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Human Rights In Jammu And Kashmir > Page 1
Pakistan's unrelenting offensive against India has been conducted on two fronts ... sponsoring terrorism in India and conducting a worldwide propaganda campaign. In the context of Jammu and Kashmir, the propaganda disseminated by Pakistan has concentrated on alleged violations of the Human Rights of the Kashmiris by the Indian Government and its security forces.
The first and foremost Human Right is the right to life, And it is the bounden duty of any State to take necessary action to safeguard the life, property and dignity of its people. In the context of Kashmir it is essential to examine who is responsible for the creation of an environment where human rights can be violated. After all the Indian security forces have been present in the State of Jammu and Kashmir since 1947 and never was any hint of any human rights violations of the people voiced. On the contrary the presence of the Indian security forces state has been a source of assurance to the people of a state that has been subjected to repeated aggression by Pakistan. The people of Jammu and Kashmir, including those of the Valley refused to be duped by Pakistan's blandishments in the three wars with Pakistan- eloquent testimony to the people's faith in the Indian security forces and the Indian polity.
What then is the new element that has been introduced that has triggered off the whole debate on the question of Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir? The answer has been given by International Human Rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Asia Watch who have had to acknowledge the pervasive presence of terrorism in the Valley and have documented the depredations of the terrorists.
The Vienna Declaration passed at the end of the World Human Rights Conference in 1993, the resolution adopted by the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly also in 1993, the Resolution 1993/48 adopted by the Commission on Human Rights, all stress the need for the international community to combat terrorism and condemn terrorist activities as a gross violation of Human Rights.
The real question that needs addressing is the continuous assault on democratic institutions perpetrated by the armed terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir acting at the behest of Pakistan.
In his book Future of political violence General Richard Clutterbuck states ".. The ultimate civil right, however, is the right to live. A violent minority, whatever its politics, has no right to kill, and no claim to such a right must ever be allowed to override the right of the majority to live in peace.. ". It is precisely this right that the a violent minority has arrogated to itself in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
The pillars of a free democratic society are the judiciary, the press and free political activity.
Author:M.L.Kotru
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