“The murder of Asifa, 8 years old angel from Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir has shaken the conscience of the leaders not only in South Asia but also all over the world.Asifa was abducted, drugged, gang raped and finally murdered simply because she was a Muslim in the so-called largest democracy of India. Rape is a crime against humanity. The killers of Asifa used the rape as a weapon of terror and fear to force not only Asifa but her whole community out of the city of Kahua.
I thank Antonia Guterres; the Secretary General of the United Nations who said the gang rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kashmir is a “horrific” incident and demanded that those who are guilty of this crime need to be brought to justice. I call upon the Secretary General as the custodian of human rights to send the clear message to the Government of India that such brutality and cruelty cannot be tolerated in the comity of nations in this day and age. I demand that the investigation of Asifa’s case has to be impartial, and has to be done by a neutral agency like the United Nations and those found guilty need to be kept accountable.
Asifa’s case is not an isolated one. There are more than 10,000 innocent women whose honor was violated in Indian occupied Kashmir. All those cases need to reopen and investigated by an international neutral agency. For instance Kanun Poshpora where more than 100 women between the ages of 7 to 70 were gang raped in 1991. It was reported in the New York Times, Amnesty International and other NGO’s. Yet no investigation has taken place until today. It is a great concern at the miserable and gloomy humanitarian condition in Kashmir.
The murder of Asifa should be an eye opener for the world powers that their silence has given sense of immunity to the Indian army as well as to the ruling party, Bahartiya Janata Party. (BJP). The US Administration has to play an active role in bringing the governments of India and Pakistan to the negotiating table along with the leadership of the people of Kashmir so that a durable and lasting solution is found to the 70 years old conflict of Kashmir.
The issue of Kashmir is simply the issue of the right of self-determination which was agreed upon by both India and Pakistan and endorsed by the United Nations Security Council. India needs to accede to international law in Kashmir and to cooperate in holding a referendum. It is inescapable moral responsibility of the United States, as the leader of the free world and champion of the human rights to take a leadership role in helping to resolve the 70 years old conflict of Kashmir.
The denial of right of self-determination to the people of Kashmir has brought the two neighboring countries to the brink of nuclear disaster. There is no freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in Kashmir. Peaceful protests are responded to by brute force. A peaceful environment ought to be created where people can express their political opinions freely without any external coercion and intimidation. If the youth are pushed to the wall without any ray of hope, they will become disillusioned which might lead to frustration and destruction. Such a situation will not be helpful to establish peace in the region. Need of the hour for the international community is to help resolve the Kashmir dispute for the sake of peace and stability in the region of South Asia.
The government of India does not allow the leadership of the Kashmiri resistance for any political activity which is clear violation of the fundamental right to movement and speech. The United Nations has the moral responsibility to respond to the anguish of the people of Kashmir.
Since, 1990, the Indian forces have been engaged in a sustained campaign of slaughter, rape, arson and destruction. The state terrorism has resulted in more than 100,000 deaths. The killing of innocent people must end in Kashmir.
Tragically, the legitimate aspirations of the people of Kashmir are being crushed with the grotesque and brute force of indian occupation forces. Kashmir has been brutally victimized by human rights violations perpetrated by 700,000 military and paramilitary personnel. It makes Kashmir the largest army concentration anywhere in the world.
The case of Asifa should not be handed over to infamous and notorious Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) but instead to an independent, unbiased and neutral agency so that those responsible could be brought to justice. The world knows that the underlying cause of the tensions between India and Pakistan is the ongoing conflict over Kashmir. It is hoped that tripartite talks between India, Pakistan and Kashmiri leadership would help resolve the longstanding dispute over Kashmir. The whole world knows the magnitude of carnages committed by Indian army in Kashmir but they have yet to utter a word of condemnation. India needs to be persuaded to repeal the draconian laws which gives total impunity to the Indian army in Kashmir.
The denial of democratic principles and human rights in Kashmir has spawned nuclear and missile proliferation in the region. The so-called peace process between New Delhi & Islamabad will not yield positive results unless the leadership of the people of Jammu & Kashmir is included in the talks.
I condemn the continuous house arrest of the Hurriyet leadership in Srinagar who wanted to go to attend the peaceful public gatherings in Kashmir. This is a clear violations of Geneva Convention.
Dr. Fai can be reached at gnfai2003@yahoo.com
