No let-up in HR abuses in Held Kashmir

[S_O_C_O_M]

No let-up in HR abuses in Held Kashmir​

By: Ashraf Javed | Published: December 31, 2010

LAHORE - Latest cache of WikiLeaks concerning human rights situation in India truly exposes its ethnic fault lines where the powerful state institutions are manipulating to stifle any shade of opinion which does not tow their line of repressive policies.
Interestingly, a very different image of ‘Secular India’ is exhibited by these revelations, where gross human rights violations are being directed towards Muslims living in India, especially the helpless masses in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

It must have jolted the naïve souls who believe in Gandhi’s ‘Ahinsa’ (non-violence) that Indian state is committing the crimes of genocide of innocent Kashmiri Muslims populace especially targeting the youth. And it should sound a crescendo for the champions of world peace that Kashmiri populace has taken to streets as a last resort.

The dispatches, obtained by WikiLeaks, reveal that the US diplomats in New Delhi were briefed in 2005 by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) about the use of electrocution, beatings and sexual humiliation against hundreds of detainees in Indian Occupied Kashmir. The most highly charged dispatch is of April 2005 cable from the US embassy in Delhi which reports that the ICRC had become frustrated with the Indian government which, they said, had not acted to halt the continued ill-treatment of detainees. The embassy reported that the ICRC had concluded that India condoned torture and that the victims were mostly Kashmiri Muslims.

The disclosures by WikiLeaks have exposed to a great extent as to how unsafe and insecure is the life in Occupied Kashmir. It has been maintained that Indian Army is fully engaged in gross human rights violations in the territory. A Lieutenant General of Indian Army HS Panag, the then GOC-in-Chief of the Northern Command in Occupied Kashmir has been equated with General Milosevic of Bosnia who had used his discretionary powers to butcher innocent civilians. One of the cables urged Washington to secretly divert United Nations’ attention towards the genocide of innocent civilians in Kashmir and avoid holding any joint military exercises with Indian Army until it stops inhuman activities in Kashmir.

The ICRC staff briefed the US diplomats that they had made 177 visits to detention centres in Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere in India between 2002 and 2004, and had met 1,491 detainees. They said, in 852 cases, the detainees reported ill-treatment. A total of 171 described being beaten and 681 said they had been subjected to one or more of six forms of torture. These included 498 on which electricity had been used, 381 who had been suspended from the ceiling, 294 whose muscles had been crushed by prison personnel sitting on a bar placed across their thighs, 181 whose legs had been stretched by being split 180 degrees, 234 tortured with water and 302 made victims of sexual abuse.

The ICRC said that there were some 300 detention centres; however, the organisation had never gained access to the “Cargo Building”, the most notorious detention centre, in Srinagar. The abuse continued unabated, they said, because security forces needed promotions. Isn’t it then heart-rending that liberal Indian media has deliberately chose to silence on these revelations?

The Indian only remain selective to the extent that the comments of Robert Mulford, ex-US Ambassador to India who termed Indian secular culture as vibrant were only given space on the tabloid. Where are the civil liberties and its upholders? It seems that Hindu nationalism is the order of the day and tall talks of secular culture and civil liberties are just expedients beneath which are lurking the macabre designs of India becoming a military might in the region. It seems that ‘Indian Democracy’ and the bigwigs of the world may serve their expediencies but the latest revelations have at least vindicated the innocent Kashmiris whose deaths and sacrifices have always been ignored. It has also exposed the Indian actual face where government apparatus is fully active in using all possible tools to quell the ongoing freedom struggle in Jammu and Kashmir and befooling the world community by labelling it as cross border terrorism.

The WikiLeaks revelations are really a wake up call for international community to rein in Indian State sponsored genocide of Kashmiri Muslims. The world should realise the gravity of situation in Occupied Kashmir where state terrorism being unleashed by the Indian government to muzzle the peoples’ peaceful struggle for their inalienable right to self determination. Till last reports, curfew continued to remain imposed at Inderkot village in Sumbal for seven days with injury reports of around five persons, while two persons received bullet injuries, when police party opened fire on stone-pelting youth. At no time in the troubled history of the valley has the alienation been so deep and pervasive, as we find today.

The so-called champions of human rights US, UK and United Nations are keeping mum over the Indian state terrorism in the occupied Kashmir despite the disclosure reported in latest cache of Wikileaks.


