ISLAMABAD – The members of the European Parliament on Tuesday stronglycensured Indian government’s continuous obduracy in denying the Kashmiristheir fundamental right to self determination as guaranteed by the UnitedNations Security Council resolutions.
Speaking in a special debate of the plenary of the European Parliament heldat Strasbourg, France on the issue of Kashmir after 12 years, the membersalso demanded immediate lifting of lockdown, restoration of normalcy,fundamental rights, communication blackout, freedom of movement and releaseof political prisoners in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K).
Tytti Tuppurainen, Council of the European Union, reading out a statementon behalf of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative ofthe Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, on the situation inKashmir, said India’s steps on August 5, continued to violate thefundamental human rights in the Occupied Kashmir. India had deployedadditional troops in the occupied valley besides, the Line of Control.
She said since then the situation had not returned to normalcy as reportswere pouring out about the arrests of political leaders and students.
She stressed upon the European Union to work with Pakistan and India todefuse further escalation and engage both parties for a peaceful settlementof the dispute in accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people.
She said restrictions imposed by Indian on the fundamental rights were ofgrave concerns to them and the European parliament high representative hadalready taken up the issue with the Indian external minister in Brussels.
The European Union should demand lifting of the restrictions by restoringbasic human rights, restoration of all social services and freedom ofmovement, Tytti said, adding no one could afford another escalation overoccupied Kashmir.
Concluding her statement, she said the EU would continue to monitor thesituation and stressed upon the EU to make every effort to avoid escalationin the region.
Traian Basescu, Group of the European People’s Party (Christian Democrats),categorically termed the situation in IOJ&K as alarming and unacceptable.
He said continuous trampling of the fundamental rights of the Kashmiripeople continued unabated in the occupied valley and warned that due toescalation two nuclear armed powers were in head to head conflict.
Maria Arena, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democratsin the European Parliament, expressed concerns over arrests in the occupiedvalley where the hospitals and houses were running out of basic needsincluding medicines and foodstuff.
The deployment of ten million Indian soldiers had turned the valley intoworld’s highly militarized zone whereas rapes were committed by the Indianforces.
She warned that the situation was made more dangerous by Modi’s governmentafter it revoked the autonomous special status of Occupied Kashmir.
Shaffaq Mohammad of Renew Europe Group, said being a Kashmiri himself, thesituation in the Occupied Kashmir pained him greatly.
He said Kashmir was in real crises as the sufferings of the local peoplehad been surging.He called upon the EU which proudly stood for human rights to secure therights of the Kashmiri people and play its role for the security andstability of the region.
Shaffaq demanded that Kashmiri people should be allowed to exercise theirright to self determination. The EU could be a facilitator in the processby pulling them out of the darkness.
Gina Dowding , Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance, also voiced hisconcerns over the lockdown which continued for more than one month.
She said there were serious reports about rapes and unlawful detentions bythe Indian forces in the IOJ&K which were also appalling.
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The mobile phone services were shut down and there was complete lockdown,she said, stressing that the EU should demand that these human rightsviolation should be stopped not for the Kashmiris living in the IOK butalso for those hundreds of Kashmiris living in the UK.
She demanded restoration of all the basic rights of Kashmiris and urged theEU to play its role in ending the crises.
Bernhard Zimniok, Identity and Democracy Group, maintained that the Kashmirdispute remained unresolved in the last seventy years with the occupiedvalley witnessing countless deaths.
He said the EU could support the peace process to resolve the issue betweenthe two countries.
Miss Idoia Villanueva Ruiz, Confederal Group of the European United Left –Nordic Green Left, stressed upon peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issuein accordance with the international resolutions.
Richard Corbett, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists andDemocrats in the European Parliament, said that the coercive step taken bythe Indian government was a stain on the democratic face of India.
The only viable and permanent solution was to allow the Kashmiris theirright to self determination in line with the UNSC resolutions after theissue was taken by the India to the UN. He also demanded implementation ofthose resolutions.
Phil Bennion, another member, also demanded lifting of the curfew andrelease of all the political leaders in the Occupied Kashmir.
He demanded that the EU delegation should be allowed to visit the IOJ&K.
Nosheena Mobarik, European Conservatives and Reformists Group, said thatthe EU always upheld the basic principles in treaties, so it should alsopress for implementation of UN resolutions on Kashmir.
She held India responsible for its bellicose attitude and destruction inOccupied Kashmir.
She called upon the EU to set aside its apathy and ensure the Kashmiristheir right to self determination which was denied by India.
Giuliano Pisapia, Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists andDemocrats in the European Parliament, Anthea Mcintyre and other membersalso stressed upon hectic diplomatic efforts on part of the EU to resolvethe decades old dispute which could destabilize the whole region.
Referring to the UN human rights commission reports about human rightsviolations in the IOK, they lamented that these violations continued withindiscriminate use of pellet guns against innocent people including infants.
No one was held responsible for maiming and killing of innocent people.
Sylviane H. Ainardi particularly mentioned that Kashmir was a disputedregion as recognized by the UN and said that it was incumbent upon thishouse to uphold fundamental rights of the Kashmiris.
