NEW DELHI – India faces yet another snub from Amnesty International overOccupied Kashmir.
Amnesty International today (Aug 26) expressed concerns over Indianoperations in the occupied Kashmir, saying it is illegal to stop freedom ofexpression of Kashmiris and Indian government should release the politicalleaders.
Aakar Patel, Executive Director of Amnesty International India, issued astatement against India on the Kashmir issue expressing that people‘s livesin Jammu and Kashmir have been made hell. “An information black hole hasbeen created due to communications blackout, illegal arrests and mediarestrictions. It is illegal to ban freedom of expression in occupiedKashmir”, he added.
Aakar Patel asserted that the occupied Kashmir has seen serious humanrights abuses in the past as well. He further said that Mode-led Hindunationalist government Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken completecontrol over the IoK whereas they should release the political leaders inIoJ&K.
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In the issued statement, Amnesty Int’l Head expressed that in the aftermathof the unilateral revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution thatguaranteed special status to Jammu and Kashmir by the Government of India,authorities have allegedly detained many political leaders including formerJammu and Kashmir chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah andMehbooba Mufti; former bureaucrat-turned-politician Shah Faesal andRavinder Sharma amongst others.
“No official information is available on the number of people detained,their access to a lawyer or their family members, where they are being heldand under what charges, if any,” further read.
