News Alerts – India

India: Court Ruling Forces Kashmir Army Immunity Issue

India’s government has prevaricated for months over whether to phase out controversial laws that protect soldiers operating in Kashmir from prosecution for alleged human rights abuses.

But the issue may be coming to a head because of a little-noticed Supreme Court ruling Friday over a case involving the alleged killing of five innocent men by army soldiers in the Pathribal district of Kashmir in 2000.

The court gave the government until Dec. 16 to decide whether to allow the Central Bureau of Investigation, India’s federal investigative agency, to push ahead with the investigation of five soldiers that it indicted for the killings in 2006.

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MKM concerned over gross HR abuses in IHK

SRINAGAR (IHK): In occupied Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Khawateen Markaz (MKM), a constituent of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference has expressed serious concern over the gross human rights violations by Indian police and troops in the territory, reports KMS.

The MKM at a meeting of its Executive Council presided over by the party Chairperson, Yasmeen Raja, in Srinagar discussed the present situation of the occupied territory. Speaking on the occasion, Yasmeen Raja demanded complete withdrawal of Indian troops and repeal of all draconian laws.

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PJF urges Commonwealth to help resolve Kashmir issue

Toronto: On the occasion of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth, Australia (October 28-30), Peace and Justice Forum (PJF) has urged the Commonwealth leaders’ help to enable the Kashmiri people to exercise their Right to Self-determination (RSD).
Mr Mushtaq A. Jeelani, Executive Director of the PJF in separate letters to 53 Commonwealth leaders and the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, expressed his serious concern about worsening human rights situation in Indian-administered Kashmir.

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India: Medals of Shame

BY Rameez Makhdoomi
“Since the armed uprising of 1989, thousands of Kashmiris have fallen victims to these stage- managed encounters undertaken by different security agencies to get out of turn promotions and other rewards”

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Rethinking Kashmir

By FARHANA QAZI

WASHINGTON: Defined by tourist clichés and brilliantly crafted one-liners, the disputed territory of Kashmir is a backpacker’s haven and “paradise on earth.” And while charmingly seductive, the idyllic landscape is beset by a sense-of-siege and is home to millions eager for change and consistency. Nearly two-decades of conflict and on-and-off talks between nuclear arch-rivals India and Pakistan have had few meaningful results.

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India should repeal AFSPA: HRW

NEW YORK, (SANA): The international organization for human rights “human Right Watch” told the Indian government to repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA). AFSPA is against the international rights for human being.

Director Human Right Watch Brad Adams in a statement said that there is broad recognition in India that the Armed Forces Special Powers Act should be repealed because it has led to so many abuses, adding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should overrule the army and keep his promise to abolish this abusive law.

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Human rights watch urges India to repeal draconian law

NEW YORK (US): The New York-based international human rights organization, Human Rights Watch has appealed to India to revoke the draconian law, Armed Forces Special Powers Act, as it violated India’s obligations under international human rights laws, reports KMS.

The Asia Director of the Human Rights Watch, Brad Adams said in a statement that the Indian army supported the Armed Forces Special Powers Act because of the immunity it provided to the soldiers who committed serious abuses.  He maintained that India was bound to give people their right to life and protection from arbitrary arrests, torture and other forms of ill treatment.

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India: Police falsely implicate Muslims for bomb blasts- Justice Katju

New Delhi: Justice Markandey Katju, who last month retired from Supreme Court and now has been appointed chairman of Press Council of India, has strongly condemned both media and police for painting the picture of Muslims as bomb throwers. Without mincing words he said Indian police is not trained for forensic investigations and so terror cases remain unresolved.

He criticized the media for jumping to the conclusions within a few hours of bomb blasts merely on the basis of e-mails or messages sent on mobiles. “ナthe tendency is to brand all Muslims in the country as terrorists and bomb throwers,” Hindustan Times quoted him as saying on 10th Oct. 2011.

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