{"id":7332,"date":"2010-09-20T00:00:01","date_gmt":"2010-09-19T22:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=7332"},"modified":"2010-09-19T19:34:59","modified_gmt":"2010-09-19T17:34:59","slug":"people%e2%80%99s-initiative-on-jammu-kashmir-visit-of-civil-society-delegation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2010\/09\/people%e2%80%99s-initiative-on-jammu-kashmir-visit-of-civil-society-delegation\/","title":{"rendered":"People\u2019s Initiative on Jammu &#038; Kashmir: Visit of Civil Society Delegation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>A Report<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A Delegation of Civil Society comprising Swami Agnivesh, Admiral L. Ramdas, Ms. Mohini Giri, Fr. Dominic Emmanuel and Dr. Mazher Hussain visited Kashmir Valley from 30<sup>th<\/sup> August to 2<sup>nd<\/sup> September 2010. The objective of the visit was to gain first hand knowledge of the prevailing ground situation in the valley and to commiserate with the people of Kashmir for their suffering and loss of life. Over 65 youth and children have lost their lives in the past three months, besides many hundreds have been injured. The team visited the homes of some families to share our concern and condole with them.<\/p>\n<p>The persistent curfews and strikes, coupled with the heavy deployment of security forces have forced the women folk to stay back home \u2013 completely \u201ccaged\u201d-and they are the worst sufferers. It is imperative that special measures are required for their security and wellbeing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Meetings<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The delegation met a cross section of people including the injured in the hospital,, families of victims, youth, separatist leaders, mainstream political parties, doctors, advocates, academicians, businessmen, religious leaders, members of civil society, journalists and ministers of the state government.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the prominent people with whom the delegation interacted were the Governor of Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed Former Chief Minister of J&amp;K, Syed Shah Geelani of the Huriat (G), Mirwaiz Omar Farooq Huriat (M), Yaseen Malik JKLF, Maulana Shaukat of Jamat E Ahle Hadis, and Mr. Yousuf Tarigami M.L.A. From the government the delegation met Mr. Rathar(Finance Minister), Mr Sagar\u00a0 (Law Minister), Mr Taj Mohidin (Uri)<\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Observations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The      situation in the Kashmir Valley is both critical and tragic. For over 80      days now, there has been curfew and hartals causing untold hardships and      misery to the people at large.<\/li>\n<li>64      people, mostly teenagers, have been killed in firing by the police and      paramilitary forces and hundreds have been injured. During the visit to      the SKIMS hospital in Srinagar, the delegation saw that some of the      injured had head injuries and two were in a comatose condition. The      Delegation also met two women- one in her sixties and one in her twenties      who were injured in firing.<\/li>\n<li>The      Delegation wishes to place on record that the conditions at the hospital      were clean and the doctors and staff appeared dedicated. That the injured      are being treated free of charge is appreciated.<\/li>\n<li>The      Delegation also visited the homes of two teenagers Mr. Omar Qayoom Bhatt and      Tufail Mattoo (both 17 years) who had died to pay condolences to their      families. It is reported that Omar was picked up by the police and      tortured brutally for 36 hours that led to his death within three days of      his release from custody. Tufail Mattoo was killed when a tear gas shell      was fired at his head that brought his brains out. It is reported that he      was killed while walking back from his classes- his school bag on his      shoulders.<\/li>\n<li> Many such instances are cited of innocent      people \u2013 especially youth and children being fired at \u2013 including the one      in Anantnag where an 8 year old child who was being taken to a hospital by      his mother for treatment was killed when a bullet pierced his head. One      the very day the delegation reached Srinagar, 4 teenagers playing caroms      in Miasoma area of Srinagar were fired at by the police and injured. One      of them is very critical and has very little chances of survival.<\/li>\n<li>Every      one bitterly complained about the total insensitivity of the establishment      as well as the people and the media in India to the tragic happenings in      Kashmir. Their main lament was against the Prime Minister of India who      they said waited for two months and 60 deaths to express his concern. Some      contended that India is interested only in the picnic spots of Kashmir and      not in its people.<\/li>\n<li>Every      one that the Delegation met is outraged by the fact that the security      forces have been indulging in indiscriminate firing even on peaceful      protests. The      Delegation time and again agreed with the people and emphasized the point      that in a democracy people have the freedom and should be given that      freedom to express their views in a peaceful way. They should have the      aazadi to shout pro-aazadi slogans on the streets and no police should      open fire on them. This is what is meant b y democracy.