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KT NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, June 11: At the end of its two days conference on 'peace and justice in Kashmir', members of the "Civil Society from India and Jammu & Kashmir" adopted "Srinagar Declaration" that expressed its concern over the peoples' trauma, turmoil and sufferings of the non-combatants, especially the women and children.
The declaration felt outraged over the "mis-governance and rampant corruption" and saddened by the insensitivity of the media and demanded immediate steps for cessation of violence and repression. It demanded immediate release of all the Kashmiris, withdrawal of security forces to barracks, and repealing all the draconian laws, supporting an immediate unconditional tripartite talks and eventual resolution of Kashmir issue.
The conference organised by the Civil Society Dialogue on Human Rights, Justice and Peace in J&K concluded on Sunday evening. Top human rights activists from across the country, including some office bearers of the Indian chapter of the Pakistan India Forum for Peace and Democracy, participated in the conclave, deliberations of which were mostly a closed door affair. The experts from various fields discussed certain pressing issues which the conflict ridden contemporary Kashmir is facing.
After the 4-sessions, the participants today adopted a "statement of understanding" which is going to be highlight of the press conference that is slated for Monday morning. The organisers will also brief the media about the deliberations on various subjects. A number of papers were presented by the participants. Gulam Nabi Hagroo presented a paper on the human rights violations and the response of civil society. He gave a birds eye-view of the state of affairs on the civil liberty front and explained the situation by offering his first hand experiences.
Retired judge and writer G N Gawhar presented a paper on the role of Indian state in Jammu & Kashmir. He said New Delhi and the successive regimes in Jammu & Kashmir committed frauds in the name of democracy. Terming the ruling National Conference (NC) as the terrorist organisation, Gawhar said SOG is its "armed wing". Founder and Chairman of the Kashmir Times Group of Publications Mr Ved Bhasin said the national media has been one of the contributors to the Kashmir mess as it always projected the official side at the cost of the ground realities.
Speaking on the role of media in Jammu & Kashmir, Bhasin said that the media have become a facilitator in perpetuating atrocities over the people in the state. Referring to the communal killings, he said media is crying hoarse when a non-Muslim is killed and nobody cares when the majority community people are annihilated. Ms Hamida Bano presented a paper on the impact of violence on the civil society of J&K and the situation of women and children. Referring to specific cases, she said molestations and rapes are being used as weapons of war against Kashmir society by over half a million troops in Jammu & Kashmir.
Parvez Imroz, one of the organisers talked at length on the situation of minorities in the state. He said the migration of Kashmiri Pandits was the result of a conspiracy hatched by the then governor Jagmohan.
The organisers permitted last minute changes in the schedule to accommodate more people who wished to express their view point on specific issues. These included Krishan Dev Sethi, Zafar Ahmad Shah and some others.
Sethi said that the rise of the gun is the ideal response from a people who have been crushed and whose rights violated with impunity for a very long time. For every repression, there has been a resistance, he said adding that I am for the armed struggle, I do not condemn it but I believe in it. Kashmir dispute, according to Seth, is the mother of all ills in the subcontinent. Unless it is not resolved there cannot be progress on any front because the entire development is subservient to this alone.
A leading lawyer and President of the Kashmir Bar Association Zafar Shah asked Admiral Ram Dass to use his good offices and make the policy makers in Delhi change their frame of mind and the give up repressive policies they have adopted in Kashmir. "We are a small society and can not afford the killing of seventy thousand people", he said. There were some papers on the state of economy, industry, environment and other related issues that have been the immediate victims of the strife situation.
On basis of these papers, the participants are reported to have framed certain recommendations and adopted of the statement of understanding.
The conference is actually the follow up to certain suggestions that were discussed at the Katmandu Conference in 1999 and another one in Banglore in April last. In the latter one, there were some participants from Pakistan as well. Pakistan chapter of the PIPFPD is also organising a similar exercise in the Pakistan administered areas though its dates are yet to be finalised.
PIPFPD, it may be recalled here, is the lose union of well known people from either side of the border. Its Indian Chapter is being headed by Admiral (retd) Ram Das while known human rights activist Tapan Kumar Bose is its secretary general. The NGO wants the restoration of civil society, On the Kashmir dispute, they want a solution according to the wishes of the people to be arrived at through negotiations between New Delhi and Kashmiris and India and Pakistan.
Those who are attended the conference included Admiral Ram Das, Tapan K Bose, Ms Rita Manchanda, Ms Ritu Dewan, Prof Sushil Khare, Prof Ranbir Samadar, Gautam Navlakha, Prof Amitabh Mattoo, Ms Shobe Barve, Dr Shiromani, Dr Daya Verma, Mazhar Hussain, Sukumar Muralidaran, Sumit Chakarvorty.
KT NEWS SERVICE
SRINAGAR, June 11: Most of the delegates who were here attending the two-days conference on peace and justice in Kashmir, visited the family of Rafiq Ahamad Baqal, the young man, who was killed by BSF for no provocation, and offered their condolences. They went to Kokerbazaar after the conclusion of the conference.
