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Thursday, March 28, 2024

“India-washing” continues in Occupied Kashmir: rights report

A recent rights report highlights that India has been responsible for the killings of 229 Kashmiris, and calls for the Indian government to stop its India-wash in Kashmir. It is a very troubling time indeed for Kashmiris.

India is killing Kashmiris in Occcupied Kashmir with impunity, as a recent report suggests that northwards of 200 have been killed during more than 100 military operations since January, a rights group said Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/ShahidInam35/status/1278543096221818881

The Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), which operates in the region, said in its bi-annual report that from Jan. 1 to June 30, the region witnessed the extrajudicial executions of at least 32 civilians and the killing of 54 armed forces personnel.

India is killing Kashmiris with impunity

It also saw 55 internet shutdowns and the destruction of 48 structures, it said.

The report said three children and two women were also killed, while as “at least 107 Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) and Cordon and Destroy Operations (CADOs) were conducted in the region, which resulted in the killing of 143 militants.

Read more: India begins illegal demographic changes in Occupied Kashmir

“At least 57 gunfights took place between government forces and the militants following the search operations,” it said.

In addition, during search operations and encounters, “vandalism and destruction of civilian properties were reported.”

Media in Occupied Kashmir is muzzled

The report said that in the first six months of 2020, the media continued to be at the receiving end of pressure, intimidation and harassment by the authorities, with several incidents involving the beating of journalists.

“Besides physical assaults, a few Kashmir-based journalists were also booked under stringent charges and cases were filed against them,” it said.

Read more: Genocide of Kashmiris: OIC’s Human Rights Commission condemns India

The report noted that the Jammu and Kashmir police filed cases against two Kashmiri journalists under the Unlawful Activities Act, which clearly infringes on the right to
freedom of expression and freedom of the press as “such tactics signal a
forewarning for media personnel to adhere to the state narrative.”

It also said that high-speed mobile internet services have remained banned since Aug. 5 last year, noting that in the last six months, there were 55 instances of internet blockades.

India is killing Kashmiris through new laws and ‘demographic flooding’

The report said India is paving the way for demographic change in Occupied Kashmir on a large scale, thus institutionalizing a system of domination over indigenous populations.

“The order is a clear violation of the 4th Geneva Convention,” it noted.

Read more: OIC wants halt to Kashmir abuse by India

The report cited observers as warning that the new domicile law could
permanently alter the demography of the disputed region.

It also touched on the recently introduced new media policy wherein the government will examine the content of the media.

According to the policy, the government will decide what is “fake,” “unethical” or “anti-national” news and take legal action against the journalist or media organization concerned, including sharing information with security agencies.

COVID-19 allows further encroachment on human rights

The JKCCS’s report said that after the first case of the novel coronavirus was declared in the region in March, the local government clamped down with restrictions and curfews when people in the region had already been locked up since August last year.

It said roads were barricaded while surveillance tools were used to track down people.

“Until April 16, around 2,303 people were also arrested in the region for defying lockdown orders while many shops were sealed and vehicles seized in the region,” it said.

The report also said that 345 prisoners were released amid the pandemic, but many prisoners are still being held in Indian jails while giving reference to J&K High Court Bar Association President Mian Abdul Qayoom, who has been detained since Aug. 5 last year.

It said during the COVID-19 crisis, many doctors in the region have been harassed and beaten by government forces while performing their duties.

Anadolu Agency attempted to contact government advisor Farooq Khan on the issues covered in the report but received no response despite repeated calls.

It also contacted government spokesman Rohit Kansal, who is yet to respond to a texted query.

Kashmir: troubled paradise

The latest surge in violence in the disputed Himalayan valley this year has left over 100 suspected Kashmiri militants dead. Some 72 militants have been killed since the coronavirus pandemic emerged in the region on March 20.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China. Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965, and 1971 – two of them over Kashmir.

Some 70,000 people, mostly civilians, have died over the past 30 years in Indian-Occupied Kashmir, monitoring groups say. India has been very liberal in its killing of Kashmiris.

Read more: India gives a shut up call to OIC on Kashmir

The fighting is between Indian soldiers – who number around 500,000 on the ground – and freedom fighters wanting either independence or union with Pakistan.

Clashes between security forces and militants – which often escalate as demonstrators gather – have been a near-daily occurrence since India launched “Operation All Out” after the death of charismatic freedom fighter Burhan Wani in 2016.

Also, in the Siachen Glacier region in northern Kashmir, Indian and Pakistani troops have fought intermittently since 1984. A ceasefire took effect in 2003. Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting Indian rule for independence or for unification with neighboring Pakistan. According to several human rights groups, thousands have been killed in the conflict since 1989.

Anadolu with additional input by GVS News Desk

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