sopore in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Saturday, killing three CRPF troopers and critically injuring two other personnel in the second attack on security forces in less than 24 hours”. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/18/three-indian-troops-killed-two-injured-in-sopore-attack/




Kashmir Update 70: Week Apr.,6, 2020 to Mar., 12, 2020
 

           

1.    Youth martyred: Apr., 6, 2020; In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred five more Kashmiri youth bringing the toll to nine since yesterday. The youth were killed during a continued violent operation in Keran area of Kupwara district. Indian army confirmed that three soliders were also killed during the operation. Earlier, Indian troops had killed four youth identified as Sadam Malik, Aijaz Ahmed Naikoo, Shahid Sadiq Malik and Waqar Ahmed in Hardmanguri area of Kulgam district, yesterday. Three Indian troops were injured in an attack in the same area. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/05/indian-troops-martyr-five-more-kashmiri-youth-in-iok/

2.   COVID 19; Apr., 8, 2020: The Chairman of Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU), Ali Raza Syed, has urged the higher authorities of European Union (EU) to pay special attention on the severe situation of human rights in occupied Kashmir. In this connection, Ali Raza Syed has dispatched a letter to the President of European Council, Mr Charles Michel; President of the European Commission, Ms Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen; and High Representative of EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr Josep Borrell Fontelles. Ali Raza Syed in the letter wrote, “With extreme regret on suffering of the whole world from coronavirus, I want to draw your attention towards the critical situation of human rights in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).” The pandemic of coronavirus has increased the miseries of the people of Indian occupied Kashmir who were already facing hardships due to curfew imposed by the India for the last eight months, the letter added. In his memo the KCEU Chairman further stated that the people of occupied Kashmir are witnessing a constant siege for last several months and thousands of political workers are in prisons as the Indian government annulled special status of Kashmir and took this disputed territory in its direct control since August 2019. The letter maintained that now under the garb of the coronavirus pandemic, the Indian authorities are controlling information about the widespread of the disease in the disputed territory. It said, information received from the independent sources revealed that number of the infected people from coronavirus is increasing day by day in the territory but medical staffs have been asked not to share this information to the media. “Due to the less access to the internet, the activities on the social media are very limited and regular media outlets in the region are also restricted. Less freedom of expression and restrictions on free media, exchange of accurate information related to coronavirus crisis is very hard,” the letter further said. However, the independent sources from IOK said, there is a shortage of medicine for the masses and a lack of basic facilities and protective gears for frontline health workers, doctors and paramedics, who can ensure safety of the people from this dangerous virus, it further maintained. About India illegal activities in emerging situation of coronavirus, Ali Raza Syed further said, I want to inform that situation of the human rights in IOK has been more difficult since the outbreak of the coronavirus. The letter said that in a recent move by exploiting the situation created by the coronavirus, India introduced new domicile rules in Jammu and Kashmir in order to settle the non-Kashmiris and change demography of the disputed territory. It is gross desecration of international law and a clear violation of the UN resolutions that called for holding of plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir, the letter said. Ali Raza wrote that there was a need of special attention of EU on current human rights situation of occupied Kashmir. The EU should stop India from attempting to change demography of the disputed region, he added.  https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/07/kceu-draws-eus-attention-towards-grim-hr-situation-in-iok/

3.   International intervention sought: Apr., 8, 2020: The top resistance leader in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir on Monday urged international community and Pakistan to halt alleged demographic changes in the region. In a statement, Syed Ali Geelani, who remains under house arrest in Srinagar, the capital of the region, asked Pakistan to take a "serious note" of possible changes in the region's demography due to recent measures by India. "The world must take note of the arbitrary actions by the Indian government in its colony [Kashmir] which is an internationally recognized dispute," said Geelani, who heads the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference. "The only solution to this dispute is the right to self-determination. No power can take away this right from the people of Jammu and Kashmir," Geelani asserted.  https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/kashmir-top-leader-seeks-intl-aid-facing-domicile-law/1794676


