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Kashmir: No rights, only wrongs
 The Indian
response to strife and rebellion is rhetoric and more. When
Kashmiris want more rights,
India does more
wrongs. When Indian and international human rights bodies decree
India for human rights abuse in the valley, India retaliates with,
“Kashmir is an integral part of India and any interference of any
kind by any one will not be tolerated.” When India is reminded of
its international commitment, the Indian response is “the times have
changed.”
In the last few
weeks, the Indian public has seen
Kashmir
burning. The Indian public has become immune to such scenarios.
Indians have become immune to pain and suffering. The mangled
bodies after accidents, lynching of people in the name of religion,
the average India “couldn’t care less.”
No problem,
least of all the
Kashmir issue
can be handled as a law and order problem. In a larger sense it is
a human rights issue and in a bigger sense it is a political dispute
which should be handled in the spirit of conflict resolution with as
less bloodshed as possible. If the state refuses to see reason and
the if the state continues to deny the basic right of self
determination to people who are seeking self-rule, there is no doubt
that we are sitting on another bloody battle in the days, months and
years to come.
Kashmir has seen
arbitrary arrests, torture, rape and extrajudicial killings. It has
also seen state sponsored attacks on the people including the
killings of Sophore and Chittisingpora. The vigilante groups have
spread mayhem and murder to justify the state’s acts of omission and
commission.
The Indian Human
Rights Commission has no jurisdiction over the acts of the army and
the paramilitary. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Amnesty
International, Human Rights Watch and other human rights
organizations are denied access to the
Kashmir valley.
The iron curtain is complete.
For the first
time in the history of the UN, the UN Human Rights Council
introduced the system of Universal Periodic Review and
India was one of
the 192 countries to be subjected to the scrutiny of enquiring
nations.
The
international community was more concerned about gay rights in
India
rather than the basic right to life. At the recent appraisal of
India’s human rights record at the UN Human Rights Council, Sweden
wanted to know when India would amend the IPC to protect gays. Soon
after, in a few days, the Indian Health Minister, Mr. Ramadoss
responded that India should protect gay rights.
The
United States,
UK, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh ended up asking questions about
anti-conversion laws and the communal violence bill, but did not
touch upon Kashmir at all.
Almost to the
day, we are into the 50th year of the Armed Forces Special Powers
Act, 1958. Kashmir and the north east (in between Punjab as well)
has borne the brunt of the attack which grants sweeping powers to
the armed forces to detain, maim and kill anybody and everybody.
Kashmir faces an
acute shortage of food and medicine. The international community,
save New
Zealand
is in the grip of Indo-US Nuclear deal euphoria, with the killings
of people in Kashmir finding the wrong explanation in the media and
no succour from any quarter.
In such a
situation, no authority, big or small has the right to pontificate
peace and patriotism. The rights of the people are more important.
Sacrificing the rights of the Kashmiris, merely because the right
wing forces are able to foment trouble in
Jammu is a time
tested tactic and should be abandoned with the condescension it
deserves.
In an atmosphere
or impunity from law and immunity to pain and sufferings, the valley
of Kashmir and the people of Kashmir have a long and uphill task to
struggle and gain their legitimate civil and political rights.
20 August, 2008
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