Brussels, (PR) : Chairman of Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed has asked European authorities to raise issue of human rights violations in its upcoming summit with India in Portugal.
The European leaders who will be assembled in Porto, the city of Portugal on 8th May 2021, will talk the Indian leaders including Prime Minister Narandra Modi via a video conference on the same day.
Chairman Kashmir Council EU Ali Raza Syed dispatched the opened letter in the context of human rights in India and occupied Kashmir to Charles Michel, President of the European Council, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs who will participate in the summit.
The letter said, our organisation, Kashmir Council EU, together with numerous international human rights’ bodies urges the European Union to raise the fast-deteriorating human rights situation in India particularly Indian occupied Kashmir during its summit with the Indian leaders in Portugal to be held on 8th May 2021.
The letter said, there are now hundreds of Kashmiri political leaders and pro-freedom activists detained in Indian jails, many of them held illegally and without any reason. Among these are prominent political leaders are Shabbir Shah, Yasin Malik, Mussarat Alim, Asia Andrabi and many other notable figures. In a recent development Assabah Khan, the wife of Farooq Ahmad Dar, Dr Bilquies Shah, wife of Shabbir Shah and wives of a number of others called for early release of their husbands as threat to the life of the prisoners have been increased because of rapid spread of Covid-19 in the Indian jails. We have to regrettably say that Mr Ashraf Sehrai, while illegally detained has been passed away in Indian custody recently due to lack of necessary medical facilities in the jail. Death of Sehrai in a critical condition also increased the threats to the life of other Kashmiri prisoners in the Indian jails and if they are harmed, Indian Modi Government would be responsible for that.
In his letter Ali Raza also criticized that Indian government ignored call from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for release of every person detained without sufficient legal basis, including political prisoners, and those detained for critical dissenting views to prevent the growing rates of covid-19 viral infection. Even, the Indian Supreme Court on Friday asked states in the country to release prisoners in a bid to decongest jails on account of the virulent second wave of coronavirus sweeping the country. As well several local and international human rights organizations also draw the attention to the fact that the Indian government has imposed harsh and discriminatory restrictions on Muslim-majority areas in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir since revoking the special status of the territory in August 2019. The human rights activists and as well as journalists affiliated with independent media reporting the human rights abuses under the draconian laws have been also targeted by the Indian authorities.
Chair of KC-EU Ali Raza Syed in his letter urged that on the occasion of the Summit, the European leaders should ask the Indian authorities to immediately release all arbitrarily detained human rights defenders, political prisoners and pro-freedom Kashmiris, journalists, and other critics and as well as repeal or amend repressive laws used to silence dissent and discriminate against minorities, or unfairly target nongovernmental organisations. EU should also protect freedom of expression and assembly; and ensure accountability for human rights violations against the oppressed minorities and ethnic groups in India and Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
