Kashmir.Watch

Author: hamid

  • Geelani demands investigation of Kunan Poshpora incident by independent agency

    Srinagar: While repeating his demand for investigation of the Kunan Poshpora ‘mass rape and murder case’ by an independent agency, on the 23 anniversary of this incident, chairman Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani said that though some Kashmiri women have filed a PIL in the local court to reopen and reinvestigate the case, but we should not expect any justice or any punishment to the criminals in Indian courts and army will use its special and unlimited powers to provide a safe passage to these criminals of humanity.

    According to a statement issued to KNS, while saluting the courage, steadfastness and sacrifices of Kashmiri women, Geelani said that the Kashmiri women has set an example in the fight for the freedom and had proven that the forced occupation of India will not live longer. Geelani said that the rape has been internationally recognized as a “war crime” and a “Form of Torture” and from last 25 years in Jammu and Kashmir the rape has been routinely used as a “Weapon of War”. On the intervening night of 23/24 February 1991 in district Kupwara, personals of Indian army, 4-Rajput Rifles and 68-Moutain Brigade gang raped dozens of women of Kunan Poshpora and the men from the village were subject to mass torture and this process still continues.
    “Till now about 7.5 thousand women have been raped or molested. Geelani Sahab said that the black laws like AFSPA and Disturbed Area Act have provided a licensee to the Indian army to kill and rape that is why a single criminal of war crime has not been presented in the civil court nor has been anybody punished till date. If due to public pressure army sometimes promised to investigate any case but after some time they closed the case for the lack of sufficient evidence. He said that the former Home Minister of India L. K. Advani is on record having said that “We can’t punish the army personnel’s involved in serious war crimes because such acts will demoralize the forces in J&K and they can’t effectively perform their duty to protect the borders,” the statement issued to KNS reads.   
    According to the Geelani this is the main reason that in J&K, women are raped and molested without any fare. With the fare of not getting justice from the judiciary, most women doesn’t come forward to register the case and if any one dares to register the case, but it doesn’t get any result, because first of all police refuses to register the FIR and then with the help of black laws the case can’t be presented in civil courts.
    Geelani appealed the International community to play their role in protecting the dignity of Kashmiri women. While repeating the demand for the independent investigation of the mass rape cases of Jammu and Kashmir including Kunan Poshpora by the ‘United Nations War Crime Tribunal’, Geelani said that this institution need to play the same character in Jammu and Kashmir which they had played in Bosnia and other subjugated nations and until the army personals who are involved in serious war crimes, are not punished, this region will remain a unsafe place for women. While appreciating the civil society for organizing a special program on 23 February as, “Kashmiri Women’s Resistance Day”, Geelani said that our daughters have sacrificed their everything for the just cause and whole nation salutes them for their courage, resistance and steadfastness. (KNS)

  • Youth injured in 2008 protests succumbs

    Srinagar: A person who was injured in clashes during Amaranth land row six years ago succumbed to injuries at his home in north Kashmir’s Barramulla district Saturday morning, after braving multiple complications and ailments for six years.
    30-year-old Shams-u-Din Fafoo, son of Mohammad Anwar of Shalteng Sheeri, succumbed to his injuries at his residence on Saturday at around 5:00 am, official sources told GNS.
    The victim was a daily wager in Flood Control department and was posted at Malsum Sheeri in Baramulla.
    “My son was on his way back to home after routine duty on June 30 2008 when protests were going on near Kichhama,” Muhammad Anwar, his father, a worker at Public Health Engineering Department, told GNS.
    “When he reached there he was hit by a bullet fired by police as they were chasing a group of protesters,” he added.
    Din was hit by a bullet in his abdomen and was immediately rushed to Sub-District hospital Baramulla.
    Anwar said that doctors at SDH Baramulla referred him to SKIMS Soura for further treatment.
    At SKIMS, the he was admitted for three months and underwent a surgery.
    Subsequently he was discharged from the Hospital.
    “My son was continuously ailing since last six years and during the period he had to undergo two more surgeries,” Anwar added.
    “Unfortunately, he couldn’t survive and breathed his last today,” he said, adding “he was our only support.”
    “My son was our only support. He has three children including a daughter,” he said, adding “His mother had already left us in February 2008, and now I am left alone.”
    “I am a mentally impaired person now and unable to go to the duty. I am suffering from multiple ailments since my wife died. I don’t know how I will manage all this so as to support the three children and their widow mother which my son has left behind,” he said while bursting into tears.
    “Irony is that no authority from police or district administration ever bothered to visit us,” he added.
    A police official, while talking to GNS, said: “The incident happened on 30 June 2008 when a mob attacked Police Station Sheeri and a guard room. In retialition, the police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chased the mob. In police action, several youth sustained injuries.”
    More than sixty persons, mostly youth were killed after forces fired to suppress the unprecedented mass protests against controversial transfer of land in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam area to SASB in 2008. (GNS)

