APHC letter to Embassies Ref. No: APHC/301-2 Dated: 13/09 /2013 The Ambassadors, High Commissioners of different Embassies in New Delhi Subject: Regarding the repeated bloodbath on the streets of Kashmir and the need to protect the very basic right, the right to life of the people of Kashmir. Excellency: While we have been gagged and forcefully confined to our homes or put behind bars, the repeated acts of invasion on the lives of innocent youth at the hands of Indian Armed forces on the streets of Kashmir, compel me to write to your Excellency and thereby draw your attention towards the pain and agony of the people of Kashmir. On Saturday September, 7 2013 when a concert of western classical music conducted by composer Mr. Zubin Mehta organized by the Embassy of Germany in India and assisted by the authorities was in progress in the famous Shalimar Mughal Garden at the banks of Dal Lake Srinagar, four innocent Kashmiri youth belonging to Shopian district of Kashmir were murdered in cold blood by the cops of Ghagren Shopian Forces camp who opened fire at them when they were passing near the camp riding their motor bikes. There was anger and shutdown in the entire valley of Kashmir and Public protests against these killings. On Wednesday 11 September 2013, the personal of the same above mentioned forces camp without any provocation opened fire on the protesters, protesting against the killing of four youth on September 7, thereby killing a 27 years old youth namely Rafi Ahmad Rather S/o: Ghulam Qadir Rather R/o: Saidpora, Shopian. Before these incidents, on July 18, 2013 in Gool village of Ramban district four persons, including an engineer, were killed when personnel of 76 Battalion BSF stationed in a camp in Gool opened indiscriminate fire on the protestors. 60 persons were injured out of which two succumbed to their injuries later. Excellency: Be it Ghagren Shopian, Gool or any other place these Armed forces camps, present in every nook and corner of the State, and making J&K the most militrized zone in the world, have turned into “Killer Camps”. The the Armed personnel in these camps are spewing blood of innocent people at their will and without any accountability whatsoever. Incidents like the above are becoming the order of the day for the hapless people of Jammu & Kashmir. The continuous imposition of black laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act, Disturbed Areas Act and Public Safety Act provide complete immunity to the Indian Armed personnel against the prosecution for any crime in Kashmir. The cover of immunity has emboldened the trigger happy cops to pull the trigger any moment of their choice with complete impunity. Though we have repeatedly demanded the repeal of these black laws and removal of these “Killer Camps” from populated areas so that continuous incidents of killing and harassment of the population could be stopped but the authorities seem to be bent upon to inflict maximum pain and injury to the people to bring them on their knees and dance to the tune of the authorities. We do understand that having no large scale economic attraction, the pain and agony of Kashmiri population does not attract the attention of the international fraternity the way it should have been, however, being a nuclear flash point in South Asia Kashmir has the potential to affect the peace of South Asia and thereby the whole world in a big way. Besides being signatories to the international charter of human rights it is the moral responsibility of every nation to ensure that these basic human rights are adhered to by all. The situation in Kashmir is grim and greatly worrisome. Authorities in power are either mute spectators or collaborators to the killings in Kashmir, who conveniently provide the facade of democratic rule in the state. Even a scant respect for basic human rights is not relevant for them. With every passing day the situation is turning more and more volatile. It is high time that killing of innocent Kashmiris is put an end to so that the people of this land do get entitled at least to the basic human right, the right to life. I hope your good self will use your diplomatic influence to impress upon the Indian authorities to desist from brutalizing the people of Kashmir and respect the internationally acknowledged basic human rights of the population in Kashmir. With regards Yours sincerely, -Sd- Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference
Posted on: Sat, 14 Sep 2013 16:04:13 +0000
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