Control of Jammu and Kashmir is the core dispute between Pakistan and India. It is regarded as one of the most intractable and dangerous international disputes. The people of Occupied Jammu and Kashmir have never agreed to be a part of the Indian Union.
The Amnesty International has accused Indian government of human rights violations in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The occupation forces are involved in extrajudicial killings. Torture in police custody is a systematic practices.
The Universal Declarations of Human Rights (December 1948) and Article 1 of the United Nations charter hold that, “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. The declaration prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention. It declares that “no one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Despite its human rights laws, Indian forces are committing gross violations in the Occupied Kashmir. Special powers given by Modi government are used by the forces to perpetrate extrajudicial killings, summary executions and indiscriminate firing at unarmed protestors. Recently, the commander of 15th Corps (Srinagar) has warned Kashmiris their sons will be killed unless they control them.
The Human Rights Commission has also accused occupation forces of rape and sexual abuse. The crimes are part of occupation forces’ policy to instil fear among Kashmiris.
The International Community has long turned a blind eye towards human rights violations including excessive use of force, torture, extrajudicial killings, forced disappearance, restrictions on the right of freedom of expression, sexual abuse, indiscriminate firing on unarmed protestors, kidnapping for ransom and looting and custodial killings.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Indian Occupied Kashmir told a court in 2016 that they had fired about 1.3 million pellets in 32 days. These pellets are small iron balls travelling at a high velocity when fired at short range. A single shot can pierce the target’s body with hundreds of pellets
The UN has failed to implement its own resolutions to organize a plebiscite in the Occupied Kashmir. The major powers and the Organization of Islamic Conference have also failed to fulfil their moral responsibilities.
One of the most dangerous weapons used against Kashmiri protestors is pellet-firing shotguns. According to the Human Rights Commission the shotgun cartridges contain 500 to 600 pellets. The weapon was first used for crow control in Occupied Kashmir in 2010. The pellets travel at a very high speed and the impact on the eyes is disastrous. According to doctors at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS) the pellets are coated with lead so that their removal is very challenging.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in occupied Kashmir told a court in 2016 that they had fired about 1.3 million pellets in 32 days. The pellets are small iron balls that travel at high velocity when fired at short range. A single shot can pierce the target’s body with hundreds of pellets. Since 2016, over 1,500 eyes have been damaged due to these pellets. The youngest documented victim has been 18 months old Hiba Nisar. She suffered a pellet injury in her right eye.
According to a report, more than 1,000 people with eye wounds were operated at Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital last year. According to a UN report, 17 people were martyred between July 2016 and August 2017 and 6,221 injured due to pellet firing. More than 10,000 civilians are estimated to have been blinded from pellet wounds.
A report compiled by a United Kingdom parliamentary body has recognized the massive human rights violations and atrocities committed by Indian security forces in Occupied Kashmir. Recently, 50 European parliamentarians have called for a ban on the use of pellet guns in the Occupied Kashmir. In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Modi they have demanded an immediate end to major human rights abuses in the Occupied Kashmir including the use of pellet guns against civilians.
The letter says the use of pellet guns violates the international human rights law. The letter also says that the immunity that Indian military currently enjoys is untenable and cannot continue.
The US-based Physicians for Human Rights has called the pellet gun use “Inherently inaccurate (and) indiscriminate and potentially lethal to human at close range”. The Amnesty International has urged the Indian government to ban the use of pellet guns. The time has come for the international community to ensure that Kashmiris get to exercise their right of self-determination.
The writer is retired brigadier and freelance columnist