  • Ready to face Year 2014 as a security challenge: GoC 15 Corps

    Srinagar: Stating that 2014 will be a big challenge for security in Kashmir, Army Saturday claimed that the militancy related incidents have increased in valley this year with the killing of 11 ultras while as 13 have been arrested.
    According to the KNS correspondent, addressing a press conference Lt. General Gurmeet Singh, GoC 15 Corps  stated that during the starting 50 days of the year 2014, the militancy related incidents have increased and that most of the militants belonged to the militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahideen. He stated further that out of 11 militants killed this year by the security forces, belonged to Hizb, LeT and Jaish-e-Mohamad. He said further that during this period more than 13 militants have been arrested that proves that the violence has increased this year in valley.
    He added further that the Army is providing full space to the local militants to surrender and that army only fires in retaliation. Gen. Singh stated that the locals who have joined the militant ranks are being misled and that army provides them the opportunity to surrender at the earliest.
    Gen Singh added that during the operations with the militants, the army prioritizes that there must be no collateral damage and that no human rights violation should take place.
    When asked that why a local militant from Char-e-Sharif was not given a chance to surrender, Gen, Singh stated that the militant namely Saif Ahmad fired severely on forces and during the retaliatory firing, he was killed. The 15th Corps commander stated further that the killed militant was active during the past and that earlier he was with the Jaish outfit and then had joined Hizb. However General Singh lauded the statement of slain militant’s brother during his funeral procession wherein he had advised the youth to stay away from stone pelting.
    He appreciated that coordination between army and the Jammu and Kashmir police. Gen Singh also lauded peoples cooperation with the army saying that people now repose trust and confidence and are supporting the army.  (KNS)

  • Minister Can’t lie in Parliament, dialogue is going on between India and Hurriyat: Ex Raw Chief

    New Delhi: Former Chief Research Analysis Wing (RAW) A.S.Dulat Saturday said that he fails to understand why Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is denying the fact that dialogue is going on between Government of India and Hurriyat leaders. Dulat told Srinagar based news gathering agency CNS that when minister of state for home affairs R P N Singh himself is declaring in the Parliament that dialogue is going on then there is no reason to contradict his statement.
     
    Pertinently, Mirwaiz led Hurriyat had termed the minister in Indian Parliament far from truth and had said that no dialogue is going on between Hurriyat and New Delhi.
     
    “God knows better why Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has described the statement of the Minister as misleading and claimed that it was made with a malicious intention to malign the image of Hurriyat leadership as well as to hoodwink the public opinion. May be Mirwaiz wants a meaningful dialogue and the dialogue which draws everybody’s attention,” he said.
     
    He said that there are various forms of dialogue and the fact is that dialogue is going on. “A minister can’t lie in the Parliament. I presume that Mirwaiz feels that dialogue which is going on is not good enough and he wants it to be more conclusive,” he said.

    Responding to a query, Dulat said that no political party will get political mileage by raising Afzal Guroo issue. He said that both National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party were on the same page as far as the execution of Guroo was concerned. Both the parties termed the execution unfortunate and criticized New Delhi.
     
    “The issue of Guroo’s execution can’t be made a pole plank as it will not suit the interests of political parties in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. Dulat said that the execution of Guroo was unfortunate but political parties of Jammu and Kashmir should move ahead and criticize not each other over the issue.
       
