Amnesty says hundreds detained in Kashmir without charge or trial
Amnesty International has accused the government of detaining hundreds of people each year in Kashmir without charge or trial under a “draconian” Indian law.
The rights group said India’s Public Safety Act (PSA) had been used to detain up to 20,000 people without trial over the past two decades. Public Safety Act allows for detention without trial for up to two years.
Tens of thousands have died in the disputed region, which India and Pakistan claim in full but rule in parts, since a revolt against New Delhi’s broke out in 1989.
“The Jammu and Kashmir authorities are using PSA detentions as a revolving door to keep people they can’t or won’t convict through proper legal channels locked up and out of the way,” said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Director.
Here’s the Amnesty International report released in Srinagar on Monday.
Earlier in January, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights defenders, Margaret Sekaggya, also called for reforms including the repeal of laws giving security forces wide powers of arrest across Kashmir.
Rebel violence is on decline. But there has been a resurgence of street protests across the strife-torn region. At least 110 people were killed last year and dozens were wounded, mostly by police bullets, during the protests, the biggest in 21 years.
Kashmir seeks extradition of accused army soldier
A former Indian soldier, accused of killing a Kashmiri human rights lawyer, has been arrested in the United States on charges of domestic violence.
Major Avtar Singh fled the country in the 1990s after he was accused of kidnapping and brutally killing Jaleel Andrabi, a Kashmiri lawyer and human rights activist.
Andrabi’s decomposed body was found 15 years ago in a river. The killing sparked off massive protests and led to a probe by authorities.
The government of Jammu and Kashmir is now seeking the extradition of Singh from the United States.
A Times of India report said a special investigating team found Singh could have been involved in six more extrajudicial killings in Kashmir.
“The accused is in California police’s preventive custody. He would (be) shifted to Srinagar in 15 days,” said senior police official Raja Ajaz Ali, who is also Interpol liaison officer for Kashmir.
Government forces in the Himalayan state have been accused in the past of murdering civilians in staged gunbattles and passing them off as separatist militants to earn rewards and promotions.
@ Shahid. If only we had some kind of LeT training camps sponsored by GOI on Indian side Kashmir,then i would realise the need for PA to maintain army in such numbers Sir. Why is it so difficult for local police of NWFP region to do policing job there? From my understanding, army is deployed there because they are much sophisticated and tactical than regular police force. I believe that’s the same with Indian case.
Also Mr.Shahid, please shed some light on this issue to me.why Indian army is tryin to kill Kashmiris? so when you talk about kashmiris,do you speak only for Muslims??
Should forces responsible for over 100 killings be praised for restraint?
India’s Prime Minister praised the work of security forces in disputed Kashmir on Tuesday, in a show of support for troops that killed over 100 separatist protesters last year that risks angering those that resent India’s large military presence in the state.
The remarks represent a seal of approval for security forces that are cited by many Kashmiris as an element of the violence, rather than the preventers of it, and come as a team of interlocutors enters its fifth month of talks in the troubled region, and almost two months after Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said that a political solution to the troubles was likely to emerge “in the next few months.”
But can Manmohan Singh’s praise for the “tremendous restraint” of Indian forces in Kashmir be applauded considering they have been responsible for the death of over 100 separatist protesters in months of violent clashes since last summer?
“It is really unfortunate and sad that despite tremendous restraint shown by the security forces, many young people died,” Singh told a conference of state chief ministers in New Delhi on Tuesday. “As we meet today, the situation in the valley has improved.”
Such rhetoric — regularly trotted out by New Delhi and military leaders — is reviled by many in Kashmir by those who resent the perceived heavy-handed treatment by India’s security forces.
Last month, India appeared to be moving towards a reduction in ground forces in the state, while discussions roll on regarding the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act — much-maligned by Kashmiri citizens.
@Oppressed 1947
***I am curious why kidnapping and killing two teenage sisters by militants did not raise as much hue and cry as the rape and killing in Shopian case where people in the valley were protesting.
Why not protest like that now?
A Republic Day to forget for India’s opposition party
As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh watched India’s 61st Republic Day parade in the New Delhi sunshine on Wednesday morning, senior opposition leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley were in a Jammu prison, where they had spent a night under arrest.
Detained for attempting to lead thousands of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers into India’s northern state of Jammu & Kashmir to provocatively raise the national flag in the state that has been racked by unrest by Muslim separatists opposed to Indian rule, Swaraj and Jaitley’s politically-driven mission had ended in failure.
