 |
|
Mughli, mother whose only son disappeared
|
By
IOL South Asia Correspondent
NEW
DELHI, November 29 (IslamOnline) - Agonies of Kashmiris remain far
from over. The cries for justice are accentuated daily. In a major
development, parents of Kashmiris who disappeared without any trace or
information have received support from various quarters. The issue of
seeking information of the missing men has put the Jammu & Kashmir
(J&K) state government in the dock with international human rights
deciding to start hunger strikes supporting the parents of disappeared
Kashmiris.
Kashmir's
Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP) got sympathetic
response from international human rights groups supporting their
agitation. Human rights groups across the world have voiced deep
concern and said that they would stage hunger strikes if the J&K
state government did not fulfill its obligation of appointing a
commission to probe into the custodial disappearances within two
months.
The
hunger strike is planned to be simultaneous across 14 countries in
Asia, Latin America and Europe, besides Kashmir. Pervez Imroz, patron
of APDP, said that several global human rights groups, including the
Asia Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), have
already informed him of their decision.
Imroz,
who announced the hunger strike decision at a press conference in
Kashmir’
s summer capital Srinagar Monday, November 25, said, “
The association, exhausted over the inaction of the authorities, has
decided to follow other lawful means to press its demands. The present
government is requested to constitute a commission within two months,
failing which we’ll resort to hunger strikes to be supported by
different organizations campaigning against Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearances (EID).”
 |
|
Wife and daughter of a missing chemist talk to reporters
|
The
press conference in Srinagar was attended by parents and relatives of
missing persons. APDP is at the vanguard of a campaign against the
enforced disappearances of Kashmiris. The association says it has been
fighting for the families whose sons and fathers vanished without
trace from security forces’
custody during the past 13 years of militancy.
Placing
his demands forthrightly, Imroz said that victims should be
compensated with justice and not relief alone. “
By doling out rupees one hundred thousand (about US$ 2000) to the next
of kin or the parents of the disappeared does not absolve the
authorities from the heinous crimes. The contours of justice demand
that those who have perpetuated the crime should be brought to
justice,”
he said.
He
added, “It will be a mockery to pay so-called "relief"
from the tax payers’ money which is tantamount to punish the tax
payers for the omissions and commissions of security forces. It will
be exploitation of helpless and poverty stricken victims as many
victims seem to be content with the relief for sustaining
themselves.”
While
referring to the present chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed, Imroz
recalled that prior to the just-concluded elections Sayeed and
Mehbooba Mufti, his daughter, of People’
s Democratic Party (PDP), promised that upon coming to power a
commission to investigate all the disappearance cases would be
constituted.
Not
only this, since the formation of PDP, Sayeed and his daughter had
been raising the issue of human rights abuses in the state. Imroz
said, “Even according to Common Minimum Program it has been agreed
upon by the PDP-Congress alliance that all cases of custodial killings
and violation of human rights shall be investigated and the persons
responsible for them will be identified and punished appropriately.”
During
the press conference, Imroz categorically demanded that the state
government should immediately appoint an inquiry commission. A reputed
judge should head the commission and he must be acceptable to APDP as
such, he said.
Outlining
the commission’s terms of reference during the investigation, Imroz
said that the following should come within the investigation: number
of persons disappeared after their arrest by law enforcing
official/unofficial agencies; bodies of youths believed to have been
killed in custody and buried secretly; agencies responsible for the
enforced disappearance; and recommendation to bring the perpetrators
to justice.
Meanwhile,
parents of persons disappeared in custody have decided to submit a
petition with their signatures to the chief minister Mufti Muhammad
Sayeed.
 |
|
Mothers of disappeared youth crying
|
According
to Imroz, APDP collected signatures of 2,000 family members of
disappeared persons and 1,000 signatures of various human rights
activist and international and national human rights groups including
Amnesty International.
“We
want to send the petition to Mufti and remind him of his promises to
administer justice to the victims. We would like Mufti to take
appropriate action against the perpetuators,” Imroz said.
According
to available official statistics 3,184 persons are missing in custody
in Kashmir since 1990. According to government figures, the district
of Baramulla topped the list with 789 persons missing, 684 in Kupwara,
580 in Doda, 287 in Anantnag, 182 in Srinagar, 149 in Pulwama, 66 in
Rajouri, 47 in Udhampur and four in Jammu while 189 are believed to
have disappeared after crossing into Pakistan.
However,
APDP figures tell a different story altogether. APDP figures claim
“We have conducted a survey and found that more than 6,000 people
are missing in custody. We want justice to be administered to the
victims’ families. It is not a matter of compensation, rather we
want the perpetuators brought to justice.”
Imroz,
however, cautioned that the people had bitter experience from the
previous commission probing Haigam incident. “The judge did not
deliver justice to the victims’ families. We want an action against
the culprits. PDP promised relief to the people and we hope it will
fulfill the promises,” he said.
