Respect the popular demand of Kashmiri people for Right to self determination.
Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee condemns in the strongest terms the ongoing reprehensible onslaught of the Indian armed forces on the unarmed civilians in Kashmir. We express our deep concern on the ever increasing Human rights and civil rights violations in Kashmir at the hands of armed forces which are resulting in enormous losses to the innocent lives.
Since the protest began on 8th July after Burhan Wani’s killing, over 50 Kashmiri’s has been put to death and over 3000 injured due to the use of lethal force. By turning civilian residential areas into a war zone government both at the Center and State is following dangerous precedents which have in the past pushed the whole region into turmoil.
Double standards of the Indian government have become clear for the whole international community to witness. During the Patel and Jat agitations which turned extremely violent in Gujarat and Haryana, states where the ruling central party BJP is in power, lethal weaponry was not even considered as an option. Maximum restraint was maintained even at the cost of heavy economical loss. But when it comes to Kashmir and Muslim protestors Government’s and security establishment first option is gunfire with intent to kill.
Till now 117 civilians have been left permanently disabled due to the usage of controversial pellet guns. Among those blinded are women, children, young boys and old men. This action of encouraging the infliction of lethal injuries on the civilians and then sending doctors from Delhi to operate on those injured is a malicious joke played by the BJP Central Government.
It is appalling to witness the Government following a pattern where it is conceive that crushing popular uprisings under military boots will soon give a sigh of relative normalcy. As it was done in 2008 than in 2010 and now the same narrative is getting repeated in 2016 where civilians are killed mercilessly and lethally injured to bring ‘normalcy’.
This kind of normalcy and status quo where civilian population is kept under shadows of military might is a futile exercise in a democracy. Message on the streets of Kashmir is loud and clear that they want their grievance addressed and status quo is not a solution. The popular demands of the people of Kashmir for the right of self determination should be accepted as it is the only way to bring a long lasting peace in the region.
Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee believes that rampant killings of Kashmiri civilians at hands of armed forces are a crime against humanity. It should be noted that since 1992 around one lakh Kashmiri’s are killed by the security forces. It should be a matter of grave concern for the whole civil society of this world that mass shootings, kidnappings, molestation, rape, etc. have became the tools in the hands of the Security forces to suppress the popular demand of Kashmiri people for self determination.
Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee strongly believes that in Kashmir there is grave infringement to the charter of Universal Declaration of Human Rights that Kashmiri people cannot enjoy right to life with human dignity; where they do not have the right to expression nor they have right to self determination.
Civil liberties Monitoring Committee demands Govt. of India to uphold Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to stop suppression of human rights and civil liberties in Kashmir. We demand Govt. of India to repeal AFSPA and demilitarize Jammu & Kashmir immediately.
Lateef Mohammed Khan
Gen. Secretary