India’s killing spree in occupied valley

The last week of November 2018 turned out to be a nightmare for the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) as occupation forces unleashed an unprecedented and atrocious bloodshed in the valley, killing 17 people in the course of just three days. Sunday proved to be the deadliest day of the week as Indian troops martyred seven sons of the soil in the Batagund Kapran area of Shopian district. In the incident, six youths were killed when a house was blasted during a cordon and search operation jointly conducted by 34-Rashtrya Rifles, Special Ops Group and Central Reserve Police Forces, while another boy was martyred when Indian troops opened indiscriminate fire on the people protesting against the killing of six young Kashmiri freedom seekers.

Just couple of days earlier, Tehreek-i-Hurriyat leader Hafizullah Mir, who was recently released after two-year imprisonment, had been assassinated right outside his house in Anantnag district, leaving his wife badly injured in the incident. At present, the Indian brutality on people demanding their legitimate freedom from occupation forces has become order of the day in Kashmir.

Tyranny gives birth to tyranny, same as love begets love. It is a fairly natural phenomena that injustice and breach of basic human rights committed by a state end up creating extreme sense of retaliation and alienation among the masses towards even a legitimate regime of their own. So, what to talk of a state that happens to be an unlawful occupant by itself yet continues to commit heinous acts of brutalities on the natives of the area under its treacherous captivity. As expected, the retaliation would be nothing less than a bloody and brutal reprisal.

Time by itself has only been the most authentic testimony of the horrors and atrocities that have been perpetrated on the people of IOK who simply wished an end to military occupation of their homeland. Since the beginning of the recent uprising that picked up pace after the Indian forces martyred young Burhan Wani in July 2016, the Kashmiris have furiously been demanding an end to India’s forced rule spanning over 70 long and bloody years.

The real story of carnage committed by the Indian military is much more gruesome than what has now and then been divulged as a news item or video-clip via print, electronic or social media.

In fact, the amount of torture, killings and rapes of Kashmiri people committed by Indian armed forces’ personnel has already set an unparalleled record of brutalities. How India expects peace in Kashmir, if every new day in the valley dawns with the occupation army's devilish acts of gang-rapes, burning of the agitators alive, torching of villages and crops, destruction of their business and economic life; all aimed at complete genocide of the Kashmiri people in utter defiance of international human rights laws.

Nothing has helped improve the Indian behaviour in IOK despite the fact that human sufferings of Kashmiris have been critically pointed out by international humanitarian entities such as UNHRC, OHCHR, EUHRC as well as the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) in the span of couple of months.

As a rare positive, the Secretary General OIC, Dr Yousaf Bin Ahmed Al-Othaimeen, has also recently expressed the organization's unequivocal support to the Kashmir freedom struggle. He condemned grave human rights violations in Kashmir and called upon India to stop using force against people of the valley in their legitimate struggle for self-determination.

An impartial Court of Inquiry (CoI) on the Indian military's highhandedness in Occupied Kashmir, as recommended by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, would invariably transpire that it is in fact the vicious free-hand and undue immunity given to the Indian security personnel under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that has not only made the lives of the Kashmiris miserable but also increased the gravity of the resistance over the years. The ongoing Intifada (uprising) of the Kashmiris stands justified when seen in the backdrop of AFSPA provisions that afford Indian occupation forces an utterly undue power against any native of the valley who appears a likely trouble-maker.

Despite being painfully non-expressive, the world at large knows well that people in Indian Occupied Kashmir have unduly been pushed to the wall. Since the start of latest Kashmiri ‘Intifada’, hundreds of young freedom-seekers have been killed and thousands have been brutally tortured including those blinded with pellets and those raped or molested by India’s men in uniform. To top it all, thousands of them have been killed by Indian security forces through extra-judicial executions either during their custody or forced-disappearances while enjoying total impunity under AFSPA. Freedom movement against India’s unlawful rule over Kashmir is neither new nor surprising; and unfortunately though, more brutality on the part of India’s security elements is feared in the days ahead.

It continues to prove an excruciating dilemma for the United Nations as to how India could be made to realize her obligations towards the Kashmiri people under international human rights and humanitarian laws besides forcing the usurper to implement the UN Security Council’s resolution for conduct of plebiscite in Kashmir. In the meantime, however, the world at large having sincere concerns about blatant massacre of innocent Kashmiris by Indian occupation forces must at least continue raising voice in support of legitimate and indigenous freedom struggle of the people of the valley.