5.   UN and Kashmir: Apr., 8, 2020: The United Nations and six other global rights bodies have expressed serious concern about the plight of the Kashmiri detainees languishing in different jails of the territory and India. UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres’ Spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric told reporters in Washington that the UN Secretary General believes that any political solution must take into consideration the issue of human rights. He said that already on March 25, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also called on the international community to protect prisoners from the pandemic by releasing vulnerable ones.
Six international human rights organizations in a recent joint statement in Geneva have already said, the fate of hundreds of arbitrarily detained Kashmiri prisoners hangs in the balance as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in India passes the 4,000 mark. These organizations include Amnesty International, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, the World Alliance for Citizen Participation, International Commissions of Jurists, International Federation for Human Rights and World Organization Against Torture. They stressed that under international law, India had an obligation to ensure the physical and mental health and well-being of inmates. The global human rights watchdogs expressed the apprehension that various state governments in India had begun releasing detainees, but there was a concern that hundreds of Kashmiri youth, journalists, political leaders, human right defenders and others arbitrarily arrested would not be among those benefiting from the measure. The statement said, as entire India is in a lockdown and a ban on prison visits for the duration of the outbreak imposed, inmates are more isolated from the outside world than ever. They added that the phenomenon was even more alarming in view of the huge number of custodial deaths due to torture and ill-treatment in Indian prisons. .
https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/07/un-rights-bodies-show-concern-about-iok-detainees/

6.   IFJ and Internet ban: Apr., 8, 2020: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) along with South Asia Media Solidarity Network has launched a campaign to bring to light the severe impact on journalists of the ban on high-speed internet in occupied Kashmir and has urged the government of India to lift the restrictions. IFJ and SAMSN in a joint statement said the world needs to know the severe impact on the lives of civilians and journalists as a result of this shutdown and a collective action is needed to end this violation of human rights and journalist rights immediately.The campaign, “POSTCARDS FROM KASHMIR”, started from April 4. It highlights the “critical need for high-speed communications during the COVID-19 pandemic” even as journalists the world over are switching to online mode in a bid to break the transmission chain of the deadly disease.The campaign carries stories of journalists from occupied Kashmir reflecting how journalists bore the brunt of the communication shutdown imposed by Modi government ahead of abrogation of special status of occupied Kashmir on August 05, 2019.The internet shutdown in occupied Kashmir for more than six months by the government of India was the longest ever in a democracy. While some communications have been gradually restored, the gag on high speed 4G internet in the occupied territory remains in force. On April 3, this ban was again extended to April 15. “Even before some communications were restored, the blackout was already the world’s longest communication shutdown in a democracy. India continues to lead the world in the number of shutdowns enforced on its people. From April 4-7, this campaign will shed light on the world’s longest and most severe communications shutdown on media and citizens,” the IFJ and SAMSN said in their statement. The IFJ-AMSN campaign has asked the government of India to “cease the communication controls that are continuing to limit the capabilities of journalists reporting in Kashmir, specifically the blocking of 4G mobile internet”.The IFJ said the campaign “will draw the world’s attention to the personal stories of journalists impacted by shutdowns and raise awareness on internet controls as an abuse of human rights”. “The IFJ urges the Indian government immediately restore all communications to the Kashmir Valley and ensure that all access is open and without restriction,” said the IFJ. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/07/ifj-launches-campaign-to-end-ban-on-4g-internet-in-iok/

7.   Youth martyred: Apr., 8, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops martyred one Kashmiri youth in Sopore town of Baramulla district, today. The youth was martyred by the troops during a violent cordon and search operation at Gulababad Arampora area of the town. The troops also destroyed a residential house in the area. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/08/indian-troops-launch-violent-caso-in-sopore-town/

8.   Cease fire and LoC: Apr., 10. 2020: The United Nations said on Wednesday that Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ recent global appeal for a ceasefire in the world’s conflict zones also applied to the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir, where India had repeatedly been violating the ceasefire, causing casualties and damages on the Pakistani side. The secretary general, in an appeal issued on March 23, had urged warring parties across the world to lay down their weapons in support of the bigger battle against COVID-19, “the common enemy” that is now threatening all of humankind. The global appeal, though, did not seem to affect Indian occupation troops who frequently fire across the LoC in violation of the ceasefire, despite a rise in coronavirus cases in the occupied territory amid a crippling lockdown.


