The Pakistani Spectator

Indian held Jammu & Kashmir state (IHK) never remained peaceful for even a single day since Indian occupation some over 62 years back. Though Indian government quite regularly organizes elections in this state but all the major political parties keep themselves aloof from this drama. Resultantly, Indian intelligence handpicked puppets come to power, only to show the world community that democracy still exists in the state. Whenever, due to feeling of guilt among the handpicked puppets, someone raises its voice against Indian atrocities, he is blacked-mailed or at time put behind the bars by leveling serious charges of anti-state activities. Sometimes one feel like to believe India’s claim that whenever Indian government makes an attempt to hold talks with Pakistan to settle Kashmir issue, some invisible hands sabotage the peace process. Naturally, in such a case, US, Britain and Israel are the top suspects. In all these years we have never tried to find out black sheep in our own files, who acts on the behalf of US, Britain and Israel as their agents.

Keeping aside the atrocities, genocide and other related issues to subdue Kashmiris, the ongoing protests over the rape and cold blooded murder of two Muslim Kashmiri girls in Shopian town is burning topic of today’s newspapers and media channels. Ironically, it is over six moths but culprits have not been taken to task. Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was deputed to investigate the case, which submitted its report to Jammu and Kashmir High Courton December 14, 2009, in which it claimed that the two Kashmiri girls, Neelofar and Asiya, died due to accidental drowning in Rambiara Nallah near Zawoora Bridge May 29 and there was no evidence of suicidal drowning as no note or motive has emerged. Since the CBI report came into light, protests, rallies and Bandhs have been intensified and situation seems out of control. No doubt, such a report aims at further aggravating the situation and would create a feeling of hatred and disillusion among the Kashmiris.  Everyone in India as well as other parts of the world who are concerned about Kashmiris, would bear out that the report submitted by CBI in the court is fictitious and without any foundations.  Beside an ordinary Kashmiri, the Kashmir Bar Association also rejected the report and decided to fight the report both inside and outside the court. In the same context, President Kashmir Bar Association President Mian Qayoom while addressing a press conference said: “We will fight the CBI report tooth and nail both inside the court and also outside. The fact is that the victims had been raped and then murdered.” It is pertinent to mention here that Kashmir Bar Association has decided to boycott the courts on December 23 and would announce further boycott programme from time to time.

If we critically examine CBI’s 66-page probe report submitted to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court, the CBI claimed that the two girls, Neelofar and Asiya, died due to accidental drowning in Rambiara Nallah near Zawoora Bridge on May 29, 2009. Also, there was no evidence of suicidal drowning as no note or motive has emerged. One fails to understand that when the authorized doctors confirmed rape after carrying out detail medical examinations and tests, why the report of the doctors was doubted. Ironically, instead of taking action against the culprits, the CBI presented a charge sheet against 13 people including six doctors, five lawyers and two witnesses, who according to the CBI’s report, had tried to fabricate evidence to mislead the law in this sensitive case that triggered Valley-wide protests. Indian Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram added fuel to the fire by claiming that to disbelieve the CBI report was being ridiculous. One wonders, how long the Kashmiris would be denied justice and treated in such a barbaric manner.

It is interesting to note that rape and murder of Kashmiris are matters of routine in Indian IHK but Indian authorities never accept their crimes and had always victimized anyone who speaks against them. If we recall, the two doctors, Dr Bilal Ahmed and Dr Nighat Shaheen who performed the autopsy of the victims of rape and murder in Shopian were suspended on May 30, on the charges of their failure to follow due procedure during autopsy. Later on June 21 , the state government suspended four policemen including the then Superintendent of Police of Shopian and an forensic official a day after receiving the interim report of the one-man commission of Muzaffar A Jan. The Commission had recommended departmental action and inquiry against the doctors who conducted the post-mortem for not taking the samples of heart and brain of the bodies for forensic tests. In fact, gang rape and murder took place at Shopian but since it was committed by Indian security forces, no action was taken despite arrests of Indian security force on the same account.

It was not only in Shopian where Kashmiris were victimized but some of latest incidents include mysterious killing of a student in Srinagar, death of a Kashmiri college girl, molested by a group of Indian Territorial Army Jawans in Kupwara and dozen of similar incidents that took place one after another. These incidents have put a big question mark on India’s credibility. Ironically, despite protests and violence all around in IHK, local newspapers remained committed publishing full-page advertisements highlighting puppet Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s first six months achievements but without any mention of his failures. By spending Rs 60-crore on road modernization project in Srinagar and Jammu cities, Omar Abdullah feels that Kashmiris would give up their right of self determination. India is mistaken to consider that by recent securing of a loan of Rupees 2500 crore for infrastructure development from Asian Development Bank (ADB) for IHK, Kashmiris would compromise their independence.  In fact, Kashmiris are fed up with the behaviour of Indian authorities. Unless Indian government provide justice with regard to crimes like the one that took place Shopian, Srinagar and Kupwara, Kashmiris  are not going to end their protest this time. At present, there are 579,000 Indian troops in IHK who are round the clock monitoring the loyalties of Kashmiris, while the so called civilized nations of the world and international organizations like United Nations (UN) are watching the bleeding and burning IHK as silent senseless spectators.