    Responding to a query about fresh row over 2012 troops movement near Delahi, for RAW chief said that India is never going to be Pakistan way. “Army should restraint from jumping into politics and should not issue political statements. India can’t be compared with Pakistan as far as the role of Army is concerned. Our Army has no role in politics and there are no chances at all that India will go Pakistan way where Army rules the roost,” he said. (CNS)

  • Mehbooba condemns Sopore killing

    Jammu: Terming the murder of Waseem Ahmad Malla of Sopore as gruesome, barbaric, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Saturday lashed out at the forces that are baying for the blood of innocent people.
    In a statement, the party president, Mehbooba Mufti blamed the present National Conference-led government for losing the grip of the law and order situation in J&K that has been responsible for such tragedies. She said these unfortunate incidents have become a routine now and the government has miserably failed to save the lives of innocent people. “Reoccurrence of killings at the hands of ‘unknown gunmen’ put a serious question mark on the credibility and seriousness of the government to protect the human lives,” she said.
    Mehbooba said by splattering blood of innocents on ground nothing will change and it will only complicate the problems. Expressing solidarity with the deceased family, she said Waseem’s loss is irreparable, in every sense, for the society in general and for his family in particular. She also demanded a thorough, independent probe into the innocent so that the perpetrators can be brought to book as soon as possible.

  • People of Kashmir Will Not Keep Silent On The Issue Of Pathribal: Yasin Malik

    JKLF To Organize a Protest Rally Against Pathribal Killers On Friday 28th February 2014
    Pro India Politicians And Rulers of Kashmir Stand Exposed Before The People And Everyone Knows That They Are Only Shedding Crocodile Tears.

    SRINAGAR: People of Kashmir will not keep silent on the issue of Pathribal and our protest to bring the killers to justice will continue. JKLF will organize a protest rally against the clean chit to killers on Friday 28th February 2014.
    This was decided in the supreme council members meet today held at Maqbool Manzil Srinagar. The meeting chaired by chairman JKLF Mohammad Yasin Malik was attended by all supreme council members from IHK zone. The meeting discussed all related political issue threadbare and decided that the protest program against the clean chit provided to Indian army officers who mercilessly killed 7 innocents at Pathribal in year 2000 is unacceptable and people of Jammu Kashmir will not remain silent spectators on this. Speaking in the meeting Yasin sahib announced that JKLF as a responsible people’s movement will leave no stone unturned and our protest will continue against this Indian army oppressive attitude. He said that as a first step JKLF will organize protest rallies against the army decision and on Friday 28th February 2014 JKLF will take out a protest rally in Lal Chowk against this undemocratic, inhuman and oppressive attitude of Indian state.
    Yasin sahib said that the killers of innocent Kashmiris cannot evade punishment and cannot be given a clean chit like this. These killers will have to face justice and account for their tyrannical behavior. He said that Kashmiri people don’t care what Indian ministers or anybody else thinks. We will not let our protest rest till the killers of Pathribal are brought to justice. He said that the protest program will continue on all levels till the case is not opened again and the killers are not brought to justice.
    Yasin Malik said that after army’s clean chit to killers of Pathribal, pro- India politicians and rulers of Jammu Kashmir started their stage theater of portraying of being against the army decision. These politicians are staging the same drama on the case of Shaheed Mohammad Afzal Guru, and recent Supreme Court decision about  Rajiv Ghandi killers. This all is done under a well planned program to diffuse the tension and befool common people. Malik said that these pro India politicians and rulers of Kashmir stand exposed before the people and everyone knows that they are only shedding crocodile tears. He said that these politicians, rulers, assembly and parliament members are equal partners of Indian state in the case of Shaheed Mohammad Maqbool Butt and Afzal guru’s hangings and must know that they will have to reply for these atrocities against Kashmiris.
    Deliberating on the issue of kunana Poshpora mass rape case, the meeting said that this inhuman and uncivilized case is another glaring example of Indian oppressive behavior against Kashmiris. About 24 years back Indian army committed this crime and the criminals are still at large protected by Indian state and black laws like AFSPA etc.  It was decided in the meeting that a high level JKLF delegation will visit Kunan poshpora tomorrow and held a protest against the criminal act of army.

  • 10,000 PEOPLE GET REGISTERED WITH AAP IN NORTH KASHMIR

    Baramulla (MIR ARIF TKSNN): The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal on Friday opened its office in Baramulla district of north Kashmir.The office is located at khawaja bagh and   Ashiq Hussain Ganai, who has been appointed as in- charge party convener for Bandipora, Kupwara and Baramulla, the party officials said.

