Statement on Kashmir. ENDORSED. BRP Bhaskar On Tue, Jul 12, 2016 at 1:13 PM, ram puniyani <[email protected]> wrote:
> > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: shabnam hashmi <[email protected]> > Date: Tue, Jul 12, 2016 at 1:01 PM > Subject: Statement on Kashmir Endorse by 4pm Today > To: shabnam hashmi <[email protected]> > > > Kindly endorse and get others to endorse too by 4pm today > ----------- > > We write this in anguish at another alarming spiral of violence in > Kashmir, when a discredited old playbook has yet again been deployed to > wreak havoc with civilian life. > Kashmir’s escalating violence follows a familiar pattern: a killing, a > funeral where rage is vented through slogans and stones, and volleys of > lethal gunfire in response. In 2010, this cycle rolled on repeatedly > through four months, claiming over 110 lives, mostly of Kashmiri youth, > including a number who were too young to know. > Nothing has been learnt from that year of catastrophe. The trigger for the > current surge of unrest in Kashmir was the killing on July 8 of Burhan > Wani, a militant of the Hizbul Mujahedin. The circumstances of Wani’s > killing are yet to be fully explained. It is nonetheless ironic that it > occurred on the very day the Indian Supreme Court issued a far-reaching > judgment in the context of fake encounters in the state of Manipur, > emphasising the illegality of the use of excessive and retaliatory force by > the army, security forces and police. These strictures apply even in > disturbed areas under AFSPA. Kashmir is an arena where the Supreme Court’s > observations that the rule of law would apply “even when dealing with the > enemy”, and that indeed, whatever the challenges, “the country’s commitment > to the rule of law remains steadfast”, are breached on a daily basis. > Available accounts of Burhan Wani’s life in militancy indicate that he was > as a 16-year old, embittered and radicalised during the 2010 turmoil by the > casual humiliations heaped on ordinary Kashmiris by the mass deployments of > security personnel. He witnessed repeated violent incursions into his home > and the harassment of near relations in what are called “crackdowns”, in > terminology that has entered the youth argot of the valley. The death of > his brother in a police encounter, when he had nothing to do with the > militancy, is believed to have further hardened his resolve. > Burhan Wani’s life story should be cautionary warning that the > heavy-handed, militaristic Indian approach to Kashmir, has only led to a > quarter century of siege and growing alienation. > Wani’s funeral on July 9 in the southern Kashmir town of Tral witnessed a > gathering of several tens of thousands. As protests broke out in this and > other locations, security forces responded with maximum force. The death > toll of thirty in a matter of three days, tells its own grim story. > Excessive and indiscriminate lethal force continues to be used for > purposes of law enforcement. This is in brazen contempt of the U.N. Basic > Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, > which do not allow for departure even in exceptional circumstances such as > internal political instability or public emergency. Pellet guns, introduced > in 2010 for crowd control, purportedly on the ground that it injures and > does not kill, have caused permanent injuries and irreversible loss of > eyesight to at least 92 young men. > The upsurge of civil unrest comes after a long sequence of intelligence > reports that flagged rising discontent at the new political arrangements in > Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP’s arrival in the portals of power and its > determined pursuit of a majoritarian agenda, have much to do with this. > Curiously, the intelligence warnings have focused on widening access to > the internet and social media as a disruptive influence. This diagnosis > which focuses on the symptoms rather than underlying realities, has fed > directly into the shutdown of internet services in Kashmir, the thirteenth > such closure in three years. > Certain recent observations of the Supreme Court, though made in reference > to Manipur, bear repetition as general principles. Mass deployment of the > army and security forces in aid of civil authorities always is predicated > on the premise that “normalcy would be restored within a reasonable > period”. If normalcy is not restored for a “prolonged or indeterminate > period”, it would be firm evidence of the “failure” of the civil > administration or of the armed forces, or both. Whatever the case, an > unending state of unrest could not “be a fig leaf for prolonged, permanent > or indefinite deployment of the armed forces as it would mock at our > democratic process”. > The time is long past, if ever there was one, when a solution to the > Kashmir problem could be achieved through force. Continuing recourse to > this option and the prolonged and bloody stalemate that has ensued, have > fuelled a mood of anger and despair in Kashmir. But with firmer iterations > of the military option from the highest political leadership, a dark mood > has taken hold in the rest of the country, a doubling down on the current > strategy and a tendency to brush off every manifestation of failure with > hateful and intemperate rhetoric directed at the people of Kashmir. > We recall the statesmanship shown by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee > in 2003, when he went to Srinagar during a particularly dark time, held out > a “hand of friendship” to Pakistan and said that the dialogue on Kashmir > would be held within the paradigm of humanity (insaaniyat ke daayre mein). > It is particularly unfortunate that no Union Minister has visited Kashmir > in this crisis and that the state leadership and elected legislators are > reportedly too insecure to venture out among the people. > We call for urgent steps from the Central and State government to prevent > civilians being killed and injured, and immediate steps towards > demilitarisation of the Valley and an inclusive political initiative. This > has to go along with an urgent review of AFSPA, leading to its repeal > alongside the entire constellation of special security laws that reward > atrocities on civilians and encourage impunity. We urge all political > parties to pressure the Government to open a political dialogue in good > faith with all relevant parties to ensure that the bleeding wounds of > Kashmir are staunched. > > NAME Organisation/ profession > 1. Vrinda Grover Lawyer > 2. Sukumar Muralidharan Journalist > 3. Anuradha Chenoy Prof. JNU > 4. Kamal Chenoy Prof. JNU > 5. Shabnam Hashmi Social activist - ANHAD > > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "humanrights movement" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > . > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
