By:
Sajjad Shaukat
Since
1989, Indian army, paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies have been
using various tactics of state terrorism in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK)
to crush the war of liberation. These tactics have intensified after the young
Kashmir leader Burhan Wani was martyred by these forces on July 8, 2016. In the
aftermath of this extrajudicial killing, protests have continued by the
Kashmiris in wake of sieges and prolonged curfews, including arrests and
detentions of the Kashmir leaders. Since July 8, 2016, these ruthless forces
have martyred more than 700 innocent persons. With the acceleration of the
Kashmiri Intifada (Uprising), Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) witnessed a rapid
increase in the brutal tactics, applied by the Indian forces on the innocent
Kashmiri people, which resulted into more extrajudicial Killings. However, IOK
continue to witness bloodshed as Indian occupation-troops indiscriminately and
incessantly hunt the innocent people in the name of so-called search
operations. In a sham move, Indian government had announced to suspend
so-called operations during the holy month of Ramadan, this year. But, on the
second Friday of the Ramadan, heavy shelling was used to disperse the
protesting crowds outside Srinagar Jamia Mosque. Resultantly, many Kashmiri
people were injured and the Jamia Mosque was also filled with blood and empty
shells. Since last four months, Indian security forces have unleashed extreme
terror and killed more than 75 innocent Kashmiri people in fake encounters or
firing incidents on peaceful protestors. It may be recalled that at least 20
Kashmiris were martyred in Kachdoora village, Shopian district of IOK on a gory
day of April only.
In this regard, recent martyrdom of the prominent
Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari presents another example of India’s
extrajudicial killing. However, a strong Kashmir voice of brave 50 years old
Journalist, editor of “Rising Kashmir” was forever made silent through shots on
June 14, 2018. In this respect, BBC reported on June 14 and June15, 2018, “A
leading newspaper journalist and editor in Indian-administered Kashmir, Shujaat
Bukhari, has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Srinagar. Bukhari, a
frequent contributor to the BBC News website, was attacked in his car near the
office of the Rising Kashmir newspaper, which he edited. He was taken to
hospital but was later declared dead…One of his guards was also killed in the
attack…No group has claimed the killing…Bukhari described the threat to
Kashmiri journalists in a 2016 article for BBC News. Threats to life,
intimidation, assault, arrest and censorship have been part of the life of a
typical local journalist, he wrote. He was well-known in Kashmir and was
previously a correspondent for the Indian newspaper The Hindu…Apart from
running three daily newspapers, including the English language daily Rising
Kashmir, Mr Bukhari lobbied aggressively for peace by organising conferences
and summits in the US, UK and other parts of the world. He was also a regular
presence at secondary diplomatic initiatives envisioning better relations
between India and Pakistan.” As regards the martyrdom, eyewitness pointed out
that four persons wearing helmets and “shalwar kameez” appeared on two
motorcycles outside the office of Rising Kashmir near Srinagar Lal Chowk and
opened fire when just Bukhari boarded his vehicle.
It is notable that Shujaat was martyred on the very
day when Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(OHCHR) released 49 Page Report covering human rights abuses in the Indian
Occupied Kashmir (IOK) for the period of June 2016–April 2018. Reliable sources
and very close friends of the deceased stated that Shujaat Bukhari always
condemned Indian state terrorism against the innocent Kashmiris, openly and
loudly. He used to boldly criticise extra-judicious killings of innocent people
by Indian security agencies, especially Indian intelligence agency RAW.
Notably, Shujaat also played key role through “Track Two Diplomacy” in paving
path to resolve Kashmir issue between two nuclear states—India and Pakistan.
But, unfortunately RAW could not tolerate his realistic criticism regarding
brutal techniques of Indian security forces, employed on the innocent men,
women and children. Therefore, RAW decided to suppress a loud independent voice
of Shujaat through bullets and assassinated him. It is mentionable that since
1947, in order to maintain its illegal control, India has continued its
repressive regime in the Indian Occupied Kashmir through various machinations.
Nevertheless, various forms of state terrorism have been part of a deliberate
campaign by the Indian army and paramilitary forces against Muslim Kashmiris,
particularly since 1989. It has been manifested in brutal tactics like
crackdowns, curfews, illegal detentions, massacre, targeted killings, sieges,
burning the houses, torture, disappearances, rape, breaking the legs,
molestation of Muslim women and killing of persons through fake encounters.
