Brussels
The Chairman of Kashmir Council Europe (KCEU), Ali Raza Syed, has said that the European Union should mention human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir in its dialogue with India.
He said this in a statement issued in Brussels while commenting on the most recent EU-India dialogue concerning issue of human rights.
It is important to mention that in their dialogue in New Delhi on Monday, India and the EU discussed civil and political rights, freedom of religion or belief, women empowerment, children’s rights, rights of minorities and vulnerable groups.
Both the EU and India stressed the need to foster greater engagement on human rights issues, based on internationally recognised human rights laws and standards.
The dialogue which was co-chaired by a Joint Secretary for Europe West in the Ministry of External Affairs of India and the Ambassador of the European Union to India, both sides reiterated their commitment to the shared principles and values of democracy, freedom, rule of law and respect for human rights.
Ali Raza Syed said, it is good that both sides talked about human rights but it is unfortunate that issue of large scale violations of human rights committed by Indian forces in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and violent behaviour and misconduct with the minorities and other oppressed people in India were not raised in the dialogue.
The KCEU Chairman said, for more than seven decades, Indian authorities are violating the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and India has increased abuses of the human rights in IIOJK since August 05, 2019.
He said, on one hand, India in its talks with Europe discusses the human rights but on other, it violates the rights of people specially civil and political rights of the Kashmiris and oppressed minorities in India.
“Youth are being targeted in Jammu and Kashmir. Ten youth were killed by Indian forces in a few days in Shopian and Pulwama areas, he said.
Ali Raza Syed pointed out that a number of Kashmiri political prisoners are suffering in the Indian jails and even it is hard for their poor relatives to meet them in the Indian jails situated in the areas far away from Kashmir.
He also mentioned names of political prisoners like Muhammad Yasin Malik and Aasiya Andrabi who are fighting for the rights of the Kashmiri people for a long time.
“India not only revoked special status of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, it also increased the atrocities and crimes against humanity in occupied Kashmir.
The Indian authorities even changed the laws about the domicile of IIOJK under a plan to change the demography of Jammu and Kashmir.
India wants to change the status of Kashmiris from majority to minority in Kashmir.—KMS
