NEW YORK – The World Kashmir Awareness Forum, a Washington-based advocacygroup, has drawn international community’s attention to the grave humanrights abuses in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir over the past73 years, and called for urgent steps to enable the Kashmiri people toexercise their UN-promised right to self-determination.
“With 100,000 civilian deaths, 10,000 missing and civic, political andeconomic life critically suppressed, the people of Kashmir are facingerasure from history,” the Forum warned in a statement marking Human RightsDay.
“This year, the people of Kashmir have suffered even further escalations ofhuman rights abuses, including an ongoing communications blockade, forceddemographic changes and raids on non-governmental organization, journalistsand civil society leaders,” Dr. Ghulam N. Mir, President of the Forum, said.ALSO READ Human rights must be ‘front and centre’ of coronavirus response:UN chieflink
“All of this is taking place amidst a global pandemic, which Kashmir isincapable of properly addressing due to a critical lack of resources andhealthcare infrastructure. It cannot be put more plainly: Kashmiris arefacing an existential crisis,” he added.
In this regard, the World Kashmir Awareness Forum put forward a set ofdemands to the Indian government, with a call to the internationalcommunity to raise their voices in solidarity and support.
They are: Immediately lift the military siege, restore all internetconnectivity and communications links and release all political prisoners;allow unfettered access to monitor and report human rights violations bycredible international bodies and U.N. rights experts; halt and rescind alllaws instituted to accelerate demographic changes in Kashmir; disarm andwithdraw all Indian military and paramilitary personnel from the occupiedterritories and allow Kashmiris to exercise their right ofself-determination.ALSO READ Kashmir emerged as nuclear flash-point: AJK Presidentlink
“Kashmiris in the region and throughout the diaspora have endured 73 yearsof terror, suppression and indescribable loss,” Professor Khalid J. Qazi,Board Member of the Forum, said. “As we observe U.N. Human Rights Day, (theForum) implores the international community not to forget the people ofKashmir.
The only hope for an end to the senseless violence is by uplifting Kashmirivoices and uniting for a strong international response.”