JOINT STATEMENT BY CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISTS ON SECTARIAN CLASHES IN BUDGAM 25th July 2013 For the last few days some villages of Budgam district are witnessing unfortunate incidents of sectarian clashes. Many villages continue to be under curfew but without cessation of violence. It is reported that two youth groups entered into a brawl near Khomeni Chowk, Bemina on the Thursday evening, 18th July. As the rival groups belonged to Sunni and Shia sects, this minor tussle was manipulated by vested interests into a Shia-Sunni clash. Next day, on 19th July, the clashes spread to many other adjoining villages, despite the fact that entire valley was under strict curfew and at various places there were protests being carried out against the desecration of Holy Quran, sacrilege of the mosque and unprovoked extra-judicial killings of 4 unarmed persons in cold blood at Gool, Ramban by Border Security Force and Police. So far many houses, shops and vehicles of both the communities have been damaged. According to the locals from these villages the Police intervention instead of addressing the clashes further enraged the people. Despite curfew and deployment of police and CRPF, it is baffling how properties continue to be damaged. For example, on 23rd July at Suhipora, Wadwan around 40 houses were torched, out of which 30 belong to one community and 10 houses of other sect. According to the villagers of Suhipora, unidentified people who attacked the village in the midnight had come from some other areas. The pattern of these riots is very suspicious and it appears there exist some ulterior motives behind the current flare up. Having said that it would be naïve and inappropriate to be in denial and not acknowledge the increasing hostility in the discourses of some sections of Sunni and Shia communities. However we will also be amiss if we fail to take note that some vested interest groups are hell bent in hyping the differences amongst the two sects and inciting violence between the two communities who despite their well known theological view-points have never been involved in violence against each other in Kashmir and have always lived in comparative harmony with each other. As expected, the district administration and the police have played anything but a conciliatory role. Also the curfew around and in these villages has crucially restricted the possibility of civil society initiatives for reconciliation. People in Laribal and Hakermula villages claim that the police despite knowing the volatility in the area reached their villages on Saturday only after four houses and one shop had already been looted and damaged. In fact, we have been informed by some people of Laribal village that some villagers were asked by police to come forward for inter community dialogue and on 23rd July, around 12 midday, atleast 9 persons were taken along by the police from Laribal and almost the same number of persons from Dandoosa. Since then they have been detained by police. People across the affected villages of Budgam also state that the criminal and rogue elements in the villages who few years back were part of Ikhwan network (government militants) were seen actively involved in rioting and looting. Moreover the cadres of pro-India parties instead of restraining and counseling people to desist from rioting were seen actively involved in rioting. We the concerned civil society actors of Kashmir, urge the people at large and the religious leaders from all sections of the society to play a positive role in ending sectarian clashes in Budgam forthwith. Also we urge the religious leaders, particularly of Sunni majority community to urgently attend to the need of de-escalating the anti-Shia discourse amongst all sections of our society. Unfortunately from various areas in Jammu and Kashmir it has been reported that some religious leaders have unintentionally or intentionally encouraged via blaming the Shia community for being anti-movement. It is a blatant lie and those encouraging this discourse should stop forthwith, feel ashamed of vitiating our precious atmosphere of life-long amity, willy-nilly acting as tools of those who want to divide us. We urge all sections of Kashmiri society to come forward for helping the affected families, defeating the machinations of anti-people forces and ensuring that this kind of madness is not accepted, ever again. 1. Dr. Altaf Hussain – Author and Civil Society Activist 2. Adv. Parvez Imroz – Human Rights Lawyer and President, J&K Coalition of Civil Society 3. Abdul Majid Zargar – Columnist and Chattered Accountant 4. Z. G. Mohammad – Author and Columnist 5. Zahir ud Din – Journalist and Author 6. Munshi Ghulam Hassan – Ex-Chairman J&K Bank 7. Shujaat Bukhari – Editor in Chief, Rising Kashmir 8. Dr. Zaffar Mehdi – Social Activist 9. Dr. Mubeen Shah – President, Joint Chamber of Commerce 10. Shakeel Qalander – Social Activist, member KCSDS 11. Sajjad Hussain – Social Activist 12. Najeeb Mubarki – Journalist 13. Gowhar Geelani – Journalist, Writer 14. Abir Bazaz – Academician 15. Mirza Waheed – Author 16. Adv. Syed Manzoor – Senior Advocate 17. Dr. Rafi Punjabi – Poet and Writer 18. Huma Dar – Academician 19. Dr. Javid Iqbal – Columnist and Physician 20. Anwar Ashai – Social Activist 21. Zareef Ahmed Zareef – Poet and Social Activist 22. Ifrah Butt – Social Activist 23. Samreen Mushtaq – Social Activist 24. Uzma Qureshi – Social Activist 25. Uzaifa Basu – Social Activist 26. Khurram Parvez – Human Rights Activist
Posted on: Fri, 26 Jul 2013 06:18:24 +0000
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