    They said Ganai was appointed by senior AAP leader Prashant Bushan, whose comments on holding a referendum over the presence of Army in Kashmir had snowballed into a major political controversy.“I found Kejriwal’s ideas and AAP’s manifesto in line with my ideology. I met Kejriwal and other party leaders in New Delhi and shared my ideas with them,” Ashiq told Kashmir scenario at his office in khawjabagh baramulla.

    He said he and some other Kashmiris were shortlisted by the party after Bhushan conducted interviews of several people at AAP’s New Delhi headquarters.“The party high command assigned me to be in- charge of north Kashmir and we have started homework for mobilization and membership drive and already from last  days 10,000 people have been registered with AAP from Baramulla,Kupwara and Bandipora districts,” he said. “I made people understand that AAP is a strong voice against corruption. People have started turning up at our office on large scale.”The people want to get rid of the rampant corruption in the state which is now only possible with the efforts made by AAP to eradicate corruption from every nook and corner”said Aashiq hussain ganai ( Kashmir Scenario)

  • Pakistani Prisoner committed suicide in Jammu district Jail

    Jammu: A Pakistani prisoner was Saturday morning found hanging inside a jail here, an official said.
    K. Rajendra Kumar, director general prisons, told reporters here that the body of Showkat Ali, son of Barkat Ali, a resident of Pind Sail Jathan in Sialkot Pakistan, was found hanging from the iron window of a barrack toilet inside the prison Saturday morning.
    “Pakistani and Bangladeshi inmates who were in the same prison informed the authorities in the morning about the incident,” Kumar said.
    He said a magisterial probe into the death has been ordered.
    Ali was arrested in Jammu in February 2011 after he crossed over from the international border.
    He was reportedly suffering from some mental ailment and was lodged in the Amphalla district jail in Jammu following court orders. An FIR has been registered. (U4U voice)

  • Pak prisoner commits suicide in Jammu jail

    Jammu: A Pakistani prisoner allegedly committed suicide in the wee hours on Saturday in the Jammu district jail. Sources said that Shaukat Ali, an undertrial, was found dead at 4 am by the prison officials this morning. Shaukat Ali, an undertrial, was found dead at 4 am by the prison officials this morning. Ali, a resident of Sialokot in Pakistan, was reported to be mentally ill by the officials. He was arrested by the security officials for moving suspiciously along the International Border (IB). The body of the deceased has been taken to the JAC hospital for post mortem examination.

  • Refrain from wearing ‘pheran’ Army to journalists ‘It was inadvertent error’

    Srinagar: Journalist fraternity Friday resented the directions of Army to refrain from wearing Kashmiri traditional dress ‘pheran’ if they want to attend the press conference that is going to be addressed by GOC Chinar Corps Lieutenant General Gurmit Singh on February 22 at Chinar Officers Institute, Badami Bagh Cantonment Srinagar.

    The emailed statement shot by Defense spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel N.N.Joshi to different media organizations in Kashmir reads that Journalist who wanted to attending the press briefing followed by lunch should send a scanned copy of their identity card besides the contact number.

    “You are all aware of the security requirements however, it is reiterated that you may refrain from wearing pheran,” the email reads.

    Expressing resentment for directing journalists not to wear pheran, journalist fraternity strongly objected the view of Army and said that they fail to understand what pheran has to do with the security.

    Renowned journalist Yousuf Jameel on behalf of journalist fraternity in his emailed statement to Defense spokesperson stated that, “you (Army) have asked the journalists, intending to cover the press conference, to refrain from wearing Pheran as a security requirement. We fail to understand how can the traditional dress of the people of Kashmir which has also been an integral part of their unique identity pose a security threat to anyone!”

    The journalist fraternity asked Army to withdraw these directions and issue a fresh invitation for covering the event. “If the matter stays as it is now, we are constrained in attending the press conference,” Jameel said. Meanwhile, Defense Spokesperson Lt Colonel N.N.Joshi told CNS that the error was inadvertant while the Army had no intention to hurt anybody’s sentiments. “We cancelled the first mail after realizing that by mistake a direction about pheran was penned down. We request the journalist faternity to ignore the previous mail and we have delivered the email afresh,” he said. (CNS)