Reema Shaukat
It was few months back when UN issued a detailed report on the Indian atrocities in Kashmir. This report came as a challenge to India and its ill face was exposed to rest of the world. India often gears up for violence in Indian Occupied Kashmir and denies all kinds of watch dog reports on human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir. India which does not even bother about sacred virtues and spiritual significance of any religion so what to talk about Kashmir where its level of violence has touched the skies that it has started crushing people under vehicles thinking it will be able to crush the dream of freedom by Kashmiris. In Occupied Kashmir, India is trying its best to suppress the freedom movement by Kashmiris which has intensified manifolds with a new wave of uprising in the valley since 2016, post Burhan Wani.
According to reports Indian occupation forces had martyred over 95 thousand Kashmiris during last three decades. Around seven thousand one hundred Kashmiris were killed while in custody during the aforementioned period and as many as about twenty three thousand women were widowed and 107,713 children were orphaned. Amnesty International and other human rights watchdog have always made their say against Indian barbarous actions in Kashmir but it is constantly ignored by higher ups and comity of nations on international forums. A report which was released in June, 2018 by the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights is a significant step towards greater international recognition of the serious abuses committed against Kashmiris at the hands of Indian occupation forces. It is quite encouraging and hopeful that voices of innocent Kashmiris after their seven decades old struggle for freedom are heard in such forums. Request by High Commissioner to form COI indicates that UN has clearly idea what India has been doing in Occupied Kashmir through illegal occupation and worst kind of use of military might. The recently published report highlights a wide range of human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir which are not limited to abuses, detentions, forced kidnappings and killings but any new kind of violence to create fear among masses is adopted. Be it using humans as shield or crushing them under vehicles, Indian forces in Kashmir have failed to quash Kashmiris will for freedom. Moreover, the UN report also criticizes the constitutional and legal structures that Indian government has put in place to provide legal protection to its soldiers from the legal system of India. India has given its army a special leverage in IOK for use of force. The huge Indian occupational forces under the cover of Armed Forces Special Protection Act (AFSPA) and other black laws frequently engage in religious cleansing of Muslims. Under the Jammu and Kashmir Disturbed Areas Act, and the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act, security forces personnel have the powers to shoot suspected persons, to arrest without warrant, and to detain people without time limits. The law forbids prosecution of soldiers without approval from the central government, which is rarely granted, giving them effective immunity for serious human rights abuses. Earlier, the international human rights watchdog, Amnesty International, many at times has called for revoking of AFSPA and urged investigations into the human rights violations in J&K by an “independent and impartial” authority.
Time and again different independent media are covering the state of Jammu & Kashmir and they are raising voice through their channels and medium of communication about gross acts of violence and brutality in Kashmir by Indian forces. Recently, Al-Jazeera channel presented one of documentary on IHK after which India has withdrawn the security clearance given to channel for news coverage in Occupied Kashmir. According to channel report, India withdrew the security clearance granted to Al Jazeera network with its head office based in Qatar, after a documentary on Indian-occupied Kashmir was aired by the channel. After this action against channel, Indian home ministry in its statement said that relevant bureau has revoked the clearance and the matter is in consideration hence, pending a final decision by authorities. The Qatar-based channel however said that they are waiting for a response to their appeal made to the government for resumption of broadcasts. However, according to Indian ministry official, security clearance was issued to the channel on December 3, 2010, and it was revoked on May 29, 2018. The home ministry spokesperson also mentioned that their role is limited to the matter related to security clearance and the decision on cancellation of the broadcasting licence will be taken by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. On the report by ‘Economic Times’ Al Jazeera security was revoked for a documentary channel did on militancy in Kashmir and Indian government viewed that report by channel as one sided and biased. However, India which often tries to conceal the truth and present a foggy picture about happenings there, through their foreign ministry said that journalists and media are given due security and protection. The foreign ministry mentioned that foreign journalists would need prior permission to travel to areas such as Jammu and Kashmir, as well as Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and parts of Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan as these are considered “protected and restricted areas”.
Given the facts, India has often tried to suppress freedom of expression by media and journalists. India’s own journalists are harassed and threatened for writing about Indian violence, caste system and religion. Muslims and other minorities face worst kind of intimidation in Hindu country where cows are more sacred than human life. Likewise, journalists in Occupied Kashmir are always at threat and one of famous journalist was killed few months back. Watchdog reports, observations by UN missions, continued boundary violations across LOC through massive fire by India are projected on regular basis but they go unheard and unnoticed by international community. It is moral duty of UN and respective countries to take stern action against India which is always trying to suppress the medium of communications, voices of expression, and protests by different group against its brutalities in IOK. It is not for the first time that India disabled communication service but it often makes the voice silent which tries to project agony of minorities living within India.