According to a report on human rights violations in
the Indian Occupied Kashmir, since 1989, there have been deaths of 1,00000
innocent Kashmiris, 8,023 custodial killings, 1,50,771 arrests, 1,40,996
destruction of houses or buildings, 24,776 women widowed, 1,60,466 children
orphaned and 20,086 women gang-raped/molested. Indian brutal securities forces
have continued these atrocities. In fact, Indian forces have employed various
draconian laws like the Jammu and Kashmir Disturbed Areas Act, and the Armed
Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act and Public Safety Act in killing
the Kashmiri people, and for the arbitrarily arrest of any individual for an
indefinite period. Besides Human Rights Watch, in its various reports, Amnesty
International has also pointed out grave human rights violations in the Indian
Controlled Kashmir, indicating, “The Muslim majority population in the Kashmir
Valley suffers from the repressive tactics of the security forces.” In its report
on July 2, 2015, the Amnesty International has highlighted extrajudicial
killings of the innocent persons at the hands of Indian security forces in the
Indian Occupied Kashmir. The report indicated, “Tens of thousands of security
forces are deployed in Indian-administered Kashmir…the Armed Forces Special
Powers Act allows troops to shoot to kill suspected militants or arrest them
without a warrant…not a single member of the armed forces has been tried in a
civilian court for violating human rights in Kashmir…this lack of
accountability has in turn facilitated other serious abuses…India has martyred
one 100,000 people. More than 8,000 disappeared (while) in the custody of army
and state police.”
In this respect, European Union has passed a resolution
about human rights abuses committed by Indian forces in the Indian Held
Kashmir. It is of particular attention that in 2008, a rights group reported
unmarked graves in 55 villages across the northern regions of the Indian-held
Kashmir. Then researchers and other groups reported finding thousands of mass
graves without markers. In this connection, in August, 2011, Indian Jammu and
Kashmir State Human Rights Commission officially acknowledged in its report
that innocent civilians killed in the two-decade conflict have been buried in
unmarked graves. Now, more unmarked graves have been found. In this context,
foreign sources and human rights organisations have revealed that unnamed
graves include those innocent persons, killed by the Indian military and paramilitary
troops in the fake encounters including those who were tortured to death by
RAW. Latest reports disclosed that Indian security forces have also used
chemical weapons against the Kashmiri civilians in violation of international
law and Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It is noteworthy that regarding extrajudicial killings
in the IOK, on June 28, 2010, BBC reported, “Three men went missing in
Indian-administered Kashmir in April…but their bodies were discovered near the
Line of Control…a senior officer of the Indian army had kidnapped them by
offering them jobs as porters. The troops later informed the police that they
had killed three militants. Kashmir’s law minister, Ali Mohammad Sagar says
there have been several proven cases of fake encounters in the past 20
years…There are hardliners in the Indian Army and intelligence agencies, who
think that by raising the bogey of infiltration and gun battles near the border
they can create terror among people and also put pressure on Pakistan.”
Besides, by manipulating various false flag operations, especially that one
which occurred in a military base in Uri on September 18, 2016, the BJP-led
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi not only shifted the blame game towards
Islamabad, but has also intensified war-hysteria against Pakistan. Indian
forces have continued shelling at the Line of Control (LoC)-Pakistani side of
Azad Kashmir and the Working Boundary generally targeted the civilian
population. And Pakistani troops are giving matching response to Indian
unprovoked firing and are well-prepared for atomic war, as threatened by Indian
army chief Gen. Bipin Rawat on January 14, this year. Since the start of this
year, Indian forces have violated 2003 ceasefire agreement for more than 1,050
times, resulting in killing of 28 civilians and injuring 117.
The so called secular India’s face has been exposed to
the entire world, the way Indian forces have locked the mosques and massacred
the innocent Kashmiris. Why UNO is not responding? It is a real question for
all Human Rights organizations as well. According to UN’s charter article 1
& 2, it is clearly mentioned that “Right to self determination” would be
top priority. Even the American President Roosevelt and UK’s Prime Minister Churchill
were of the views that “Right of self determination is a basic right of any
nation”, but at this critical moment, none of these countries are speaking for
the said right for Kashmiris and they are silent over the Muslim’s bloodshed
being spilled by Indian forces in Kashmir, which continue to employ various
brutal tactics of state terrorism.
