‘Human rights abuse case studies, documentaries help increase world attention on Kashmir issue’

Stories of individuals affected by atrocities touch people the most and these should be used through powerful narrative to tell the world about gross human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK). The Kashmiri diaspora can play a leading role in this initiative, said the participants of a meeting held at Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad.

The fourth meeting of the working group on Kashmir, formed by IPS to keep an eye on the latest developments in IoK post 5 August 2019, also called for exploring all legal avenues regarding these abuses.

The meeting, held on November 12, 2019, was chaired by IPS’ Executive President Khalid Rahman, while the guest speakers were London-based Kashmiri activists Muzamil Ayub Takur and Shaista Safi. The participants included Ambassador (r) Syed Abrar Hussain, Ambassador (r) Ayaz Wazir, Ambassador (r) Tajammul Altaf, Brigadier (r) Said Nazir, former AJK minister Farzana Yaqoob, Amanullah Khan, former president, Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (RCCI), Shakil Turabi, senior journalist and head of South Asian Broadcasting Agency (SABAH), Ghulam Muhammad Safi, Hurriyat leader, Advocate Nasir Qadri and Advocate Rafia Sailani.

The speakers were of the opinion that in the era of the war of narratives it must be kept in mind that many lobbies are involved in the Kashmir issue and care must be taken not to alienate any major group that supports the cause. Instead, the key is to create awareness, which will provide motivation and lead to doable action.

The meeting proposed setting up a Kashmir public war crimes tribunal, with lawyers and judges based in Azad Kashmir, to debate individual cases and present them before the world.

The speakers said proceedings of such cases should be dubbed in major languages and circulated through all available channels, including social media, to effectively highlight the plight of Kashmiris. This will mold public opinion in key countries and ultimately the opinion of their governments and will translate into positive action.

The participants were of the opinion that people are reactively and not proactively involved in the Kashmir issue. The government is playing its role but the civil society has to make extra efforts to make the world aware of the ground realities.

Regarding the importance of media in highlighting the issue, the speakers said media companies know how to sell stories through forceful narrative and visuals. But if media can’t sympathize with the victims, then it can’t represent the story correctly. Kashmir has gained prominence in the global media and more than 125 articles have been published only by The New York Times in a short span.

The meeting was told that what’s happening in Kashmir should not be termed as human rights violations anymore; it is better represented by words such as genocide, ethnic cleansing and war crimes. If such words are used by the world media it would lend a sense of urgency to the issue.

The speakers urged the world not to show selective concern about the issue.

Ambassador (r) Altaf gave a presentation on the hearing on Kashmir at the US Congressional subcommittee that discussed ‘Human Rights in South Asia’.

Recently the UK Parliament debated the Kashmir issue and judging from the statements of the 30 MPs it seemed as if the dispute had cropped up only after August 5 when India abrogated Article 370. The discussion showed that for the MPs the main concern was not the lockdown but the ban on mobile services and communications. The MPs who used Google to search for case studies only found the Indian narrative. So individual case studies and correct language can provide a new perspective to the world regarding IoK.

The discussants of the working group meeting were also of the view that the jurisdiction of International Criminal Court should be invoked instead of International Court of Justice as it is a better forum to move cases of human rights violations in Occupied Kashmir.

It was recalled that the Jammu Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS), which works on documentation and litigation of human rights issues in IoK, has recorded 459 such cases that can be highlighted effectively.

The presentation by Ambassador Altaf on US Congressional hearing highlighted that the overwhelming number of questions were related to India and Occupied Kashmir although the hearing was titled ‘Human Rights in South Asia’.

He informed the meeting that the subcommittee listened to expert witnesses regarding human rights and terrorism in Kashmir and the issue was taken up after a very long time.

Incidentally, no Kashmiri Muslim took part in the testimony as witness. The Indian government had tried its best to prevent people from giving testimony, the IPS meeting was told adding that the Congressional hearing debated that foreign journalists, diplomats and officials, including Senator Chris Van Hollen, were not allowed to visit the Kashmir Valley to get firsthand information. The subcommittee chairman, Brad Sherman, asked how can the US trust Indian officials when the government doesn’t allow diplomats to visit the disputed region.

The former diplomat also highlighted that the State Department’s assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells, who testified during the hearing, said US-India relations are based on partnership not on dictation and so Washington can’t interfere in the internal affairs of India. She said Washington has no objection regarding revocation of Article 370, but only to the human rights situation and advised Pakistan and India to resume dialogue to resolve the issue under Simla Agreement.

There was no logical conclusion to the testimony, which shows that Congress is not serious on this issue, he concluded.