UN, EU urged to take India to ICJ for human rights violations in Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: The BJP government under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has broken all records of human rights violations and respect for human life by unleashing a force of terror and oppression in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJ&K).

These views were expressed by Kashmir Youth Alliance Pakistan Chairman Dr Syed Mujahid Gilani at a press conference, held in connection with the Kashmir Solidarity Day on February 5, at the National Press Club Islamabad.

He was accompanied by Secretary Human Rights Protection Dr Wahid Rasool and Additional Secretary Information Dr Palusha.

Dr Syed Mujahid Gilani said February 5 was observed all over the world and people who believe in the rights of self-determination, respect for human rights, and freedom from the clutches of the oppressors stand in solidarity with the Muslims of the Indian-held Kashmir.

“We strongly condemn India’s atrocities not only against the Muslims of the occupied Kashmir but also the minorities in India who have been suffering for the last 75 years,” he said.

He shared data on the massive oppression of the Kashmiris by the Indian army, police, and security agencies and highlighted how brutally the occupying forces of the Indian army and other security agencies carried out massacres of Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs.

Not only the Muslims are being subjected to torture, discrimination, and being kept in backwardness and poverty, the lands of Sikhs and Christians in India are also being encroached upon, said Dr Gilani adding human rights have been violated in India for the last 75 years.

He drew the attention of the United Nations (UN), the human rights forums, and the world bodies to the gross violations by the Indian government and urged them to raise the matter with the Indian government and recognize the right of the Kashmiri people enshrined in the UN resolutions.

Since 2014, after the establishment of the BJP government, the situation has deteriorated drastically and lives and properties of the Muslims and other minorities are under constant threat, he said.

Dr Palusha said the children, women, and elderly people are being killed brutally in Kashmir, and security agencies are abducting the Kashmiri youth, and a few days later, their bodies are found.

Dr Palusha said the BJP government has implemented the CAA Amendment Act, which was used as a license to murder the dissenting voices, particularly the Muslim community.

On the other hand, when the perpetrators are arrested and tried in the courts, they are acquitted by the courts of the country, said Dr Palusha.

She believed that the Modi government, after 2014, divided the country along communal and religious lines, which led to increased hatred against minority communities.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Muslims and Sikhs faced discrimination in hospitals and were not treated properly, she said.

Dr Wahid Rasool stated that Amnesty International had requested an investigation into violence against peaceful citizens and protesters by security agencies in India in 2019 and 2020. However, there has been no update on the outcome of these demands shared with the media or public.

Dr Rasool also highlighted the extrajudicial and custodial killings of innocent Kashmiri Muslims by the Indian Army, paramilitary forces, and police personnel in 2022.

South Asia Director of Human Rights Watch Meenakshi Ganguly expressed concern about India’s stance, claiming that the country seems to be deliberately inciting sectarianism to fuel riots within its borders.

They demanded of the United Nations, the European Union, and the International Human Rights Commission to file a case against India in the International Court of Justice for violations of human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights, and civil rights, similar to the case against Israel.

The Kashmir Youth Alliance and the people of Kashmir reaffirm their determination on February 5 that they will eventually succeed in their struggle against Indian atrocities and achieve their right to self-determination, they said.