in solidarity multiplied by desire to be free inder salim
On Wed, Jul 13, 2016 at 10:11 AM, Kavita Srivastava <[email protected]> wrote: > Endorsed > On 12 Jul 2016 13:13, "ram puniyani" <[email protected]> wrote: > >> >> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- >> From: shabnam hashmi <[email protected]> >> Date: Tue, Jul 12, 2016 at 1:01 PM >> Subject: Statement on Kashmir Endorse by 4pm Today >> To: shabnam hashmi <[email protected]> >> >> >> Kindly endorse and get others to endorse too by 4pm today >> ----------- >> >> We write this in anguish at another alarming spiral of violence in >> Kashmir, when a discredited old playbook has yet again been deployed to >> wreak havoc with civilian life. >> Kashmir’s escalating violence follows a familiar pattern: a killing, a >> funeral where rage is vented through slogans and stones, and volleys of >> lethal gunfire in response. In 2010, this cycle rolled on repeatedly >> through four months, claiming over 110 lives, mostly of Kashmiri youth, >> including a number who were too young to know. >> Nothing has been learnt from that year of catastrophe. The trigger for >> the current surge of unrest in Kashmir was the killing on July 8 of Burhan >> Wani, a militant of the Hizbul Mujahedin. The circumstances of Wani’s >> killing are yet to be fully explained. It is nonetheless ironic that it >> occurred on the very day the Indian Supreme Court issued a far-reaching >> judgment in the context of fake encounters in the state of Manipur, >> emphasising the illegality of the use of excessive and retaliatory force by >> the army, security forces and police. These strictures apply even in >> disturbed areas under AFSPA. Kashmir is an arena where the Supreme Court’s >> observations that the rule of law would apply “even when dealing with the >> enemy”, and that indeed, whatever the challenges, “the country’s commitment >> to the rule of law remains steadfast”, are breached on a daily basis. >> Available accounts of Burhan Wani’s life in militancy indicate that he >> was as a 16-year old, embittered and radicalised during the 2010 turmoil by >> the casual humiliations heaped on ordinary Kashmiris by the mass >> deployments of security personnel. He witnessed repeated violent incursions >> into his home and the harassment of near relations in what are called >> “crackdowns”, in terminology that has entered the youth argot of the >> valley. The death of his brother in a police encounter, when he had nothing >> to do with the militancy, is believed to have further hardened his resolve. >> Burhan Wani’s life story should be cautionary warning that the >> heavy-handed, militaristic Indian approach to Kashmir, has only led to a >> quarter century of siege and growing alienation. >> Wani’s funeral on July 9 in the southern Kashmir town of Tral witnessed a >> gathering of several tens of thousands. As protests broke out in this and >> other locations, security forces responded with maximum force. The death >> toll of thirty in a matter of three days, tells its own grim story. >> Excessive and indiscriminate lethal force continues to be used for >> purposes of law enforcement. This is in brazen contempt of the U.N. Basic >> Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, >> which do not allow for departure even in exceptional circumstances such as >> internal political instability or public emergency. Pellet guns, introduced >> in 2010 for crowd control, purportedly on the ground that it injures and >> does not kill, have caused permanent injuries and irreversible loss of >> eyesight to at least 92 young men. >> The upsurge of civil unrest comes after a long sequence of intelligence >> reports that flagged rising discontent at the new political arrangements in >> Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP’s arrival in the portals of power and its >> determined pursuit of a majoritarian agenda, have much to do with this. >> Curiously, the intelligence warnings have focused on widening access to >> the internet and social media as a disruptive influence. This diagnosis >> which focuses on the symptoms rather than underlying realities, has fed >> directly into the shutdown of internet services in Kashmir, the thirteenth >> such closure in three years. >> Certain recent observations of the Supreme Court, though made in >> reference to Manipur, bear repetition as general principles. Mass >> deployment of the army and security forces in aid of civil authorities >> always is predicated on the premise that “normalcy would be restored within >> a reasonable period”. If normalcy is not restored for a “prolonged or >> indeterminate period”, it would be firm evidence of the “failure” of the >> civil administration or of the armed forces, or both. Whatever the case, an >> unending state of unrest could not “be a fig leaf for prolonged, permanent >> or indefinite deployment of the armed forces as it would mock at our >> democratic process”. >> The time is long past, if ever there was one, when a solution to the >> Kashmir problem could be achieved through force. Continuing recourse to >> this option and the prolonged and bloody stalemate that has ensued, have >> fuelled a mood of anger and despair in Kashmir. But with firmer iterations >> of the military option from the highest political leadership, a dark mood >> has taken hold in the rest of the country, a doubling down on the current >> strategy and a tendency to brush off every manifestation of failure with >> hateful and intemperate rhetoric directed at the people of Kashmir. >> We recall the statesmanship shown by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee >> in 2003, when he went to Srinagar during a particularly dark time, held out >> a “hand of friendship” to Pakistan and said that the dialogue on Kashmir >> would be held within the paradigm of humanity (insaaniyat ke daayre mein). >> It is particularly unfortunate that no Union Minister has visited Kashmir >> in this crisis and that the state leadership and elected legislators are >> reportedly too insecure to venture out among the people. >> We call for urgent steps from the Central and State government to prevent >> civilians being killed and injured, and immediate steps towards >> demilitarisation of the Valley and an inclusive political initiative. This >> has to go along with an urgent review of AFSPA, leading to its repeal >> alongside the entire constellation of special security laws that reward >> atrocities on civilians and encourage impunity. We urge all political >> parties to pressure the Government to open a political dialogue in good >> faith with all relevant parties to ensure that the bleeding wounds of >> Kashmir are staunched. >> >> NAME Organisation/ profession >> 1. Vrinda Grover Lawyer >> 2. Sukumar Muralidharan Journalist >> 3. Anuradha Chenoy Prof. JNU >> 4. Kamal Chenoy Prof. JNU >> 5. Shabnam Hashmi Social activist - ANHAD >> >> >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "humanrights movement" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to >> [email protected]. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "humanrights movement" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > . > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. 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