Kashmir abuse by India shames international community

Birmingham: Tehreek-e-Kashmir (TeK) UK held various meetings in the United Kingdom on international human rights day to remind the world the people of Kashmir are being denied their basic and fundamental human rights by India.

Afzal Khan MP, Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of the Commons in the UK, said that It is very important to keep raising voices against all kinds of human rights violations in the world as far as Kashmir and Palestine issues are concerned “These are big scars on international community,” he said, urging international intervention to stop crimes against humanity being perpetrated in the two occupied territories by India and Israel.

“Silence on Kashmir exposes hypocrisy of the international powers,” he added.

While speaking at a conference jointly organised by Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK , Palestine Solidarity Conference and Stop the War Coalition , Fahim Kayani, president Tehreek -e-Kashmir UK, said the UN has failed to play its part to stop Indian atrocities committed by the brutal Indian army against innocent Kashmiris.

“Such a behaviour of the UN makes Kashmiris to feel that the UN doesn’t consider Kashmiris as humans and that’s why India has got clean chit to snatch all human rights from Kashmiris which are enshrined in Universal declaration of human rights,” he added.

Kayani said the so-called democracy summit hosted by the US President Joe Biden coincides with the World Human Rights Day on Friday – the 10th of December 2021.

Unfortunately, among over 100 participants, India is also sitting on the table with President Biden, he said.

He said President Biden is right when he opened the summit warning: “This is the defining challenge of our time – democracy.”

“Mr President and all those who believe in human rights and right to self-determination (RSD), there are over 10 million people in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIoJK) that are being denied the basic right to life and RSD as promised by the UN and international community,” Kayani said, addressing Biden.

Mr President, the US is also signatory to over 20 resolutions and documents on Kashmir at the UN that call for plebiscite in IIoJK.

“Why not ask India, your ally, to abide by these UN resolutions and allow people of IIoJK to decide their fate?” Kayani asked the US president.

Mishaal Hussain Mullick, Chairperson Peace and Culture Organisation, said that this is the time to hold India accountable and ask her about political prisoners of Kashmir who are being held in infamous Tihar jail on frivolous charges including Muhammad Yasin Malik, Masarat Alam, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Asiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi, Nahida Nasreen, Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, Ayaz Akbar, Mehraj-ud-din Kalwal, Peer Saifullah, Bitta Karatay, Altaf Fantosh and dozens others.

“Jails in Kashmir and in India are filled with Kashmiri political prisoners.”

Muhammad Ghalib, President Tehreek-e-Kashmir Europe, said IIoJK is facing history’s worst human rights abuse where aged people – Syed Ali Geelani (94) and Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai (79) are being killed in custody but no one holds India accountable.

Khawajah Muhammad Suleman, another TeK leader, said IIoJK is a place where whole occupied territory is being turned into an open-air prison and the UN-designated disputed region is re-annexed and re-occupied by India “but the US and her allies choose to remain silent.”

Marwan Darwaish, Palestinian human rights activist, said the struggles of Palestinians and Kashmiris are leading light for those who believe in human rights and international law.

“The two liberation struggles are linked and Palestinians and Kashmiris will win their battle,” he said.

Duke Salman Khan Paul Harris Fellow and Chairman of South African Kashmiri Action Group said ” The uprising and revolution of 17 February 2011 in Libya recorded 12 civilian deaths by the 25 February 2011 UNSC resolution 1973 was passed which was put in motion by France, Britain and Italy and UN orders NATO forces to create no fly zone over Tripoli and with few days they started to bomb Gaddafi forces and their intervention to support rebels saw Gaddfi capture and murder. In comparison to last two months October and November 489 people had been killed in iiojk but no resolution to bomb Indian forces but why.”

Shaista Safi, a Kashmiri activist, said Indian occupying military is conducting fake encounters and killing unarmed, civilian Kashmiris and then denying their families to see the faces of their loved ones for last one time.

“This is height of war crimes in IIoJK,” she said

On one side, while India is perpetrating war crimes in IIoJK, it has also launched an all-out war against human rights defenders and journalist who are bringing out these crimes against humanity out to the world, Safi said.

Hurriyat Leader Abdul Hamid Lone referred to the illegal arrest of Khurram Parvez, the coordinator of Jammu and Kashmir Civil Society whose work has been used by the United Nations to unmask India’s war crimes in Kashmir.

“Nearly 40 journalists have been interrogated by Indian agencies, their houses raided, their instruments including phones, laptops confiscated. No reason is being given,” he said.

Ahsan Untoo, a Kashmir-based human rights defender, said that India has put on notice every Kashmiri who lives outside Kashmir for want of study or job.

“Their families are being harassed, their details are being taken, and many have been disallowed to come out of India for simple reason: they talk about RSD of Kashmiris,” he added.

Naeem Malik, PSC; Stuart Richardson, Stop the War Coalition; Dr Khurram Bashir Vice President Pakistan Coordination Council s, Rehana Ali, Information Secretary TeK UK , Naila Azmat Stop the War Coalition and Qamar Abbas, President TeK Birmingham Branch also condemned human rights violations in Kashmir and Palestine.