- Are you aware that in your name the Indian army has killed 100,000 people in Jammu Kashmir since 1988?
- Are you aware that 7000,000 Indian troops are considered as an occupation force by Kashmiris?
- Are you aware that Kashmir is not a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan?
- Are you aware that over one dozen UN resolutions exist on the Kashmir issue?
- Are you aware that Kashmiris have not consented to be ruled by India or by any other country?
- As Kashmiris we only wish to exercise the right to decide our political destiny with a peaceful and dignified existence as free people. We hope that for peace, justice and democracy you as free people of India, will support our fundamental right to be free in our own country.
The Shopian massacre:
9 April 2018
Your country has deployed hundreds of thousands of military and para military forces in Jammu
Kashmir, who kill and maim civilians indiscriminately in militarised violence. The killing spree by
the Indian forces in Shupian with 19 killed and over 200 injured, including in Anantnag, Tral, and
Kangan, and in other parts of especially the valley of Kashmir, is not an exception. Those killed in
such encounters are labelled as militants or Pakistanis by your military to justify death and destruction
perpetrated against civilians every day.
Within this background, one wonders how Prime Minister Modi would justify deaths in Indian
occupied Jammu Kashmir, to 53 other leaders whom he will meet at the 25th Commonwealth Heads
of Government Meeting-CHOGM- in a week’s time in London. And how would Mr Modi justify, if
he is asked, about the conduct of his country’s army which arrests, tortures and kills civilians. And
how would he justify the behaviour of his military and paramilitary forces, whose soldiers callously
and vindictively torture, and cripple civilians mercilessly? And how would he justify that the
‘incredible’ largest democracy in the world uses its favourite democratic practices of imprisoning the
entire population in the homes, and imposes curfews for weeks on end, to deny democratic rights of
free speech and assembly? And when the people come out on the streets against militarised
oppression, and engage in peaceful protest your army resorts to the use of its preferred weapon for
crowd control, the pellet guns, to blind civilians in their thousands. How would Mr Modi justify,
depriving the entire Kashmiri society by shutting down schools, colleges, universities, and other
facilities and amenities like mobile phones and the internet, which the rest of contemporary world
takes for granted? And above all how would he hide the heinous crimes perpetrated by the army of the
‘incredible’ largest democracy in the world on the social media- loaded up in many cases- by Indian
soldiers who commit such acts of depravity to assert and boast about bravery of the Indian army, over
the helpless people of Jammu Kashmir.
Inevitably as patriotic Indians, you would wonder why the Indian army would and should resort to
such unethical conduct that belittles the reputation of a professional military. These acts of violence
against Kashmiris are committed by the Indian army to instil fear and a sense of helplessness in the
minds of the inhabitants, who wish only to determine their political status as free people. The
militarised violence is perpetrated to send a clear message to the people in Jammu Kashmir that they
are not the arbiters of their destiny. Under the pretext of militancy, your government, and the military
forces are busy in silencing the voice of the people, and their cry for freedom. Your country’s forces
that number over seven lakh (seven hundred thousands) in total, have wreaked havoc and devastation
in the lives of millions of civilians over the past 30 years. During this period, in your name the Indian
military, has killed as many as a hundred thousand civilians, and the count is rising with the latest
indiscriminate killings in Shupian. Your military forces have got into the habit of even shooting
directly with bullets and pellets at funeral prayers which are offered for those killed by the Indian
army during peaceful protests.
How ironic therefore, that an Indian court awards a sentence of five years to a famous film star for
shooting a blackbuck, while your country’s soldiers are awarded with promotions and bonuses for killing women and children, and using civilians as human shields in Jammu Kashmir. Under the cover
of laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers Act- AFSPA- and Public Safety Act-PSA-, your
army acts with impunity in Kashmir. Rape of Kashmiri women is used as a weapon. Youth of
Kashmir is particularly a favourite target of your forces. Many are deliberately targeted during
peaceful political demonstrations with the aim to kill. Those arrested are never seen again by their
loved ones. There are over seven thousand unmarked graves all over Jammu Kashmir, and
particularly in the valley of Kashmir. Up to eight thousand people are missing. Your government, and
the army have a lot of explaining to do, in terms of the Indian state’s conduct in what can only be
described, as war crimes against the people in Jammu Kashmir. Your government knows full well that
Jammu Kashmir is not a territorial dispute between India and Pakistan- it is an issue that is about the
right of 20 million people to freedom, and self-determination across both sides of the ceasefire
line. Our simple question as Kashmiris to the people of India is- for how long can the world be hood-
winked by your government in believing that in Jammu Kashmir India is fighting ‘terrorism’ or
Pakistan? The truth and reality in Indian occupied Jammu Kashmir is that an entire nation is being
held hostage against its will in subjugation with a massive military presence by your country. Jammu
Kashmir is the most militarised region in the world. And your army has unleashed a militarised reign
of terror in the territory. Your government refuses even to allow the UN to investigate human rights
excesses, and violations committed against civilian population by the regular military and a plethora
of para military forces.