9.   LoC violation; Apr., 12, 2020: At least six civilians have been "seriously injured" in the past 24 hours as Indian Army resorted to unprovoked firing in various sectors near the Line of Control (LoC), the Inter-Services Public Relations said on Saturday. "In last 24 hours six citizens including two girls have been injured and evacuated to nearby health facilities for necessary medical care," the ISPR said on Twitter. LOC Update: Indian Army resorted to unprovoked fire in Nikial Sector deliberately targeting civilian population. CFVs being responded befittingly by Pak Army troops.  According to the statement, Indian forces "deliberately targeted civilian population" in the Nikial, Sharda, Dhudnial and Shahkot sectors, while at Bessan Wali and Chhari villages, four innocent civilians, including a 15 year old girl, sustained serious injuries. An 18-year-old girl was also injured seriously in Mohra village, it added. On Thursday, Pakistan had shot down an Indian quadcopter after it violated Pakistan's airspace in Sankh district. https://www.dawn.com/news/1548346/6-civilians-injured-by-indian-firing-across-loc-in-various-sectors-ispr
10.          Police /RSS misbehavior: Apr., 12, 2020: In occupied Kashmir, Indian police personnel along with RSS goons tortured and misbehaved the family members, including women and children, of one Abdul Majeed at Karandi village in Kathua district. The officer of Rajbagh police station, Vishal, along with police team and RSS men barged into the house of one Abdul Majeed without any rhyme or reason and ruthlessly beat up and dragged Abdul Majeed, his son and also misbehaved his wife and daughter in Karandi village, 98 percent Muslim-populated area, in Kathua district. Reports said, next day 500-member police team and RSS men entered the village and beat up Muslims, their women and girls and also threatened them that they would shoot them if they raised voice against the police team. https://kmsnews.org/news/2020/04/11/indian-police-rss-goons-torture-inmates-misbehave-women-in-kathua/ 

Friday, April 3, 2020

A Statement of Human Solidarity in the Time of Corona By 70 Networks, Alliances and Human Rights Organizations from 14 Arab countries

مركز عمان لدراسات حقوق الإنسان
Amman Center for Human Rights Studies

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ACHRS, Telefax: 962-6-4655043,Mobile 00962795151590
P.O Box 212524 Amman, Email:achrs@achrs.org, www.achrs.org 27/3/2020 


A Statement of Human Solidarity in the Time of Corona By 70 Networks, Alliances and Human Rights Organizations from 14 Arab countries 


Based on our commitment to human rights and the principles of human solidarity, human dignity and moral responsibility, we urge the international community to steer clear of any political bias during the globally emerging corona pandemic; Emphasizing the fundamental values of the content of humanity such as: Solidarity, empathy, compassion, tolerance, cooperation and assistance and others; And when all of humanity became the subject of aggression which dictated the entire world to fight against COVID -19, which is dangerous because of the speed of its spread and how it attacks the health of people and the world economy. We are aware of the social and economic impact of this virus on humanity as a whole and the consequent responsibility for humanitarian action at this critical moment in history so that humanity can survive this crisis and no one is left behind; Since the need for many countries and regions to provide people with resources, equipment, medical expertise, and financial tools on a regional and international level, especially to countries at war and those that are subject to blockades and sanctions, requires the provision of human solidarity over political and economic interests; Believing in the importance of building a new world based on peace, justice, solidarity, mutual support and harmony for "a community of common destiny for humankind" guided by the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and committed to what has been agreed upon in the Paris Convention on Climate Change, and committed to all international agreements to stop the arms race, and to stop the tests and disarm nuclear, chemical, biological and biological weapons; 

