Srinagar, Mar 3 (KNS): Appealing the United Nations Human Rights Council, international media and rights bodies and the global community to take notice of the serious human rights violations in Kashmir, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Chairman, Mirwaiz Dr. Moulvi Muhammad Umar Farooq Thursday stressed upon them to expose before the world the atrocities committed on the people of Jammu and Kashmir through the undemocratic and fascist means adopted under the so called democratic garb.
Addressing media persons after chairing a joint session of the APHC’s Executive Council, General Council and Working Committee, the Mirwaiz said the government had disallowed the conglomerate from screening a documentary film ‘Children in Conflict Torn Kashmir’ based on the violence and injustice done to the Kashmiri children at Sara City Mall Srinagar on Wednesday, March 2.
Terming the this act of the authorities as completely undemocratic and dictatorial, the APHC Chairman said by using suppressive measures, government was stifling the right to freedom of expression of Kashmiris.
Releasing the documentary while holding its screening before a limited audience and media persons at the APHC headquarters Mirwaiz stressed that Jammu Kashmir had actually been converted into a Police State, he said the government was not even allowing peaceful activities of the Hurriyat leadership by continuing to abort their programmes. He said disallowing the screening of the documentary was another such instance of strong-arm tactics of the government.
Informing that besides releasing this documentary film worldwide, APHC would also screen it during the 31st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Mirwaiz said the aim of the amalgam was to inform the international community about the adverse impact an unresolved Kashmir was having on the lives of Kashmiri children.
Suggesting that international human rights bodies had not done enough in stopping the ongoing human rights violations in Kashmir, he said their failure to raise a strong voice against the imposition of draconian black laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) and Public Safety Act (PSA) in Kashmir emboldened the Indian authorities to commit more human rights violations in Kashmir without any accountability.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Explaining that the Kashmir conflict had an adverse impact on every sphere of life in Kashmir, Mirwaiz said conflict had not only impacted the physical health of Kashmiries but also their psychological health and children were the worst hit among them, whose education was also getting severely affected due to turmoil.
Pointing out that the number of orphans in Kashmir was a staggering 2.14 lakh, the APHC Chairman said of them more than a half had lost their parents to Kashmir conflict.
Highlighting that the APHC had always sought intervention from international bodies over the ongoing rights violations in Kashmir, he said the amalgam’s stand is that Kashmir besides being a political issue was a human issue as well which could only be resolved by the Kashmiri, Indian and Pakistani leadership through a meaningful dialogue process.
Terming dialogue the most effective option with India and Pakistan for resolving all their outstanding issues including the vexed Kashmir issue, the Mirwaiz said the dialogue process would also save the region from political and social uncertainty.
Blaming the government for taking undemocratic measures in a bid to malign the Kashmir’s peaceful resistance movement, he said the conglomerate would continue to raise its voice against the gross human rights violation and injustice done to the people of Kashmir and would continue to struggle for the just right of the people.
Besides the APHC Chairman, senior Hurriyat leaders Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat, Bilal Gani Lone, Muhammad Musadiq Aadil, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, Advocate Abdul Majeed Banday, Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam, Abdul Manan Bukhari, Javid Ahmad Mir, Engineer Hilal Ahmad War, Syed Muzaffar Rizvi and others were present on the occasion. (KNS)