It is welcome to note that the world is becoming aware of the atrocities in occupied Kashmir slowly but steadily. It is due to highlighting of the Indian atrocities at world forums by Pakistan and the international human rights organizations that the world is being apprised of what is going on in held Kashmir for decades. The recent report by Amnesty International is also a welcome edition as it has not only highlighted the atrocities committed in occupied Kashmir by Indian forces but has also expressed serious concern over the intensified repression of rights in the held valley, particularly during the last three years under the Modi regime which is busy in changing the very history of the Kashmiri and its demographics.

The AI report titled, "'We are being punished by the law': Three years since of abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir"  has revealed that in recent years, civil society members, journalists, lawyers and human rights defenders in the region had faced relentless interrogations, arbitrary travel bans, revolving door detentions and repressive media policies. As a matter of fact, Kashmiris are dying unsung. They are being killed with impunity, lodged in jails on false terror cases, their houses are set on fire, while they are deprived of their civil rights and basic rights like the right to express and move freely. Their leadership is in jail on false terrorism cases. Few months back, their valiant Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik was sentenced for life in prison in malicious, fictitious and fabricated case of terror-funding.

That the decision was delivered in one-sided way spoke volume of the dubious situation which showed the Indian government's real face to the world. Yasin Malik was convicted in terror related case on May 19. In fact, it was the mock trial as the Indian kangaroo court out-rightly bypassed all the clauses of local and international laws. Obviously, it is a glaring act of a one-sided case based on malicious intentions in defiance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and International  Covenant on Civil and Political Rights indeed.

He was already in Tihar Jail for the last many years and was denied legal help and access to his family by the Jail authorities, who were subjecting him to inhuman treatment. In fact, he is not the first case of its kind. The list of  Kashmiri freedom leaders, who are subjected to inhuman treatment both in and outside prisons is long. Last year, Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani's, who died under house arrest, was forcibly buried at night by Indian authorities and his family members were not allowed to even participate in his Namaz-e-Janaza and burial.

Instead his family members were booked for wrapping Syed Ali Shah Geelani's body in Pakistan flag and a number of FIRs were registered against them.  The irony is that India subjects Kashmiri leaders to these oppressive tactics as part of the Modi's suppressive politics and are aimed at dampening the very spirits of Liberation leaders but what he fails to understand that such tactics will provide impetus to the Freedom struggle and all such tactics by the Modi Sarkar are bound to fail.

One would appeal to the UN and international human rights organizations to come to the rescue of Kashmiri leaders, who are being subjected to inhuman treatment in prisons and are dying unsung and are delivered life terms on fabricated charges. In fact, the Indian atrocities can only be prevented by resolve the Kashmir issue as per aspirations of the Kashmiris.  It is a formidable challenge for the entire world and a litmus test for the world human rights bodies, who must highlight and condemn the Indian government and press for the Kashmir issues as per UN resolution.

In fact, Pakistan should also waste no further time and take the RSS and India to the International Court of Justice on the Kashmir issue, which is in the UN for over seven decades. On the positive side is the recent happening which shows that the Kashmir issue is getting international exposure now. Though the Kashmir issue is drawing the attention of world right now, but the process is very low and it's Pakistan's duty to highlight the plight of Kashmiri forcefully at the UN floor and other available human rights platform at global level to compel India to stop these atrocities.

For this purpose, both the government and the opposition will have to form a joint strategy to highlight the Kashmiri issue at world forums and sensitize the world and diplomatic circles   towards illegally incarcerated Kashmiri leaders and  activists, who are languishing in Indian jails. 

The occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been turned into Dante's inferno by Indian occupation forces but the world is silent which should not be the case. It is good to note that the United Nations Human Rights Commission reports on human rights violations in the held-valley has been highlighting the Kashmir issue and its report says during the last many years that the plebiscite in Indian-held Kashmir was the only solution for the Kashmir dispute but Pakistan did not pursue it effectively and hence failed to highlight this at international forums effectively. However, time has Pakistan should tell the world about the Indian atrocities by Indian government which has perpetuated the cultural and religious genocide of innocent Kashmiris, who are dying unsung.

Right now, the Modi regime is busy in its drive to change the demography of the held-valley through introduction of draconian laws and varied tactical maneuvers towards illegally incarcerated Kashmiri leaders and political activists languishing in jails in India and the occupied territory of Jammu and Kashmir.  A report on the state of political prisoners in Indian Jail shows that Kashmiri leaders are subjected to all sorts of high-handed and inhuman treatment in prisons. During the corona pandemic, they were kept with corona patients as is evident from the case of two sons of the late Hurriyat leader Ashraf Sehrai, who are languishing in District Jail, Kupwara.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 06 2022

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