Qammer Abbass Anka
There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people”(Howard Zinn)The terrible and heinous massacre of Muslim populace of IOK is continuing since seven decades without any break. The catastrophe is big enough to move any conscious human being. Unfortunately, the callous insensitivity of international community is encouraging India to cross all limits of gross human rights violations. It is not that international community is unaware of atrocities being unleashed on people of IOK, it is rather the vested interest of Western Governments to remain mute just to please India.Though tragic story of IOK is known to everyone in the World, yet it would be pertinent to refresh the volatile memories of people. The blood-spattered tragedy of poor Kashmiris had started after 1947 when they were denied their legitimate and UN approved right of self-determination. According to Che Guevara, “When forces of oppression come to maintain themselves in power against established law, peace is considered already broken”. As a natural reaction to Indian injustice, people of IOK organized themselves and launched a freedom movement which India tried to crush through coercion and tyranny. Later, seeing the uprising in IOK, in 1988, India positioned a very large contingent of Armed Forces comprising over 700,000 heavily armed troops to suppress Kashmir struggle on gun point. Since then, Indian Occupied Kashmir has become a cemetery of human rights and graveyard of innocent Kahmiris. With the advent of Indian occupational Forces, the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Kashmiri people has intensified manifolds. The word ‘Genocide’ is no more able to depict Indian loathing and vendetta against Muslims of IOK. Houses are being burnt, people arrested, tortured, raped and killed. So far, more than 100,000 killings have been done by Indian occupational forces. The number is growing logarithmically as Indians are using increasingly brutal methods to suppress the people of IOK and their legal struggle for freedom. The phenomenon of religious persecution which is very common against the Muslims of India reaches its extremes in IOK. Moreover, heavy Indian occupational forces under the cover of Armed Forces Special Protection Act (AFSPA) and score of other black laws frequently engage in religious cleansing of Muslims.The Amnesty International realizing its responsibilities have many a times demanded that both the Government of India and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir must take immediate steps to ensure that all human rights violations and crimes committed by Indian security forces, including the police in Jammu and Kashmir are investigated by independent and impartial authorities under international law. The organization also urged that where there is sufficient admissible evidence, those accused should be prosecuted in proceedings meeting international fair trial standards. The Amnesty International has also been asking New Delhi to become signatory of international conventions on human rights.Customarily, leaders are center of gravity for any freedom movement. India has a terrible record of victimizing Kashmiri leaders through filthy tactics to break their will and resolve. They have been repeatedly harassed, physically intimidated and mostly assassinated. Kashmiri leaders are also denied permission to travel abroad fearing exposure of Indian human rights abuses to the World.
Recently, a new wave of Indian brutalities has set in with the martyr of an eminent IOK leader Burhan Wani. Burhan Wani was a great voice for freedom of IOK. The planned killing of Burhan Wani triggered protest throughout the valley. To suppress the protestors, devilish Indian Occupational Forces started played havoc with the protestors resulting into martyring of near two dozen innocent and armless Kashmiris so far. The bloodshed is still on and God knows how many more Kashmiris will lose their lives at the hands of Indian forces. The recent genocide in IOK has received wide coverage in International as well domestic Indian media.
Instead of accepting the existing reality, India resorts to implicating Pakistan for Kashmiri uprising. Indian allegations against Pakistan are ploy to hoodwink the International Community on Kashmir issue and a blanket to hide state sponsored atrocities on innocent people of IOK. International community must realize the plight of IOK’s people. Kashmir has been under unlawful Indian occupation since October 1947. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have been granted the right of self-determination under the UN Charter, and under several UN Security Council resolutions, more specifically under UN (UNCIP) resolution of August 13, 1948, and January 5, 1949. These alongwith subsequent UN resolutions have affirmed that, the question of accession of the State of Jammu and Kashmir to India or Pakistan will be decided through the political democratic method of free and impartial plebiscite. Unfortunately, stalwart supporter of Human equality and advocates of preservation of human rights have done little to resolve decades long IOK dispute. It is sad to admit that death of few animals aired by international media can bring tears in the eyes of people but no heart moves on genocide of innocent Kashmiris. These double standards are drag to international efforts on global peace. Leonardo Boff has rightly said, “The eternal destiny of human beings will be measured by how much or how little solidarity we have displayed with the hungry, the thirsty, the naked and the oppressed. In the end we will be judged in terms of love”. A peaceful, negotiated settlement of Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN resolutions should rank top on UN’s agenda. In order to find a swift and legal solution of Kashmir dispute, international community must stand with people of IOK. India should also realize that no freedom movement has ever been suppressed with force and Kashmir is no exception.