No let-up in HR abuses in Held Kashmir | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online

 

[Gabbar]

BNF Condemns Pakistan Army and ISI is kidnapping and Killing indigenous people of Gilgit Baltistan

Gilgit Baltistan
to charlesgraves@vtx.chThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
date 17 December 2010 15:14
subject BNF Condemns Pakistan Army and ISI is kidnapping and Killing indigenous people of Gilgit Baltistan

Pakistan Army and ISI is kidnapping and Killing indigenous people of Gilgit Baltistan

Mirza Wajahat Hassan Khan left for Dubai unaccompanied on 28th October 2010, for a family business venture. He being a sugar patient with a broken knee and hypoglycemia patient, usually takes along his wife and sons but as his son Captain Danyal Hassan was to be struck off from army service on 5th November 2010, and his wife had domestic compulsions, so he went alone. He was to come back on 1st November 2010, i.e. the independence day of Gilgit Baltistan, so as to participate in the ensuing political activities in Gilgit and Kashmir. He did not returned on the given date and on 2nd November 2010, probe by the family members revealed the information that he checked out from Palm hotel Dubai and was dropped at the airport by the hotel transport. On inquiring, it was authentically revealed from the PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) computer records that he was being offloaded from the flight and was probably taken into custody either by Dubai immigration or ISI in connivance with Dubai Intelligence on a concocted charge. On 3rd November 2010, Mirza Nadir Hassan Khan along with Danyal Hassan Khan went to the UAE Embassy to check the whereabouts of Wajahat Hassan Khan and were informed by the UAE ambassador, that he boarded the PIA plane and disappeared in Pakistan. Consequently, Mirza Wajahat Hassan called up on the night of 3rd November 2010, and said or was made to say that he was alright and would take 2 to 3 more days in connection with the business. On the used telephone number, one Mr. Abdul Aziz Afghani was responding, only as and when, he deemed it fit to talk. He said that Mirza Wajahat Hassan is absolutely alright and is in good health and has checked out on 9th November 2010, from a Hotel in Dubai and has gone along with his Kashmiri friends and will be back home in 2 to 3 days before the Eid.
On 13th November 2010, in the evening Mirza Wajahat Hassan gave a ring that he is about to board the PIA flight 212. Mirza Wajahat Hassan Khan arrived in the international arrivals and was authentically seen. He undertook all the procedural formalities at the airport terminal and when after having an eye contact with his son Danyal Hassan, he was about to come out but was stopped. Mirza Wajahat Hassan then gave a ring to his son and brother and said that the Intelligence Bureau people want to record his statement about his Dubai episode and they should go home as he will come back within a couple of hours after meeting the formalities. Nadir Hassan and Danyal Hassan refused and insisted him on meeting him. He briefly came out and said that he was kidnapped in Dubai .

When he was being taken away by the four to five ISI people in plain clothes in a white corolla car with a white number plate, on 13th Nov. 2010 under the supervision of present there Lt. Colonel Shoaib of 63 FF, who now serves in counter intelligence department of the ISI Islamabad.

Further probes were made and the dependents were advised that because of the Eid and Sunday holidays they should wait, so that the case is smoothly resolved without any fuss. The family has no contacts whatsoever with him and doesn’t know anything about his whereabouts and well being. It is worth mentioning that Mirza Wajahat Hassan Khan has in the past undergone imprisonments many a times in Gilgit jail, Adiala jail Rawalpindi and various police stations of Gilgit only for speaking about rights of Gilgit Baltistan . The family has no trust, ray of hope and sympathy from the GHQ of Pakistan Army and its ISI. They do not trust the legal procedures of the State of Pakistan and consider the presence of the government of Pakistan in Gilgit Baltistan as illegal, immoral, cruel and undesirable.

a. On 20th November 2010, the ISI people assured the family to remain patient and wait till Monday i.e. 22nd November 2010.

b. On 22nd November 2010, the ISI higher ups informed the family that they should wait till 10:00 hrs on 25th November 2010. They were cautioned that if the family members initiate an action then there will be no looking back and the events can lead to unknown and uncontrollable limits.

c. He was released by ISI on 2nd December 2010 without producing him in any court, which has been the practice in Pakistan according to its legal procedure.

In view of the above, all the freedom and justice loving people, organizations and governments of the World and their commonly internationally constituted concerned organizations are requested to take prompt and strong measures to straighten the situation. They are requested to vigorously force the GHQ and its ISI to behave and stop their cunning, unchecked and immoral activities. All the family members of Mirza Hassan Khan’s family strongly feel that it is now high time that they must be safeguarded and protected under the umbrella of the United Nations and the Human Rights organizations of the World.

To kidnap an innocent person and prominent nationalist leader of Gilgit Baltistan from Dubai without any legal instrument is clear violation of international law committed by Dubai Authority and Pakistan Army (ISI is the subordinate organization of Pakistan Army).

