45 Indian soldiers also killed during fighting with freedom fighters since January this year, LFK said in its report

Zahid Shah

ISLAMABAD: Due to the criminal silence of the United Nations Security Council, the Indian-occupied forces have killed 146 innocent Kashmiri during the last six months, said the international advocacy group in its latest report. 

The Bi-Annual Human Rights Review of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir  Jan – June 2022 report released by the Legal Forum for Kashmir (LFK) , an international advocacy group on Thursday, revealed that during the last six months 191 people were killed in 120 Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs).

116 residential houses were bombed by the Indian forces, 72 military operations were carried out and killed 122 freedom fighters while killed 45 Indian Occupying Forces personnel were also killed in retaliation.

Indian forces also killed 24 civilians in various incidents of violence, it’s said. 

During this period, the occupying forces continue the intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders, journalists, and civil society. 

“The ongoing war of liberation in IOJK is witnessing a plethora of changes in terms of the ‘level of intensity’. In last three years 1237 civilian properties were damaged by the Indian armed force while conduct a military operation against freedoms fighter holding a short gun or Pistol,” said in the report. 

Since January this year, the Indian forces also damaged 116 houses during the military operations as part of their campaign to financially weaken the local population.

Recently, the Indian government deployed more 15,000 additional forces in the densely militarized zone in wake of the target killings by indigenous armed outfit ‘The Resistance front (TRF)’. 

The new trend of counter-insurgency methods inflicting physical and mental harm to Kashmiris is increasing. 

“Few days before Indian occupying authorities attached five residential houses in Srinagar capital city of IOJK under UAPA act. The J&K Police in their press release cited that house owners wilfully harbor freedom fighters,” its said in the report.

One of the house owners said their properties were attached without serving any prior notice or giving them the opportunity to respond to the allegation of harboring any freedom fighter. 

The Indian authorities also dismiss or suspended dozens government employees from their services including professors and other professionals for alleged links with war of Liberation movement. 

“Since August 5, 2019, at least 33 employees have been terminated from their jobs by the Indian administration in IOJK. Indian administration and police have initiated a crackdown against the Journalist Community in occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” it’s revealed in the report. 

- Journalist remains a target of Indian forces

In 2022, the police launched a fresh pressure campaign on journalists, subjecting them to police searches, threats, and likely arrests and detention. 

Foreign media have already been barred by the Indian government from access to the disputed territory, leaving local journalists as the primary source of information in a region with communication outages and curfews. 

“Since 2019, the Indian government has been accused of restricting critical journalism in Kashmir, with over 35 journalists imprisoned or questioned by authorities. 

“The Indian government continues to abuse Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) 2019, Public Safety Act (PSA) 1978-draconian anti-terrorism legislations, Academic experts, lawyers, journalists, teachers, and activists of all ages step into their shoes every day preparing to face the UAPA when they give voice to oppressed peoples,” according to report.

• Missing of over 1,600 Kashmiri youth in 3 years 

The Indian occupation forces also arrested over 2,300 Kashmiri in last three years and over 1,600 among them are missing as the families so far have no access to meet them.

A list of political and civilian prisoners presented in the parliament by the Minister of State MHA Nitayanand Rai accepted 750 people in their custody but refused to share more details with the parliament. 

According to Kashmiri police, they arrested over 2,300 people under draconian laws in the last three years since August 2019 and handed them over to Indian authorities. 

In November 2021, the Indian occupation forces arrested Kashmiri rights activist Khurram Parvez, chairman of the Asian Federation against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and coordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCSS), a prominent rights group in IOJK, and still in incarceration despite the UN and other international human rights organization appeals to release him. 

He was charged with “criminal conspiracy and waging war against the government”.

 Similarly, Indian Judiciary has sentenced JKLF Chairman Mr Yasin Malik for Life imprisonment for advocating Right to self-determination. 

- Kashmiri students future at risk in India

In first six months of 2022, there were several cases of Kashmiri students, laborers, traders, and drivers, being threatened, beaten, assaulted and intimidated in mainland India.

On May 25, in a violent attack on Kashmiri students, at least 5 students were beaten and assaulted by Hindu right-wing activists in the Swami Vivekanada University, Mohali Punjab. 

In the continuum of illegal steps taken by India’s Occupying regime in Indian-Occupied Jammu Kashmir (IOJK), the government which is being led by BJP leader Narendra Modi since 2014 has executed fresh delimitation of constituencies. 

The Jammu and Kashmir Delimitation Commission headed by former Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai of the Supreme Court of India, formed in 2021 for the fresh delimitation of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as per the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act 2019 issued its final order on May 5, earmarking 43 seats to the Hindu-majority Jammu region and 47 to Muslim-majority Kashmir – making up a total of 90 seats for the Union territory’s assembly, up by 7 seats from the current strength of 83. 

Pakistan rejected the report the so-called ‘Delimitation Commission’ and called it an attempt to disenfranchise and disempower the Muslim majority population of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

“It was emphasized that the ulterior motive of the Indian government was evident from the fact that, under the garb of so-called delimitation, the representation of Muslims in the re-designated constituencies had been reduced to their disadvantage. This shattered the rationale pushed by the Indian Government that the ‘delimitation effort’ was aimed to ‘empower’ the local population. However, in reality, the new electoral boundaries would further disempower, marginalize and divide the people of the occupied territory. It would only pave the way for installing yet another puppet regime backed by the BJP-RSS combine,” said Pakistan Foreign Ministry in a statement, issued in May.

-Internet shutdown 

The arbitrary internet shutdowns and restrictions by the Indian forces are clearly a form of systemic discrimination and a violation of the rights of Kashmiris.

“ India Occupied Jammu & Kashmir accounts for two-thirds (403) of the total 655 internet shutdowns that India has seen since 2012. IOJK saw 94 instances of internet outages from January 1, to June 30, this year,” according to report.

 “The Kashmiri prisoners which include pro-freedom leaders, human rights activists, and civil society members continue to suffer in jails across Jammu & Kashmir, and mainland India, their only crime being proponents of the right of self-determination,” it’s concluded.