Convinced of the necessity of stopping all kinds of wars and sanctions, as
well as lifting of all forms of siege, acknowledge the importance of
resolving conflicts through peaceful means in accordance with
international law and the International Bill of Human Rights, while
prioritizing the right of the people to self-determination;
Aware of the necessity to review the priorities of human society and
unify global efforts and resources to confront the major challenges of
natural disaster, nuclear, chemical and biological spending, international
and civil wars, human exploitation, and all forms of colonialism. We
must harness science and technology to meet the needs of the people,
especially the poor and marginalized;
While we salute all medical staff and medical and quasi-medical and all
the actors who are on duty security, media and necessities of life
necessary for their lives are at risk;
We praise the medical, paramedical staff, and other personnel that fulfill
the duty of security, information and essential life necessities,
endangering their lives;
We appreciate all the health and financial initiatives, as well as aids that
have been presented to countries that are confronting this deadly virus,
such as; France, China, Russia, Cuba, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates,
Qatar, and others. Such actions demonstrate human solidarity with
those who differ in politics, race, color, religion and opinion;
We highly appreciate the efforts of the World Health Organization, the
Secretary-General of the United Nations and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights for their efforts to unify and coordinate
international cooperation in the fight against this virus;

We, the human rights organizations demand the following:

First: The United Nations to provide medical assistance and to work for
lifting the American economic sanctions to secure medical supplies for
the Iranian people. 

Second: The United Nations, the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the
European Union to provide medical assistance to the Yemeni people; lift
blockades, and attempting to bring peace to Yemen through the Yemeni-
Yemeni dialogue.

Third: The United Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council to provide
medical and financial assistance to the Palestinian people in the West
Bank, Gaza Strip and refugee camps.

Fourth: The Gulf Cooperation Council and Algeria to provide medical and
financial assistance to Arab countries in need such as, Egypt, Lebanon,
Jordan, Tunisia, and others.

Fifth: The World Health Organization to accelerate the coordination and
unification of the efforts of States capable of manufacturing vaccines
and medicines for the emerging Coronavirus. It is also preparing a code
of ethics by not monopolizing it and to distribute for free to all people of
the world as a contribution from the pharmaceutical companies to
achieve a "common destiny community of mankind”.

Sixth: The United Nations must work to close all biological and
bacteriological research centers with military and aggressive purposes
against humans and nature. It must prohibit the creation of such centers
and punish those who work in them. And to add this crime, to the crimes
against humanity enshrined in the Rome Convention on the
International Criminal Court.

Seventh: UN bodies, political and economic actors, as well as thinkers
and academics must transform the current challenge into an opportunity
to rethink international relations and the pattern of production based on
spheres of influence and capital narrow interests to benefit human and
people rights fare away from persecution and exploitation.

Eighth: All governments should release prisoners that don’t have severe
offenses, especially Palestinian detainees in Israeli occupation prisons.
Governments must grant general amnesty for those convicted of
criminal cases whose sentences expire before the end of 2020.

Ninth: Human rights organizations and activists in the world must
contribute to the awareness efforts in partnership with governments in
fight against this aggression on the whole of humanity.