As patriotic citizens of India you may choose not to accept the militarised oppression being
committed in your name by the Indian state in Jammu Kashmir. However, the reality is that your
government has given a licence to the Indian army to kill, pillage, and perpetrate acts of violence and
destruction with impunity. As already pointed out Indian forces use Kashmiris as human shields,
which is an incontrovertible reality. Your military operates under the umbrella of draconian laws that
give it complete immunity since under these laws a culture of impunity has become prevalent in
Jammu Kashmir, which gives rise to a massive violation of fundamental human, civil and political
rights of millions of ordinary Kashmiris. If what we say is not true about the conduct of Indian forces
in Jammu Kashmir, then why wouldn’t Indian government accede to the UN’s requests for an
independent scrutiny of the situation?
Your government has refused to allow the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights-
UNHCHR- to visit Jammu Kashmir, despite repeated requests by the world body. What is Indian
government scared of? Is your country’s government hiding its ugly militarised violence, in India’s
undeclared war against the people of Jammu Kashmir? Perhaps the government of India, and the
Indian army consider their actions in Kashmir above domestic and international law? We would
expect of you that as patriotic citizens of India, you would consider it your national duty to pose these
questions to Mr Modi, on the conduct of your army in the killing fields of Jammu Kashmir, as he
contemplates engaging with fellow Commonwealth leaders in London at the 25th CHOGM in a
week’s time. It is quite likely that fellow participants of the CHOGM may well choose to do so on the
suffering of civilians that prevails in Indian occupied Jammu Kashmir.
It could be however, that in the face of India’s aggressive diplomacy within the United Nations, and
the international system of inter- state relations, and like the people of India the international
community is wrong sighted about the full extent, to which the helpless and forsaken inhabitants of
Jammu Kashmir, are being oppressed by your country’s military forces? And therefore, like you the
good people of India, the international community also finds it expedient to hide behind the all too
familiar and obvious pretext, that Jammu Kashmir is a ‘bilateral dispute’ between India and Pakistan?
Thus as within the people of India the international public opinion is also not fully aware about the
plight of Kashmiri masses. This no doubt creates a diplomatic escape route for India when it kills
dozens of civilians and claims that they were militants or as the BBC reported, suspected militants, in
the case of the massacre in Shupian on April 2, and indeed countless other massacres and excesses
that have taken place throughout Indian held Jammu Kashmir over the past thirty years.
For example it would be absolutely unlikely that disappearance of over eight thousand men, mostly
picked up from their homes, and never seen or heard since their arrests, would be forgotten by their families and their nation. And what explanations would Prime Minister Modi give at the CHOGM in
London if he is taken to task, and asked about the thousands of unmarked graves, and the eight
thousand disappeared in Jammu Kashmir? Or would he continue to prevaricate, and escape with the
customary intransigence, and double-speak over the conduct of the Indian military against the civilian
population? We must remind you in all sincerity that sooner rather than later, the truth will come into
the open. And when it does, your pride and reputation as Indians will surely be hurt, and suffer in the
comity of nations; especially when responsibility of heinous crimes perpetrated against the civilian
population , will squarely be levelled against India.
Presently Indian held Jammu Kashmir is not open to international media. And the Indian media,
despite its claims, is totally biased against the genuine peaceful dissent of the masses. Like the Indian
army and the government, Indian media too, considers the struggle of the people in Jammu Kashmir
as Pakistani inspired, and not indigenous. This is a complete distortion of the reality of our peaceful
struggle to be a free people. Furthermore how India’s huge military presence impacts on the lives of
millions of people, is the most closely guarded secret in the world today. India is silencing a genuine
political dissent of the people in Jammu Kashmir; and has been for decades! India has reneged on
all the international commitments it made on the issue of Jammu Kashmir’s future status at the UN.
And yet India demands a permanent seat as member of the UNSC, when in reality India does not even
subscribe to the UN system of arbitration, and search for solutions over international disputes. If it did
the issue of Jammu Kashmir’s future status would have been resolved by now; especially since there
are more than a dozen UN resolutions specifically on the issue of Jammu Kashmir’s future status.