NOTE: This should be noted that the kidnapping, killing, terrorist trainings and terrorist attacks anywhere is carried out by General Pasha the head of ISI under the special orders of GHQ (headed by General Kiyani) without the knowledge of the so-called democratic government of Zardari.

General Kiyani and Genral Pasha of ISI have shown their criminal attitude against a highly respected nationalist person and chairman of APNA, which represents both *** and Pakistan occupied Gilgit Baltistan. Before this ISI had also kidnapped Mr. Bilal Qazalbash a School teacher from Gilgit in 2005. The case of kidnapping was registered in Lahore High Court against ISI with full names, Military Nos, residential and home address. After 9 months of kidnapping Bilal was framed in Arms smuggling and punished by the so-called Pakistani court. One can imagine how a person can smuggle while he was in ISI torture cell. But this is Pakistan where anything is possible, which has successfully managed to use US money and weapons to promote Talibaan and Al-Qaida against US interest.

Mr.Abdul Hamid Khan Chairman Balawaristan National Front has strongly condemned the kidnapping of All parties National Alliance (APNA) Chairman Wajahat Hassan by Pakistan ISI Mr. Wajahat Hassan hails from a Pakistan occupied Gilgit Baltistan and was actively opposing and exposing Pakistan’s occupation and demanding the independence of Gilgit Baltistan. He remains steadfast in his opposition to Pakistani occupation and strong critic to its policies of plundering resources of the region and denying people from their fundamental freedoms and rights since 1947. He also opposed the so-called Gilgit Baltistan empowerment and self-rule presidential ordinance which is an attempt not to change the disputed status of Gilgit Baltistan but annex this region under the garb of this ordinance. He is also chairman of APAN which is comprising nationalist parties of Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. APNA became leading voice of Pakistan controlled Areas of former state Jammu and Kashmir, and generated a substantial resistance to Islamabad’s policies of illegal annexation of region; exploitation of resources and denial of rights in both parts *** and OGB.

The kidnapping of Wajahat Hassan by Pakistan notorious intelligence agency ISI- known for its infamous character for decades in controlling Pakistani politics and victimising political opponents, supporting proxy insurgencies in Afghanistan, Kashmir and Indian Punjab; killings of hundreds of Balochis and thousands of enforced disappearances of Baloch, and mastermind of Taliban and other extremist groups, kept him under illegal detention more than a month and tortured him to silence the voice of oppressed people of Gilgit Baltistan and ***. It is widely believed that kidnapping of Mr. Wajahat Hassan in Dubai was collective operation of ISI and Dubai authorities.

Mr. Abdul Hamid khan lashed out to the role infamous agency ISI’s continued oppression, harass and torture of nationalist activists and leaders of Gilgit Baltistan for decades to silence their voices. There are more than 100 people who are facing sedition charges for demanding their basic rights and fundamental freedoms while Pakistan government using extra-Constitutional measures and other tactic to silence these voices. Mr. Khan appealed to the UN human Rights Council, Amnesty International, European Union and US to press Pakistani authorities to stop human rights violations in Gilgit Baltistan and stop ISI’s oppressive activities there. He also appealed international bodies to press Pakistani authorities to bring to the perpetrator to the justice. Mr. Khan said that Pakistani oppressive tactic cannot stop people of Gilgit Baltistan from their struggle to free their homeland and people from the illegal occupation of Pakistan

BNF Condemns Pakistan Army and ISI is kidnapping and Killing indigenous people of Gilgit Baltistan

 

[bandit]

No let-up in HR abuses in Held Kashmir​

By: Ashraf Javed | Published: December 31, 2010

LAHORE - Latest cache of WikiLeaks concerning human rights .....................despite the disclosure reported in latest cache of Wikileaks.


No let-up in HR abuses in Held Kashmir | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online

A more neutral report to open some righteous eyes here......

