Brussels, (Parliament Times): Chairman of Kashmir Council Europe (KC-EU) Ali Raza Syed has said that Indian authorities have planned a visit of European diplomats to the occupied Jammu and Kashmir in order to put cover on the human rights violations in the disputed territory.
In a statement issued in Brussels Chair of KC-EU said, India is involved in severe violation of human rights in the occupied Kashmir in last seven decades and specially since 5th August 2019 but it is planning now to show the situation in the occupied land of Jammu and Kashmir as a normal.
It is important to mention that India has invited 20 EU’s envoys and diplomats to visit occupied Jammu and Kashmir on 17th of February 2021. Purpose of the visit is to show to the world that situation in occupied Kashmir is normal. It is being arranged a head of the upcoming trade and investment agreement between EU and India likely during the bilateral summit to be held on 8th of May 2021. Reacting over the upcoming visit arranged by New Delhi in order to show fake normality of Jammu and Kashmir, chairman Kashmir Council EU wrote a letter to three higher officials of EU institutions; Josep Borrell Fontelles High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Arena Maria, Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights of European Parliament, David McAllister, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of European Parliament and other EU’s officials.
The letter said, it is a third tour of the foreign representatives to Occupied Kashmir arranged by the New Delhi since the Indian government’s decision on August 5th 2019 to revoke the Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution and to divide the former Princely State into two Union Territories (Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh).
In his letter Ali Raza Syed said, the previous visits by foreign dignitaries were miused by the Indian government as a public relations exercise designed to persuade the visitors that all is well in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. The letter said, the visitors, therefore, met only selected individuals and we’re not allowed to deviate from a carefully structured program. There is no reason to believe that this third visit will be in any way different from the two previous trips. Chair of KC-EU in his letter drew attention of the EU’s officials that the disputed territory of Kashmir is currently one of the most heavily militarized regions in the world with some 900,000 police, military and security personnel stationed on the Indian side of the Line of Control.
This enormous number of armed military personnel have been responsible for disappearances, killings, torture of innocent civilians, rape, fake encounters and other grave human rights abuses and these abuses are carried out under the protection of a legal system which deprives Kashmiris of the right to justice and protects the Indian military and paramilitary from suffering the consequences of these increasingly violent abuses of human rights, the letter added. Ali Raza Syed said, before this visit Indian authorities restored the internet and security forces arrested a number of human rights activists including chairman International Forum for Justice Human Rights (IFJHRJK), Mohammad Ahsan Untoo.
The letter further said, Central to the idea of European integration is the notion that democracy depends on respect for fundamental human rights. This is an issue of particular importance at the present juncture in view of the free trade agreement that is due to be signed between Europe and India. The advantages of freeing up the flows of trade between such important markets as Europe and India are well understood. But the issue of preserving fundamental human rights reflects a principle that is more important than the purely commercial benefits that will be generated by freeing trade with India. As I mentioned in a previous paragraph my organization is seriously concerned that the international community should have a realistic and valid picture of conditions affecting the civilian population in Indian Administered Kashmir. Appreciating previous actions of EU on Kashmir dispute, Ali Raza Syed said, whatever policy direction Europe eventually takes on the Kashmir dispute it is essential that it be based on an objective and independent view of the realities of living in Kashmir together with the respective principles of transparency, accountability and respect for human rights.
He asked the visit should be independent and the diplomats should be allowed to meet the political figures detained or jailed for their struggle for freedom of Kashmir. Beside that international human rights organizations and free media persons from rest of the world should also be permitted to visit and observe the situation of human rights in the occupied Kashmir.