The undersigned organizations:
1. Amman Center for Human Rights Studies(ACHRS) / Jordan
2. Jerusalem Center for Human Rights and Legal Aid / Palestine
3. Moroccan Association for Human Rights / Morocco
4. Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights / Tunisia
5. Algerian League for the Defense of Human Rights / Algeria
6. The Egyptian Organization for Human Rights / Egypt
7. Swiss Academy for Human Rights / Geneva
8. AL Khiyam Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims / Lebanon
9. Yemen Organization for Defending Democratic Rights and Freedoms / Yemen
10. Libyan Society for Human Rights and Scientific Research / Libya
11. The Iraqi Network for Iraqi Human Rights Organizations (includes 54 human
rights organizations) / Iraq
12. Maghreb Coordination Association of Human Rights (includes 22 organizations
in Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania)
13. Bahraini Society for Human Rights / Bahrain
14. Ma'an in the Serving Humanity / Sudan
15. Mauritanian Association for the Promotion of Rights / Mauritania
16. International Center for Supporting Rights and Freedoms / Switzerland
17. Al-Haq Organization / Palestine
18. Jordanian Network for Human Rights (includes 10 human rights organizations)
/ Jordan
19. Palestinian Center for Peace and Democracy / Palestine
20. Jordanian Society for Human Rights / Jordan
21. Darfur Bar Association / Sudan
22. The Amman Society Forum for Human Rights / Jordan
23. The Call for Justice / Egypt
24. Awareness Center for Training in Human Rights / Jordan
25. The Yemeni Foundation for Combating Human Trafficking / Yemen
26. Women Visions Association / Jordan
27. The Moroccan Commission for Human Rights / Morocco
28. Affected Association for Human Rights / Jordan
29. Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights / Tunisia
30. Yazidi Organization for Documentation / Iraq
31. The Yemeni Council for Rights and Freedoms / Yemen
32. Iraqi Minority Coalition Network / Iraq
33. Lebanese Democratic Women Gathering / Lebanon
34. Tunis Center for Press Freedom/ Tunis
35. The Center for Human Rights and Democracy Information (Shams) / Palestine
36. The Independent Trade Union Confederation / Jordan
37. Yemeni Organization for Defending Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms /
Aden
 
38. The International Commission for the Support of the Rights of the Palestinian
People (Hashd) / Palestine
39. Babel Organization for Human Rights / Iraq
40. Arab Women Organization ((AWO) / Jordan
41. The Tunisian Organization against Torture / Tunisia
42. Jordan Jurists Association / Jordan
43. Adalah Foundation for Human Rights / Yemen
44. The Arab Women Media Center / Jordan
45. Women Association for Women Support / Jordan
46. The Yemeni Association for Academic Rights and Freedoms / Yemen
47. Working Women Association / Jordan
48. Palestinian Center for the Independence of Law and the Judiciary (Musawah) /
Palestine
49. Association of Economic and Social Forum for Women / Jordan
50. Freedom of Information and Expression - Hatem / Morocco
51. The Vigilance Committee for Democracy in Tunisia
52. Yemeni Coalition against the Death Penalty / Yemen
53. Al-Awasar Forum for Dialogue / Mauritania
54. Damascus Center for Theoretical Studies and Civil Rights / Sweden
55. The Palestinian Coalition against the Death Penalty / Palestine
56. Human Rights Trainers Association / Iraq and Kurdistan Region
57. The Arab Coalition against the Death Penalty(includes 11 coalitions and
organizations from 10 Arab countries organizations) / Jordan
58. Tunisian Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (includes 23 human rights
organizations) / Tunisia
59. Habitat Organization for Rights and Development / Yemen
60. Egyptian Alliance for Child Rights(includes 100 human rights
organizations)/Egypt
61. Women's Network for Peace and Security / Yemen
62. Bahrain Center for Human Rights Studies/Bahrain
63. Coalition of Moroccan human rights bodies(includes 23 human rights
organizations)/Morocco
64. Sisters Forum for Human Rights / Yemen
65. Moroccan Forum for Truth and Equity / Morocco
66. Moroccan Organization for Human Rights / Morocco
67. Arab Commission for Human Rights / Paris
68. Committees for the Defense of Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms in Syria
69. Middle East Foundation for Development and Human Rights / Yemen
70. Algerian League for Human Rights / Algeria