DESPITE all sorts of restrictions and lockdown imposed by Modi regime, the very voice of oppressed people of Indian illegally Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) is reaching far and wide with certain quarters also voicing their concerns over the deteriorating human rights situation there.
Sixteen European parliamentarians Friday wrote a letter to the European Commission on the humanitarian situation in IIOJ&K, urging the European Union to raise its voice on the issue and take action.
These MPs stressed that the EU should use all its leverage and tools so that the Kashmir dispute could be resolved as per the UN Security Council resolutions. Indeed the countries within the EU enjoy very close economic and political ties with India.
According to statistics, the EU is India’s third largest trading partner, accounting for €62.8 billion worth of trade in goods in 2020 or 11.1% of total Indian trade.
The EU’s share in foreign investment inflows to India more than doubled from 8% to 18% in the last decade.
Though there have been some voices within the European countries which have repeatedly spoken about the rights of Kashmiri people but the EU as a bloc, which always tries to portray itself as a champion of human rights, has not acted as it should have to pressurize New Delhi to abstain from worst human rights violations in the disputed territory.
Whilst Pakistan is repeatedly threatened by the EU to withdraw its GSP Plus status, will the EU countries also ever move on the abuses in IIOJ&K? The fact of the matter is that Indian government has broken all records of atrocities in the disputed region by not only illegally detaining the Kashmiri leadership but also killing the Kashmiri youth in extra judicial operations.
Everybody knows as to how the Indian forces have used the pellet guns to blind the Kashmiri people including children.
The miseries of Kashmiri people have been well documented by the UN and International Human Rights Watch Reports.
The EU and other countries will have to rise above the political and economic expediency in order to put a stop to these atrocities and deliver justice to the oppressed people of IIOJK.
