Kathmandu: The Amnesty International which remained so far tight lipped on the Kashmir upon being questioned by several international bodies has, better late than never, launched a petition on its website urging people to raise their voice against the government-imposed communications blackout in India-occupied Kashmir that has been in place for over a period approaching fifty days non-stop.
India annexed Kashmir on August 5 last month.
The AI says September 15, 2019, in part, that nearly 8 million people have been living through a communication shutdown since August 5,” the human rights organization stated on its website AI statement has come only after several media organizations alleged the Amnesty as to have been clearly taking the sides of the Indian establishment on Kashmir aggression.
However, the AI central command has criticized India vehemently in the recent days.
Yet the Amnesty International Nepal Chapter was quick enough in issuing an official letter addressed to the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, His majesty Manjeev Singh Puri on September 13, itself-some two days ahead of the AI central office and made a scathing comment of Indian government on the Kashmir aggression.
Ambassador Puri is tentatively Nepal’s King who remains ever at the service of the Nepali people because he is micro-managing the Nepali State for free. And he does need permission as Nepal is his personal fiefdom. So nice of the Indian envoy. We revere you sir the other way round.
That speaks of his kindness. Thanks that he is being assisted by the RAW agents both local and foreign in his pious job in controlling Nepal though the expertise in the subject of micro-management that he has hopefully.
The Amnesty International-Nepal chapter had submitted a letter to the Indian Ambassador in Kathmandu urging exhibition of humanitarian behavior for the “oppressed” people of Kashmir.
Amnesty International-Nepal Director Niranjan Thapaliya, in the letter, has expressed deep concern over the indefinite draconian communications blackout faced by the people of Kashmir in India.
“The right of freedom of movement and right to freedom of expression and opinion of the people continues to be paralyzed in Kashmir, the Amnesty International-Nepal has drawn attention of the Indian government.
Amnesty International-Nepal Director Niranjan Thapaliya, has further appealed to the government of India to immediately stop the repressive clampdown on all communication channels – telephone, internet, cellular and cable networks and lift the blanket restrictions in Kashmir.
Writes veteran Indian Congress leaders Sashi Tharoor for the Asia Times in his fresh article (Courtesy People’s Review) that “Modi’s recent abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, guaranteed under Article 370 of India’s constitution, was undertaken amid a statewide lockdown.
Tharoor adds further that “political leaders were arrested, and telephone and Internet services were suspended. There is no telling what will happen when the lid is taken off the pressure cooker”.
Yet most Indians are offering unstinting support to this Indian leader, concludes Tharoor.
In the meanwhile, the Amnesty International India Chapter says September 15, 2019, that the use of the J&K Public Safety Act (PSA) on Farooq Abdullah, a former chief minister of J&K, is a blatant abuse of the law by the Indian government and latest in the series of human rights violations taking place in Kashmir.
Interestingly, the Amnesty International’s top man Kumi Naidoo who is the AI’s secretary-general, vowed on Monday that the rights group would not be silenced on raising concerns about disputed Kashmir despite what he called intimidation by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
“It is a horrific thing to actually cut people’s legitimate way of communicating with each other completely,” Kumi Naidoo, the Amnesty International secretary-general said, reports the AFP dated September 16, 2019.
Kumi Naidoo further said that “there are life-and-death issues associated with doing that.
“Whether it is family members needing to communicate with each other, being able to go to the doctor’s, this is something that governments need to stop doing,” Naidoo said.
To note, Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir, which was split between the two countries in 1947.
India deployed extra troops ahead of the August 5 decision to reinforce some 500,000 soldiers already stationed in the region, one of the most militarized places on the planet.
Media agencies have estimated that since August 5, last month Kashmir has seen over 700 protests since Article 370 has been scrapped by the Indian government.
So far more than 4,100 people — including 170 local political leaders — have been detained across the valley, with 3,000 released in the past two weeks, officials said.
The situation in Kashmir is deteriorating fast contrary to the claim made otherwise by the Indian government.