The BJP appear to have thought that the nationalism-drenched plan to hoist the flag in the centre of Srinagar, the state capital, would galvanize their Hindu support base, and show the ruling Congress party as ineffective in defending the disputed state from separatists who rile against New Delhi’s rule.
Thursday’s media post-mortem strongly suggested that they failed on both counts.
“Omar steals a march as BJP flag mission foiled,” summed up Mail Today on Thursday, as the opposition’s plan to paint the Congress-backed state chief minister as a weak leader spectacularly backfired.
The provocative rhetoric that accompanied the march also risked alienating moderate Hindus and a large section of secular voters, as newspaper editors strongly criticized the brazen attitude to stirring tensions in the unstable region where more than 100 people were killed last year.
Zeal outdoing sanity is more acceptable than PM of the nation saying hoisting national flag is “divisive”
Omar Abdullah: a successful year in office?
Omar Abdullah, the youngest ever chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, completed a year in office on January 5.
The administration, youth and people of the state had huge expectations from Abdullah after the Jammu & Kashmir National Conference formed a coalition government with the Congress party last year.
“When he came into people, he wanted to prove himself as an excellent leader, but looking down a year that hope is slowly but surely diminishing because nothing concrete is happening on the ground,” says Raja Muneeb, a local resident of Srinagar.
From the Shopian deaths to his name coming up in a sex scandal, the past year has not been a smooth ride for Omar Abdullah.
“We have learned lessons from our mistakes. If we don’t learn lessons, then we will repeat those mistakes. I don’t want to forget anything but will learn lessons from them,” the 39-year-old Abdullah was quoted as saying.
Some critics have said Abdullah spent too much time outside the state and could not relate to the daily lives of the people in Kashmir.
Did the young leader take on more than he could handle? Or does he lack the maturity of a seasoned and experienced politician?
I think it would be too early to judge.. after all this young man has took onus to lead one of the worst conflict ridden region.I feel.. Kashmir needs a Leader..much more than a seasoned politician. Question is what Omar proves himself to be ..a mere politician or a leader..
Will ban on pre-paid mobile connections further alienate Kashmiris?
Rebel violence in Indian Kashmir has fallen to its lowest level since an insurgency began nearly two decades ago.
But the central government has banned pre-paid mobile connections in the strife-torn state, leaving nearly three million subscribers disconnected over security concerns.
The ban, which comes days after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offered fresh talks with Kashmiris, has annoyed local residents while troops deployed in the state are also distressed over getting disconnected from their families.
The ban also put around 20,000 youths in danger of finding themselves without a job.
Is the ban justified at a time when rebel violence is at its lowest and New Delhi is trying to win the hearts and minds of Kashmiris?
The ban follows reports that neither vendors nor service providers carry out thorough identity checks on buyers when issuing a connection.
Until five years ago, intelligence officials resisted attempts by the central government to lift a ban on mobile phone services in the region, fearing they could aid militants in planning attacks.
Ganesh
you should be made security consultant for chidambaram… brilliant idea ma. why I never thought about it before. keep posting mate.
Is India downplaying Chinese border intrusions?
In response to recent reports that two Chinese helicopters intruded into Indian territory in Leh in Jammu and Kashmir, Army Chief Deepak Kapoor said he did get reports of Chinese intrusion but “this is not a new thing.”
“I want to tell you that the press sometimes hypes this but the numbers of intrusions which have taken place this year are on the same level as last year,” Kapoor said.
Soon after that the Indian media reported that Chinese soldiers had crossed the border in Ladakh last week and painted some rocks red.
Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna said, “Let me go on record to say that border with China has been one of the most peaceful boundaries that we have had as compared to other boundary lines with other countries.”
Former Air Force Chief Fali Homi Major and Navy Chief Sureesh Mehta have repeatedly warned that China is a danger to India, and the hawks in the Indian security establishment fear that the Chinese had a strategic plan of encircling India.
Around the time India and China were holding the 13th round of their border talks in August, an article had appeared in China titled “If China takes a little action, the so-called Great Indian Federation can be broken up”.
The article primarily focussed on how China can split India and break it up into 20-30 states like the European Union.
No one mentioned about the MacMohon Line when and how it it was drawn. When China was weak many nations took advantage and carved a piece of real estate. May be the younger gerations do not know World History during the 1900s.To the West whatever China does is wrong. How Hong Kong became a British Colony? The MacMohon Line is Not recognised by China. I am repeating History and should not be seen as libeous.
The spectre of climate change in Kashmir
Its striking beauty is not the only thing that hits you when you visit Kashmir valley.