<\/li>\n<li>Even      in instances when some youth are indulging in stone pelting, the answer      cannot be firing to kill. Such direct resort to lethal force instead of      acceptable crowd control measures has transported the entire population of      Kashmir from alienation to extreme anger. Every killing by the security      forces is adding to the anger and bringing out more protesters- thereby      adding to the spiral of violence.<\/li>\n<li>The      Ministers with whom the Delegation interacted stated that it is a matter      of shame for them also when all these killings of their own people are      taking place. One Minister said that he had expressed himself against the      killings on a national television channel. Even the Governor said that a few      mistakes were made and that things could have been controlled in the      initial stages.<\/li>\n<li>It      seems necessary to investigate all the cases of killings and injuries      during these past months to determine all instances of unnecessary use of      force and punish the guilty in the cause of justice and to win back the      trust and confidence of the people.<\/li>\n<li>Presently,      neither the administration nor the security forces seem to be acting in      any accountable manner. Such unaccountable and undemocratic actions of the      administration and the forces appear possible because of Laws like the      AFSPA, Disturbed Areas Act and PSA that are in force in the State of      J&amp; K. There is an urgent need to repeal all such laws immediately to      bring back democratic and accountable governance that would be in the      interest of and for the people.<\/li>\n<li>Many      people expressed outrage at the allegations that the ongoing unrest is      sponsored by Pakistan or fuelled by some militant groups and found it      insulting. The fact that thousands are coming on the streets and for      months discredits the contention that the disturbances are sponsored or      engineered by some one.<\/li>\n<li>The      common contention is that this is the result of 63 years of repression and      the mind set of the youth who were born during the past 20 years of      militancy and have experienced nothing but turmoil and conflict. All of      them expressed how they were tired of seeing the army and police all      around. The seniors mentioned that while they had taken the presence of      the army and police for granted and tolerated it but that is not how it      was going to be with the new growing up generation. The youth resent it      and that is why times in future are going to be worse than what we see      now.<\/li>\n<li>It is      these youth who are engaging in stone pelting and even defying all the      leaders of the movement. A leader like Mr. Syed Ali Shah Geelani had to      modify his remarks about stone pelting when the youth rebelled against his      advisory to remain peaceful. Elders are apprehensive that if the      aspirations of these youth are not addressed seriously, some of them may      leave the stones to take up guns leading to another round of a bloodbath      that will not be in the interest of any one.<\/li>\n<li>The      Delegation is amazed to note that the degree and intensity of anger is      cutting across age, class and gender. Every one- from a 14 year old child      to a 75 year old elder, a man on the street or a professional, men and      women are expressing the same sentiments and speaking in the same voice.      The general echo was that it has to be a \u2018Do or Die\u201d effort this time      around<\/li>\n<li>Every      one complained of being ill treated and insulted by the security forces      that could also end up in beatings. That the very large presence of the      armed forces and frequent curfews has transformed the entire society into      an \u201copen jail\u201d. \u00a0\u201cAzaadi\u201d has become      the predominant slogan along with demands for total withdrawal of gun from      the State, restoration of their respect and honour as a people and expression      of extreme distrust of the Indian State.<\/li>\n<li> Most people blamed the Indian state for      the prevailing conditions and accused the Indian state of being insincere      and non serious about the Kashmir issue. They contend that there are many      instances where the Indian Government offered to engage in dialogue but      withdrew half way thereby damaging the credibility of the people who had      accepted the offer and proceeded to negotiate. It was pointed out by Mr.      Geelani that since 1948 more than 130 initiatives for dialogue were      started but abandoned with out reaching any results and there by      discrediting the institution of dialogue itself. Mr. Mirwaiz said that the      Indian government, instead of having dialogue to solve the problem in      Kashmir was talking through the barrel of the gun.<\/li>\n<li>Unlike      in the rest of the country, most people in Kashmir are well informed of      the historical contexts and contend that the accession of the State of      Jammu &amp; Kashmir to the Indian Union was as per certain conditions and      want that agreement to be respected and restored. Many assert that they      are not demanding autonomy but the restoration of autonomy that was theirs      as per the instrument of accession.<\/li>\n<li>Many      people were categorical that the issue of Jammu &amp; Kashmir is a      political issue and not to be confused with being economic or even that of      human rights even though righst violations are gross and rampant. They      found it demeaning that the Government of India has come out with economic      packages and offers of creation of more jobs when what is required and      wanted is a political solution.