Syeda Mazhar
Time and again we have been encountering the Indian rhetoric of Pakistan being a “terrorist state” but not once have they given any substantial proof of their paranoid delusions. It is not to be ignored about their atrocities in the Indian occupied Kashmir along with its constant interference in the internal matters of its neighboring countries.
India, being a country that doesn’t have the liberty to enjoy amiable nor diplomatic relations with any of its immediate neighbors, rather has it been notorious to wage wars against them in order to occupy more land. All throughout the history, India has used occupational strategies to invade and conquer territories under the rule of other governments, most prominent ones being Pakistan and China. The rest like Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh have had skirmishes in the past but were silenced.
Moreover, Indian government adopts a strange kind of nihilistic approach about the rising violence and rape issues in India. Delhi is known to be the rape capital of the world and these atrocities not only prevail in the civil populations but are also encouraged within the armed forces. The same personnel are then appointed to serve in the Indian occupied Kashmir where they unleash their animalistic behavior on the poor Kashmiris who are already struggling to retain some control over their lives for over three generations. It is not only the attitude of the soldiers appointed in Jammu and Kashmir; it is the behavior of their seniors and their governments along with the International community that causes the further violation of human rights in the region.
The enforced state government functioning from Srinagar has faced continuous protests, lockdowns and curfews over the killing of Hizbul Mujaheedin freedom fighter Burhan Wani in July, in an encounter with the Indian security forces in south Kashmir’s Kokernag area. Not to mention the infliction of intense torture on the Kashmiris as a punishment for supporting and mourning Burhan Wani’s death that has caused further unrest in the state. It has so far claimed 90 lives whiles thousands have been wounded and over a thousand civilians have received pellet injuries in their eyes. Thousands have been arrested by the Indian army just for showing solidarity with Burhan Wani in the past four months, with over 400 detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA) whereas it is the Indian Army that has been actively violating the fundamental human rights shooting into the eyes of the civilians not even sparing 4 year olds.
Even though the tensions along the Line of Control have been high ever since India accused Pakistan of being involved in an attack on an army base in Uri on September 18th last year, in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed. Islamabad had denied the charge, which India leveled without any substantial investigation or evidence. Now more than ever, the skirmishes in the region have increased and the Indian Army continues to violate the ceasefire on the Line of Control. Indian special forces have been continuously carrying out surgical raids inside Azaad Jammu and Kashmir.
Khuwaja M Asif updates on the unprovoked and naked aggression of Indian Forces that took place in the wee hours of September 28th. Indian military confirmed that it had carried out strikes along the unofficial border that divides the disputed territory that night. Simultaneously it accused Pakistan’s military to have violated the ceasefire and its government blatantly lied on the media that it has conducted military surgical strikes along its de facto border with Pakistan in Kashmir.
On the other hand, Pakistan military mourned the loss of two of its soldiers killed in the ‘cross- border fire’ while Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned what he called India’s “naked aggression”. The Defense Minister further clarified that if India continued to violate a ceasefire agreement with its nuclear armed neighbor then Pakistan would also strike back with full force. Pakistan rubbished Delhi’s obnoxious claims as a ‘farce’ aimed at appeasing right wing elements in India.
Recently, as the Indian army continues to cause increased unrest on the border, 8 people, including four women and two children, were killed as Pakistani soldiers retaliated. The Indian media called it the “highest number of deaths on a single day in over two decades” forgetting the thousands they have murdered in many open fires and the thousands they have blinded for the sheer power struggle. Indian Army killed two Pakistani soldiers and several Pakistani posts were destroyed as they advanced and created turbulence in the region.
General Raheel Shareef condemns the brutal killing of Kashmiri youth by the Indian Army. The army chief reiterated that the world needs to recognize aspirations of the Kashmiri people, their struggle for freedom and help to resolve the long standing dispute for lasting amity in Kashmir and to promote enduring peace in the region. The words of the Army Chief are not only a reminder to the International Community that Kashmiris have suffered long and enough but also to us to create awareness and empathy that leads to some motivated action that rids the Kashmiris of the series of unfortunate events.
