Geelani appeals ICJ to probe mass graves in OSJK
TopNews
Written by KMS
Friday, 15 October 2010 14:43
Srinagar, October 15, 2010: Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has appealed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and War Crimes Tribunal of the United Nations to initiate probe into the unmarked and mass graves in Occupied State of Jammu & Kashmir (OSJK).
Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in a media interview, said that during the past two decades more than 10,000 Kashmiris went missing in the custody of Indian Army and various Indian agencies.
Unmarked and mass graves have been found in several areas of the occupied valley. We believe that most of the Kashmiris who have been subjected to enforced disappearance have been buried in these unmarked and mass graves,” he added.
He asked the international rights organisations to unmask the perpetrators through an independent inquiry. Syed Ali Shah Geelani said that last year the International Peoples Tribunal (IPT) on Human Rights and Justice in its report had claimed to find 2,700 unmarked and mass graves containing bodies of 2,943 people.
Citing example of extra-judicial killings, APHC Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani said that in 2006 five people mostly from Islamabad district were killed in a fake encounter by the Special Operations Group of Indian Army to get rewards and promotions.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani maintained that solution for all the problems of Kashmiris was complete demilitarisation. “Till the troopers leave the territory, Kashmiris would continue to suffer,” he maintained.
The Amnesty International has urged the Indian government to end the torture of those held by the authorities. Asia-Pacific Deputy Programme Director of Amnesty International, Madhu Malhotra, in a statement said, " India needs to address the issue of torture and ensure that the human rights of detainees are protected."
The Amnesty International said that Indian troops were perpetrating the gross rights abuses with impunity due to the invocation of draconian laws like Armed Forces Special Forces (AFSPA) in the occupied territory.
The 6th annual Kashmir-European Union (EU) Week inaugurated in Brussels as a part of an awareness process to inform the European institutions and the people about the Kashmir dispute. The Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir, Sardar Attique Khan, addressing the inaugural ceremony in Brussels, highlighted the gross human rights violations perpetrated by Indian police across the occupied valley.
He appealed the European Union to play its role in resolving the Kashmir dispute. The Chairman of Kashmir Centre Brussels, Barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo, expressed concern over the killing of at least 118 innocent Kashmiris by Indian police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel during the current agitation.
Tramboo dedicated the 6th annual Kashmir-EU Week to the Kashmiri youth, martyred by the police and said that the gross rights abuses by the occupation forces would be at very top of agenda during the event. He said that the presence of hundreds of thousands of Indian troops across the territory was causing environmental degradation.
Timothy Kirkhope, Member European Parliament (MEP), highlighted that a solution of the longstanding dispute should be sought at all levels. James Elles, another MEP in his closing remarks, discussed the nuclear dimension of the Kashmir conflict.
The MEP said that the event had become a permanent feature of the European Parliament. Among others, Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl and Richard Howitt also spoke on the occasion.
APHC-M has strongly condemned the restrictions on the movement of its Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, by Indian forces. The APHC-M spokesman in a statement issued in Srinagar said that the police did not allow Mirwaiz to go to Jinab Sahib in Soura and adjoining areas by sealing his residence.
He said, “As per the programme, Mirwaiz had to offer Asr prayers at Jinab Sahib in Soura. He was scheduled to visit the family members of those who were subjected to sever harassment, fear and torture by Indian troops.”
Geelani appeals ICJ to probe mass graves in OSJK