<\/li>\n<li>On the      other hand, induction of more and more armed forces can only exacerbate      the problem and never be the solution. The sooner this is realized, the      better it will be for every one.<\/li>\n<li>Many      people expressed themselves against the silence of the civil society in      India as a whole on the Kashmir situation and felt disappointed about its      role and efficacy in addressing the issue. Many reiterated that the civil      society should build up public opinion all over the country so that the      Kashmir issue could be resolved.<\/li>\n<li>The      Delegation noted that while every on spoke of \u201cAzaadi\u201d, there did not seem      to be much clarity or consensus about the meaning of \u201cAzaadi\u201d. It varied      from withdrawal of the gun to autonomy of the state to independence from      the Indian state. But non mentioned about merging with Pakistan.<\/li>\n<li> Even Mr. Geelani, who had always      maintained the position of merger with Pakistan issued a statement during      the visit of the Delegation talking about the possibility of Kashmir as an      independent country like Switzerland and also came out with five      conditions as a precursor for the initiation of the dialogue process. A      big step forward as he had been the one who had been engaged in      \u201crejectionist\u201d politics and consistently refused to engage in dialogue      with the Indian state.<\/li>\n<li>The      Delegation noted that most people in the Kashmir valley that it interacted      with were focused mostly on the Kashmir region and the issues of Jammu and      Leh- Ladakh were left out from all discussions. Any holistic and proper      solution to the issue will have to take into consideration the interests      of all the regions of the state and this will be one of the main      challenges for any attempt that could provide a meaningful, lasting and      just solution.<\/li>\n<li>The      Delegation is also pained by the fact that the all schools, colleges and      institutions of learning are now closed for nearly three months and      students are suffering. There were no takers for the appeal by Delegation      for allowing institutions of learning to function as it was contended that      allowing schools and colleges to function would be a setback for the agitation.<\/li>\n<li>Now it      is for the Government of India to provide the required confidence building      measures (CBMs) and initiate a process of engagement and dialogue for a      just and lasting political solution for the entire state of Jammu &amp;      Kashmir.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Recommendations<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The Delegation makes the following recommendations that could act as confidence building measures and facilitate the emergence of a lasting solution:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\n<ol>\n<li>There       should be an independent inquiry into all the killings in Kashmir       starting from the fake encounter in Macchil (Kupwara) in April 2010.<\/li>\n<li>All       political prisoners should be released immediately.<\/li>\n<li>Cases       booked against the protesters should be withdrawn. In many instances,       cases of attempt to murder were booked against people including teenagers       for stone pelting.<\/li>\n<li>AFSPA       (Armed Forces Special Powers Act), the Disturbed Areas Act and PSA       (Public Safety Act) should be withdrawn immediately.<\/li>\n<li>The       army and paramilitary forces should be removed from the cities and       civilian areas.<\/li>\n<li>Space       for peaceful protest should be provided. Use of firing should be stopped.       Crowd control management should be done in accordance with non-lethal       measures.\u00a0 .<\/li>\n<li>Violence       in all forms should cease immediately by all concerned.<\/li>\n<li>An       all Party Parliamentary delegation should visit Kashmir immediately to       reach out to the people and start the process of reconciliation and       engagement.<\/li>\n<li>A       consistent and uninterrupted process of dialogue should be initiated for       a solution to the Jammu &amp; Kashmir issue that is festering for over 60       years.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>COVA (Confederation of Voluntary Associations) initiated the process for the visit of the delegation and local coordination and felicitation was provided by Mr. Mohd. Shafi Pandit, former civil servant, Mr. Zafar Meraj and Mr. Shujaat Bukhari, journalists and Mr. Shakeel Qalander, President, Federation of Industries. \u00a0.<\/p>\n<p>Dated: 4<sup>th<\/sup> September 2010<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Delegation of Civil Society comprising Swami Agnivesh, Admiral L. Ramdas, Ms. Mohini Giri, Fr. Dominic Emmanuel and Dr. Mazher Hussain visited Kashmir Valley from 30th August to 2nd September 2010. The objective of the visit was to gain first hand knowledge of the prevailing ground situation in the valley and to commiserate with the people of Kashmir for their suffering and loss of life. Over 65 youth and children have lost their lives in the past three months, besides many hundreds have been injured. The team visited the homes of some families to share our concern and condole with them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7332"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7332\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}