Though it was the kind of paradise I had imagined, I didn’t know there would be so many shanty towns set in such picturesque locales.
As I travelled through Kashmir, the breathtaking views did make me breathless but so did the smoke and dust.
An article by Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, Associate Professor with Kashmir University, says the valley has been experiencing erratic snowfall and hotter summers for the last decade or so.
A report on ‘Climate Change in Kashmir’ by ActionAid, an international anti-poverty agency, says the Pampore-Khrew belt, famous for its saffron production, has been witnessing an unusual phenomenon over the last two decades — receiving the least snowfall in Kashmir.
The report also said locals attributed this phenomenon to industrial units which have come up in the area since 1982.
Locals from the Valley say that it’s unusually hot this year.
It is pity that… here the term \”what you sow you reap\” does not apply. Over last 40 to 50 years western countries (US and European) have done so much damage to this atmosphere, by their industrial use of natural resources. And still they are least affected by the current climate changes.
The countries which were traditionally highly dependent on their habitat are affected. These are not industrialized, so they do not contribute to the CO2 rise, their areas are affected by large extent.
Such a small world.
I do not want to blame western countries solely, the developing countries like India, China etc, are also following same path. But the per capita Carbon release in western countries in too large compared to developing countries. Now the time has come, the people who started it, should take the initiative to curb their carbon emissions, instead of blaming developing countries.
Is Pakistan still aiding Kashmir militants?
Separatist violence in Kashmir has fallen to its lowest level since an anti-India insurgency began nearly two decades ago.
However, people are still killed in daily firefights and occasional attacks by suspected militants, mostly in rural and mountainous areas.
Is Pakistan still aiding militants fighting Indian troops in Kashmir, despite Islamabad’s assurances and a slow-moving peace process between New Delhi and Islamabad?
Senior Indian security officials say Pakistan is still arming, training and sending militants to the disputed Kashmir region, making it difficult to end violence in the war-weary region.
“In this situation we should not expect that terrorism can be finished,” said Kuldeep Khuda, police chief of Jammu and Kashmir state – arguably the most difficult policing job in the country.
But Pakistan has consistently denied its involvement in abetting Kashmir militancy that has killed tens of thousands of people across the scenic region since 1989, has left nothing untouched and has brought untold misery to a once carefree society.
Kashmiri residents and local leaders, both pro-India and separatists, attribute the fall of violence involving troops and Muslim militants to the India-Pakistan peace process which started in early 2004 following a ceasefire between two armies on the highly militarised Line of Control, which divides Kashmir between the two.
Well the violence has fallen to its lowest after New Delhi and Islamabad started talking over their disputes in 2004. I think, since then, Pakistan is too busy to help Kashmir insurgency..let us give devil its due
Is India failing to win hearts and minds in Kashmir?
Is India pushing the ordinary Kashmiri people further away by enforcing regular curfews, putting most of their separatist leaders under house arrest and denying them religious freedom by banning Friday prayers in Kashmir’s Jamia Masjid (grand mosque) on a regular basis to avoid violence?
I travelled to Srinagar, the summer capital of India’s troubled state of Jammu and Kashmir this week, and saw how people were tired of violence and wanted peace and dignity in the region.
Many told me how they felt unhappy each time an incident of violence in a remote corner of the city would scare authorities into shutting down the city and forced them to stay indoors, many without any provisions.
The majority of people in Kashmir appear tired of the 20-year-old violence, involving militants and Indian troops, which has declined significantly — with almost no major attacks in the main city of Srinagar for more than a year now.
Having tasted peace for a while now, people in Srinagar want to spend time near the Dal Lake or travel to a picturesque location with their families, instead of being locked up in their homes.
Industry heads and businessmen I spoke to recollect their endless meetings with Indian ministers, requesting them to do more to restore confidence of potential investors to boost the handicraft, horticulture and tourism sectors.
Many bookshop owners, fruit sellers and students I talked to want the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, the main separatist alliance in the disputed region, to hold talks with the government.
We Indians need to face the issue than prolonging the agony of Kashmir. For the same purpose the so called separatists need to come to the table. This may be a tough thing as they just want to prolong the whole process. The political games get even more muskier as in the so called pro independence faction has an under the table alliance with the terrorist community , who by the way want total chaos to prevail.
“failure by the Indian state to hold plebiscite has become a source of mounting discontent among Kashmiris”.
If Indians are confident why don’t they hold plebiscite and win Kashmir which is still a souring dispute in south Asia.