Afia Ambreen
Kashmiris on both sides of the Line of Control and across the world observe “Kashmir Martyrs Day” on July 13, every year. The day commemorated in the memory of 21 Kashmiris, who were martyred outside Srinagar Central Jail by the troops of Dogra Maharaja in 1931. This heinous incident took place on that fateful day when people had gathered to witness the court proceedings against, Abdul Qadeer, who was charged for instigating Kashmiris to defy Dogra rule. The people of Kashmir observe Martyrs Day to reaffirm their resolve to continue the struggle for self-determination and pay homage to the 100,000 innocent men, women and children killed brutally within the past 29 years.
The Kashmiri people’s resolve and continued commitment to peaceful protest is principled on the ongoing massive violations of their human rights, and the Indian Government’s atrocious dismissal of their aspirations for self-determination. Amnesty International (AI) report, for India (2017-2018) says, “Impunity for human rights abuses (in Jammu and Kashmir) persisted. Security forces continued to use inherently inaccurate pellet-firing shotguns during protests, blinding and injuring several people. Authorities frequently shut down internet services, citing public order concerns.”
While the mass protests by students across occupied Kashmir show that every section and segment of the Kashmir society is actively involved with the ongoing freedom movement, the use of force by Indian forces’ personnel on peaceful protesters depicts that each and every voice against India’s illegal occupation over Jammu and Kashmir is being stifled through military power. It is unfortunate that instead of respecting the aspirations of the Kashmiri people, the extremist BJP-RSS government in India is hurling threats to the Kashmiri protesters. Jan Sena, an extremist Hindu organisation and an off-shoot of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, has even announced to send over one thousand Hindu priests to occupied Kashmir to assist Indian forces to counter stone-pelters. Political observers in Srinagar have described the development as alarming because the RSS had planned to carry out massacre of Kashmiri youth through their trained militants.
In that regard, the recent report issued by the United Nations on June 14, 2018 on the situation in Kashmir, is congratulatory. The report underscored that “Impunity for human rights violations and lack of access to justice are key human rights challenges in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.”
And that “Impunity for enforced or involuntary disappearances in Kashmir continues as there has been little movement towards credibly investigating complaints including into alleged sites of mass graves in the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region.” 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. Its solution to the anger of people crying for freedom and a respite from the terror of 700,000 troops is to clamp down even harder, adding to the death toll of such a policy that now approaches the six-figure range.
India has miserably failed to suppress the Kashmir freedom movement despite killing hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris during the past over seven decades. The incumbent Indian government led by Narendra Modi is hell-bent to completely merge Jammu and Kashmir in India and change the Muslim majority of occupied Kashmir into minority. It is using its judiciary to abrogate Article 370 and Article 35-A of the Indian Constitution to pave way for giving the citizenship rights of Jammu and Kashmir to the Indian citizens. Indian designs to change demography of Jammu and Kashmir are intended to influence in its favour the results of a referendum whenever it is held in the territory. As such, the move is against the very purpose of the relevant UN resolutions.
India is also using its investigating agencies like National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) to implicate Hurriyat leaders, activists and pro-freedom people in false cases to force the Kashmiris to surrender their just cause.
Unfortunately, the international community, particularly the UN, is turning a blind eye to India’s actions in Kashmir resulting in the continued sufferings of the Kashmiri people.
The bloodshed in IOK ought to be stopped immediately. When the people of an entire region cry out for secession, the oppressors need to listen. It is for the world to take cognizance of the brutalities by Indian forces. Every year it appears that there is light at the end of the tunnel for Kashmiris, but it remains a mirage. We need to work harder to get the Kashmiris their right of self-determination and rescue them from the bondages of Indian slavery and tyranny.
India should acknowledge the fact that its brutalities have failed to suppress the Kashmiris in the past and would meet the same fate in the future as well. It should address the real issue of Kashmir by fulfilling its promise of giving the people of Jammu and Kashmir their right to self-determination. The world community also must take cognizance of India’s brutal and undemocratic actions against the Kashmiris particularly pro-freedom leaders and initiate measures to settle the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people to save them from the Indian cruelties.
The Pakistani leadership has always represented the Kashmiris’ aspirations and never betrayed the faith reposed in it by the Kashmiri people. The fact remains that despite facing the worst Indian military aggression for supporting the Kashmiris during the past several decades, Pakistan never gave up its support to the Kashmir cause and continues to advocate resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.
