Hurriyat
Demands Impartial Probe into Mass Killings in Kashmir
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(India)- Hurriyat Conference chairman Prof. Abdul Ghani Bhat.
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By
Zafarul-Islam Khan, IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, July 23 (IslamOnline) - Hurriyat Conference addressed a
memorandum to the UN Secretary General Kofi Anan and other world
powers demanding an impartial probe by an international agency into
all the mass killings involving Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs that shook
the state of Kashmir in the last 13 years.
All
Party Hurriyat Conference is a conglomerate of 23 secessionist
organizations based in the Valley of Kashmir. According to Hurriyat
sources, the memorandum was submitted Sunday, July 21, with a plea for
an early resolution of the Kashmir issue.
Besides
the UN, the memorandum was also sent to the U.S., UK, Russia, China,
Japan, Amnesty International and the European Union. It came as a
result of the brutal dispersal of the Hurriyat demonstration in
Srinagar on July 20 against the recent killings in Jammu.
The
demonstrators were not only attacked by batons, some prominent leaders
were taken into custody as well. The arrested people were later
released at the same night. But an important Hurriyat leader, Yasin
Malik, who was released from prison the same day on court orders was
almost immediately booked under other charges.
Commenting
on the re-arrest, a Hurriyat spokesman said in Srinagar that "The
arrest of Yasin Malik has exposed the state government's claims that
it is guided by democratic principles."
The
spokesman urged the world community to take note of the "brazen
violation" and reprimand New Delhi over this act. "World
community should now wake up and take note of the human rights
violations," he said.
Jammu
and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) has also strongly condemned the
arrest of its chairman Mohammed Yasin Malik under the draconian Public
Safety Act. A JKLF spokesman warned the government against any
"misadventure". He said Malik was suffering from kidney
ailment and he needs an immediate surgery.
The
JKLF spokesman advised the government not to feel good about the
arrest. He said if government thinks that they can break the will of
the separatists then "it is living in fool's paradise."
Hurriyat
chairman Prof Abdul Ghani Bhat said there is a need to unmask the ugly
criminals involved in various carnages across the state. He said the
Hurriyat Conference decision to hold a protest rally two days ago was
an attempt to emphasize the need at the global level to expose the
killers.
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India - Hurriyat women activists arguing with the police during Saturday demonstration. |
Hurriyat
has been claiming that such mass killings are the handiwork of the
security forces themselves directly or through the renegade militants
under control of official agencies.
"The
people of J&K are engaged in a just and legitimate struggle for
freedom in accordance with the international law, UN Security Council
resolutions as well as more importantly the pledges given to us by the
Indian leadership. We have been frantically demanding that an
impartial enquiry by an international agency be conducted into all
mass killings by what government calls unidentified gunmen," Prof
Bhat said.
Hurriyat
chairman said that the innocent blood is shed in Jammu and Kashmir at
the state level with a view to apportioning blame on freedom-lovers,
obviously to bring infamy and disrepute to the whole movement.
"It
is time sensible people rise above political considerations and
address the issue, which is the cause of violence and bloodshed in the
interest of the principles of justices and the values of civilized
life and above everything else a brighter future for the entire people
of the region", he said.
Prof.
Abdul Gani Bhat added that "Consequent upon the mass killings of
innocent men, women and children yet again at Qasim Nagar in Jammu, it
decided in an extraordinary meeting a couple of days back to organize
a protest march with a view to emphasizing the need at the global
level to unmask the ugly criminals involved in the carnage".
Rashid
Raheen, editor of Srinagar's Current News Service told IOL over the
phone that the memorandum is a reaction to the brutal behaviour of the
authorities on Saturday. He added that this is the not the first time
that the secessionist conglomerate has written to the UN and other
world powers demanding self-determination.
The
Hurriyat Conference is still refusing to participate in the coming
state legsilative assembly elections next October. Reportedly the
Hurriyat chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat was told by US diplomats during a
recent visit to Delhi to participate in the assembly elections in
order to prove his organisation’s representation in the state. He
was told categorically that the US would not support Hurriyat’s
policy if it shied away from elections.
After
returning to Srinagar, Bhat called an emergency meeting of the
Hurriyat executive last Monday to discuss the latest US stand. But
despite the US pressure, the parties could not reach an agreement on
taking part in the polls because Pakistan and the militant outfits
were against it, Times of India reported today.
In
another development, Hurriyat Conference Sunday refuted the government
claim that 'Z' category (highest class) security has been provided to
its leaders in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The
government's claim is far from truth and the only objective of the
false claim is to malign the Hurriyat leadership," a spokesman of
the amalgam told reporters in Srinagar.
A
J&K minister had told the state legislative assembly last week
that seven Hurriyat leaders, including two sons of its slain leader
Abdul Ghani Lone, were being provided 'Z' category security by the
government. The Hurriyat spokesman said that the government was
duty-bound to protect the people and the National Conference
government has "failed" in it.
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