Srinagar
In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Hurriyat leaders and organizations have said that India is continuously violating international laws and conventions in the territory.
The leaders and organizations in their separate statements in Srinagar since the Modi-led BJP government particularly revoked IIOJK’s special status on August 05, 2019, the Kashmiris are being deprived of all basic rights granted to any human being under international law.
They said, the attempt of the BJP government to totally annex IIOJK with India is clearly an act of occupation. India is also violating international laws by bringing demographic changes in the disputed territory.
The statements pointed out that India is legally bound to grant the right to self-determinations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir but what is doing in the occupied territory is quite contrary to UN resolutions on Kashmir. Indian actions in IIOJK can well be defined as genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes as per international law, they added.
The leaders and organizations urged the UN to implement its own resolutions on Kashmir and put sanctions on India for violating international laws in the occupied territory. They maintained that Indian perpetrators of atrocities in IIOJK must be brought to justice by proceeding against them in the international criminal court.
New Delhi couldn’t suppress Kashmiris’ will by brazenly violating international laws, they vowed.
Moreover, a prominent international human rights watchdog body has denounced Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for intensifying repression in Jammu and Kashmir, targeting Muslims in India and for harassing, arresting and prosecuting activists, journalists, and others critics.
In its World Report 2021, New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the government continued to impose harsh and discriminatory restrictions on Muslim-majority areas in Jammu and Kashmir since revoking the state’s constitutional status in August 2019 and splitting it into two federally governed territories.
Attacks continued against minorities, especially Muslims, even as authorities failed to take action against BJP leaders who vilified Muslims and BJP supporters who engaged in violence, the report said.
The Covid-19 lockdown disproportionately hurt marginalized communities due to loss of livelihoods and lack of food, shelter, health care, and other basic needs, it said.
“The Indian government seems determined to punish peaceful criticism using draconian laws, while sending a broader message that chills dissent,” Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. “Instead of addressing growing attacks on Muslims, minorities, and women, Indian authorities increased their crackdown on critical voices in 2020.”
In the 761-page World Report 2021, its 31st edition, Human Rights Watch reviews human rights practices in more than 100 countries.
In his introductory essay, Executive Director Kenneth Roth argues that the incoming United States administration should embed respect for human rights in its domestic and foreign policy in a way that is more likely to survive future US administrations that might be less committed to human rights.—KMS
