Move beyond rhetoric

The recent statement by CM on the issue of Human rights violations rekindles many hopes. Will the young Chief Minister wash away the wrongdoings of former reigns? Mudasir Majeed Pir This is in reference to the recent speech of Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, which he rendered with unprecedented valour while addressing a massive gathering in Mawar, Handwara. It seemed as Omar Sahib had worn the shroud while his address. He asserted in his speech that human rights violations are not acceptable to us at any cost. Defying the continues HR abuse by troopers, Omar Abdullah said whosoever found guilty would be punished. No one is going to escape illegally from the clutches of judiciary. Reacting to the killing of a 70-year old beggar Habibullah Khan of Kupwara, who was allegedly killed in a fake encounter in the forests of Rainawari by Indian army and was later dubbed as a foreign militant, he said that justice would be done to the deceased. One fails to understand these so called commitments by our leaders. When you know the power is being operated by somebody else then why do you talk of power? When you know you are bound to abide by the Indian constitution then why do you say that which disrespects the constitution. Our politicians are bereft of actual power. They do have the power but just nominal. They can not send any trooper behind the bars because it is not in their hands. Their powers fell idle before central government. The central government has provided license to forces to kill innocent Kashmiris one by one and this right of killing innocent Kashmiris by forces is backed by some black laws which include the draconian Armed Forces special Power Act (AFSPA) and Disturbed Area Act and proviso 549 of the criminal procedure code. These harsh Acts make Indian troops eligible for executing barbarism. If an innocent person is shot at sight deliberately by a trooper in Kashmir, no one cares of him and no one can muster the courage to sue the trooper because everyone is better known to the consequences. Similarly if the same case comes about in some other state of India then the concerned government has to be on toes till the culprit is booked. History stands testimony to the oppression used by Indian troopers in Kashmir. There have been innumerable tortures, assassinations, forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by Indian army, CRPF, BSF even in few cases JK police were found involved. More than 70 thousand people have killed since 1989, has any government succeeded since 1989 to provide justice to any amongst the 70 thousand families? How many innocent Kashmiris are languishing in jails? Did anybody care about them? How many Kashmiris were killed by forces in fake encounters and later on dubbed them as militants associated with LET militant outfit or else. What for this all? The answer is only and only to quench their lust for power and just to take their ranks up. I was once in my life when SSP Hanas Raj Parihaar was booked on charges of his involvement in a fake encounter of Abdul Rehman Padder. And the credit must go to the then Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azaad, who remained adamant in bringing the culprit behind the bars. From last two years we have been witnessing rampant human rights violations-whether Shopian Rape and murder case or the recent killing of a 14-year kid Wamiq Farooq or the other killings -we have witnessed justice nowhere prevails. Justice once promised but never delivered. If Omar Abdullah is certainly of the view that justice should be done then it is the high time for him the get the killers of 70-year old Habibullah Khan punished. The police have done its job. It has identified the culprits. So the Chief Minister must go ahead. Let justice prevail. The unnecessary delay can lead only to denial of justice. The unbridled and unaccounted misuse of the AFSPA should be curbed so that the human rights violations can be brought down to naught. The AFSPA gives forces enough powers to gun down an innocent person in the name of National Security. It also guarantees them the right to arrest an innocent person on suspicion just for the sake of maintaining law and order and later on the arrest is followed by custodial killing. The unrestricted use of this dreadful law has always failed to maintain the law and order instead it has succeeded in augmenting the mayhem. It has only resulted in mounting human rights violations. I entreat worthy CM Omar Abdullah to put an end to human rights violations once and for all. I beg him on behalf of 70000 victims to make Kashmir free from this bloodshed. It is time to show the resolve and unflinching defiance to these black laws. They are not meant for maintaining law and order but for committing human rights violations. Every one is expecting you to wash away the wrong doings of former reigns. I wish Omar Sahib yours words will turn into deeds and bear fruits for the hapless people of Kashmir. Hope you act upon what you said. Hope that Kashmiri blood will not go waste now. And hope that you will bring conflict torn Kashmir back on the path of peace and prosperity. Author can be mailed at pir.mudasir@gmail.com