After the Srinagar Declaration was adopted at the valedictory session of the conference, Tapan Kumar Bose briefed his colleagues about the incident. He told them that after he heard of the case, he went to the area alongwith two other members and had the first hand account of the killing. He told them the BSF action was totally misplaced, unprovoked and ruthless. Infact the slain young man and four of his colleagues were known to the BSF persons who killed one of them. Later, he said, the police did not return the body and the people had to go for a peaceful protest. Being present in the protest demonstration, Bose informed the house that the police infact drove into the crowd least caring whether anybody may get crushed.
After getting the first hand details all the members cried shame shame. They were told that in order to get a picture of the ground realities, some of them must try to come and stay with the locals occasionally.
GK Correspondent
Srinagar, June 10: It was an interaction with a difference. For the first time since eruption of armed resistance in Valley, a galaxy of intellectuals from various parts of India had a face to face interaction with their counterparts in Kashmir. Ranging from saga of errors that led to the mass uprising in 1989 to gross human rights violations, the speakers spoke at length about the urgency to solve the Kashmir imbroglio.
Organised by the J&K Federation of Civil Society Organisation (JKFSCO), the function held here today was attended by former Navy chief Admiral Ramdas, noted human right activists Balraj Puri and Tapan Bose, prominent journalists Sumit Chakravarty, professor Amitabh Matoo, veteran freedom fighter Krishan Dev Sethi, besides scores of intellectuals and human rights activists. A number of intellectuals, human rights activists, lawyers and students of the valley also gave vent to their feelings.
Lashing out at the "role of Indian media in J&K," Bhasin blamed the former for being a facilitator in perpetuating atrocities against Kashmiris. He said the national media has lost its credibility in Kashmir because the atrocities committed on Kashmiris by the security forces were never highlighted. "Indian media has been used to mislead Indian people in the name of national interests," he said "but actually they are working against the same."
Accusing the 'national' media of giving a communal colour to killings in Kashmir, Ved Bhasin said whenever a minority killing takes place in the valley, it is blown out of proportion, "but unfortunately when the members of the majority community are eliminated, no report is published."
Describing Kashmir issue as the mother of all problems, veteran freedom fighter, Krishan Dev Sethi said that until the issue was solved once for all, the human rights violations at the hands of the security forces will continue. "Be it Indo-Pak confrontation, human rights question or any other issue, as long as Kashmir issue is not addressed in its right perspective, the situation will remain the same," he said. Sethi said that question of civil liberties and repression was linked with the Kashmir dispute.
Commenting on the armed struggle in Kashmir, Sethi said, "I believe in armed struggle. Wherever there is repression, there is resistance also." Sethi said the gun had brought the Kashmir issue from out of the frozen chambers and highlighted it. "But now the stage has reached when dialogue is the need of the hour." He however, ridiculed the union home minister, L K Advani's talks offer saying "they are stressing for conditional talks. How is it possible?" Sethi said that the talks can only be held in a conducive atmosphere and that too unconditionally. "On the one hand custodial killings, rapes, enforced disappearances and loot and plunder have become order of the day and on the other Advani is stressing for talks," he said adding "first stop repression and then go for the dialogue."
The president of the Jammu and Kashmir Bar Association spoke on the role of Indian state in Jammu Kashmir. Zaffar said that the government of India had changed many faces since 1947. "We were born in the post independence period. We came to know from history books that Kashmir was an independent state and was divided following 1947 war. We also came to know that India did not ratify the accession as promised. We also witnessed erosion of whatever autonomy the state enjoyed".
Zaffar said that Admiral Ram Das was welcome if he could change the opinion of the policy makers of India. Zaffar said that nobody was concerned about killings of Kashmir Muslims. "Killing of seventy thousand people may go un-noticed in India. But we are a small people and therefore cannot afford so many killings", Zaffar said.
Zaffar urged the audience to impress upon the government of India to change its repressive policy and take measures for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
Dr Hamida read a paper on Impact of violence on women and children. Citing specific cases, Hamida told the audience about how women and children had been persecuted in the valley for the past one decade.
Accusing the government of India of using rape and molestation as a weapon of war, Hamida brought to the notice of the audience the plight of the orphans, widows and the half widows.
Ghulam Nabi Hagroo read a paper on human rights. Hagroo said how he was subjected to persecution by the government from time to time for his political adventures.
Ghulam Nabi Gowher gave a brief account of the policies of the government since 1947. Describing National Conference as a terrorist organisation, Gowher said that the organisation resorted to political terrorism and manipulated almost all the elections held in the state. Gowher said that a civil society could be established only when peace was established.
Parvez Imroze, speaking on the minorities said that the emergence of Muslim elite and the conspiracy hatched by the then governor Jagmohan was responsible for mass exodus of Pandits from the valley."There should be no conditions for the return of Pandits to the valley. Whether they support the on-going struggle or not, they must be welcomed. We are seeking democratic rights from India and as a matter of principle we must give the same rights to the Pandits", he said.
Earlier, the two day conference was inaugurated at a simple but impressive function. Admiral Ram Das was the chief guest and Ghulam Nabi Gowher presided over the function. The function started with offering of Fatehah to all the martyrs. A cultural item Chorus was also presented. Dr Hamida read a poem of Aga Shahid Ali.
Welcoming the guests, convenor Parvez Imrose gave a back a brief back ground of the JKFCSO. Admiral Ram Das expressed solidarity with the people of Kashmir for all their sufferings. G N Gowher made the purpose, aims and objectives of the JKFCSO clear.