'Is deeply saddened that the earthquake had a disproportionate impact on children, nearly wiping out a whole generation of Pakistani Kashmiris, which may
well be the most devastating long-term impact of the earthquake; is highly concerned about reports of child trafficking in the aftermath of the disaster, given that even before the earthquake mechanisms for child protection were virtually non-existent;'
10. 'Stresses that the disaster struck a region already weakened by 60 years of festering conflict, one which is in the eye of the storm of the war against terrorism, and where fundamental institutions have been constantly undermined by organized crime and terror networks exploiting Pakistan as a major base, using the rugged terrain and institutional deficiencies of that country to undermine
regional stability;'
11. 'Is appalled that the already minimal basic "rights" enjoyed by Pakistani Kashmiris before the earthquake (i.e. food, water, shelter, sanitation, schools, and barely adequate health-centres) have been decimated, compounding a situation notable for a lack of democracy and the existence of oppressive and unjust laws, especially those applicable to women;'
12. 'Strongly emphasises that, in the context of the massive destruction and social upheaval wrought by the earthquake on an already weakened democratic base, and given the enormous seriousness of the humanitarian situation, continuing calls
for a plebiscite on the final status of Jammu and Kashmir are wholly out of step with the needs of the local people and thus damaging
to their interests; urges those playing 'big power' politics when millions are in basic need to redirect their energies to fighting the corruption that has wrongly diverted the flow of international funding away from the intended recipients; notes that, even without the earthquake, any plebiscite would have been meaningless without a change in policy from Islamabad, which maintains that all of
Kashmir is an integral part of Pakistan's territory; underlines furthermore that a plebiscite without such a policy change could be no more than a rubber stamp on the status quo;'
17. 'Regrets, however, that Pakistan has consistently failed to fulfill its
obligations to introduce meaningful and representative democratic structures in AJK; notes in particular the continuing absence of Kashmiri representation in the Pakistan National Assembly, the fact that AJK is governed through the Ministry of Kashmir Affairs in Islamabad, that Pakistan officials dominate the Kashmir Council
and that the Chief Secretary, the Inspector-General of Police, the Accountant- General and the Finance Secretary are all from Pakistan; abhors the provision in the 1974 Interim Constitution which forbids any political activity that is not in accordance with the doctrine of Jammu and Kashmir as part of Pakistan and obliges
any candidate for a parliamentary seat in AJK to sign a declaration of loyalty to that effect; is concerned that the Gilgit-Baltistan region enjoys no form ofdemocratic representation whatsoever;'
19. 'Urges the EU to take a firm stance against the abomination of the Hudood Ordinances and to revisit, critically, the 3rd Generation Cooperation Agreement it signed with Pakistan in 2004, Article 1 of which states very clearly that the
Agreement must be based on a true respect for human rights and the upholding of
true democratic principles, given that it is pre-eminently clear that Pakistan is
not living up to its commitments, especially in AJK;'
20. 'Urges Pakistan to revisit its concept of democratic accountability, minority
and women's rights in AJK, which as elsewhere are key to improving conditions for
the people and tackling the menace of terrorism;'
21. 'Deplores documented human rights violations by the armed forces of India and
the all too frequent incidents of terror and violence perpetrated by armed
militant groups based in Pakistan; strongly urges both sides to do all they can to
address these violations; welcomes Pakistan's public commitments to curb
infiltration across the LoC by militants operating out of territory under its
control, but believes it must take much stronger and more effective measures;
welcomes the continued and determined commitment by President Musharraf to
fighting terrorism, which, it is widely recognized, presents enormous challenges;
approves and supports multilateral and bilateral EU Member State aid to assist
Pakistan in fighting terrorism and in making determined efforts to improve the
lives of the people of AJK;'
22. 'Recognises and supports the aspiration of the Kashmiri people for a
significantly reduced military presence in the area; points out, however, that
meaningful demilitarisation can only take place alongside genuine action to
neutralise the threat of infiltration of Jammu and Kashmir by militant outfits
operating out of Pakistan;'
23. 'Notes that while Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir enjoys a unique status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, granting it greater autonomy than other states in the Union, there remain deficiencies in practice with regard to human rights and direct democracy; is pleased, therefore, to see recent moves in Jammu and Kashmir to strengthen democracy (as evidenced by the 75% turnout in recent local elections); urges India's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to exercise its full mandate with
regard to any suspected or documented violations and, to lend it even greater credibility, urges the NHRC to make good the absence of any human rights professionals on its governing board; looks forward to enhanced progress in this area, and to positive outcomes from the new laws on child labour and on women and
violence;'
31. 'Highlights the fact that the initially hesitant reaction to the disaster by the Pakistani military created a needs vacuum in the immediate aftermath, which was exploited by militant organisations on the ground, such as the Jamaat-i- Islami, and Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the renamed Lakshar-e-Tayyaba (declared a terrorist
organisation and, as such, banned by the Musharraf government in 2002), who swiftly became de facto providers of food, lodging, schooling for children and welfare for widows; is very concerned that this has bolstered the credibility of such polarising groups in the eyes of the local population, further undermining any potential for genuine democratic representation;'

Emma Nicholson and EU Kashmir report