Therefore, it is an absolute travesty of truth and justice that in your name successive Indian
governments call Jammu Kashmir as an ‘integral’ part of India. We must strongly reiterate that we do
not consider Jammu Kashmir to be part of either India or Pakistan.
Your country also does not recognise the UN Charter in its entirety. Therefore, while Mr Modi’s
claim for a permanent seat on the UNSC may be based on India’s size and economic power, the
international community however may not be persuaded to look the other way anymore, and continue
to be misled about the true nature of the Kashmir dispute. The most important and central party in this
dispute is the Kashmiri nation, comprising of twenty million people across both sides of the cease-fire
line, that forcibly divides them between India and Pakistan.
India claims to be the so called biggest democracy in the world, whether this claim is true, only you
the Indian people, are the best judges to substantiate. But this is most definitely not the case as far as
Jammu Kashmir and millions of its people, under your country’s occupation are concerned. In
Kashmir India is an occupying power, and has been since it invaded an independent country in
October 1947. Ever since 1947 India has trampled on the fundamental right of the people, including
their right to freedom of expression, of assembly and above all the right to life as free people. In your
name India stifles and puts down political dissent. Imprisons and incarcerates political leaders who
engage in peaceful political dissent.
This is exemplified by the way your government has treated the Joint Resistance Leadership-JRL-
over the past two years. This treatment is indicative of your government’s attitude to the people of
Jammu Kashmir and a peaceful resolution of the dispute over their future political status. The JRL is
confined to house arrest or incarcerated in jail. Over the past two years Mr Yasin Malik the Chairman
of the JKLF has been in and out of Srinagar central jail on dozens of times, while Sayed Ali Shah
Gilani and the Mirwaiz Umar Farooq are constantly confined to house arrest. There are numerous
restrictions imposed on the JRL. It is denied the democratic right to engage with the people. The JRL
has been prevented from travelling to Shupian to condole the bereaved families of those killed by the
Indian army on 2 April. Mr Yasin Malik was incarcerated and released only on 8 April from Srinagar
central jail. A deliberate policy of communal divide is being promoted and orchestrated by your
government in Jammu Kashmir. The leadership is not allowed to travel with in Jammu Kashmir and
interact with all the sections of society, including religious minorities. The Indian government uses
PSA to prevent peaceful and legitimate political dissent in Kashmir, and yet India portrays itself as the
biggest democracy of the world.
4 Your governments claim that Jammu Kashmir is part of India their ruler acceded to India in 1947 we
must humbly remind you that the idea of the right to self-determination as a concept implies, that
those who are governed must give their consent to be governed, and that people have the right to
shape their own destiny, and their right in shaping their destiny must be recognised as sovereign right.
This patently is not the case as regards the relationship of people of Kashmir vis-a’vis India and
Pakistan.
You must recognise, and accept the reality that with seven lakh Indian soldiers deployed in Jammu
Kashmir, one wonders what on earth your country’s idea of Jammu Kashmir being an ‘integral’ part
of India means? Your huge military in Jammu Kashmir is a hostile force, which has subjugated the
people of Jammu Kashmir by force. The people of Jammu Kashmir have not given their consent to
your country to rule over them. If ever there was consent it was conditional, and India has not fulfilled
its side of the obligations in the temporary arrangements of 1947. India treats Kashmir as a colony and
we as Kashmiris feel as colonised people. Thus as people of Jammu Kashmir we do not have a
covenant with either India or Pakistan, nor have we given our consent to be ruled by either one or the
other country. This is a basic fact that we sincerely wish to convey to you, as we protest throughout
the world against the militarised violence perpetrated by the Indian army in Jammu Kashmir against
our people.
Finally, we would like to remind you that as peaceful people, we have always desired for Jammu
Kashmir, to become a bridge of peace between India and Pakistan, and not a perpetual bone of
contention. We hope that, as your Prime Minister prepares to depart for London to attend the 25th
CHOGM, you would advise him as patriotic citizens of your country, to accept the wise counsel of his
fellow leaders, from the family of Commonwealth nations to embark on a peaceful resolution of the future status of Jammu Kashmir based on the undeterred right of twenty million Kashmiris to self-
determination. This is the only practical and sane wayforward.
Sincerely
Prof Zafar Khan Chairman of Diplomatic Bureau
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front-JKLF
International Secretariat-119-123 Cannon Street Road
London E1 2LX
Presented at the Indian High Commission in London by:
Mr Sabir Gul President JKLF UK Chapter
Mr Tahseen Gilani General Secretary JKLF UK Chapter
Mr Tariq Sharif Member of JKLF’s Diplomatic Bureau
