Indian Hypocrisy Exposed Again as Kashmiris Face More Forced Disappearances

In the scenic yet infested state of Indian-occupied Kashmir, the agony of the innocent people is still going unheard by rest of the world. In the last episode, ten more innocent souls were abducted by the Indian security forces in Pulwama district, precisely in the village of Karimabad. These individuals were members of the Gujjar group which is a quiet and poor tribe that predominantly resides in the mountains and the forests. Again India has demonstrated to the world that India has merely been parading the slogans of democracy and human right.

According to eye witnesses in Karimabad the Indian troops arrived at night, dressed in black and raided the homes, detaining ten men of young and middle age. No law documents were presented, no charges were clarified and the family were not aware of which destinations their loved ones were being taken to. The families of the victims have been calling and crying since then yet there is no one in authority who cares to listen. Women and children are shocked, the whole village is sad and fearsome.

This is not the first time that this had occurred. Gujjar community and the rest of these poor groups in Kashmir have been growing up with this type of violence in their past decades. More than 10,000 Kashmiris have gone missing ever since 1989 when they were picked up by the Indian army. A lot of them were never found. There were cases of some being found dead in the forests or in rivers indicating signs of torture. Others were also never seen. There are years of waiting as mothers do not know what to expect, whether their sons live or not.

India claims to be the “world’s largest democracy”, but its actions in Kashmir prove otherwise. While Indian leaders talk about freedom and justice in front of international media, their army continues to silence innocent voices in Kashmir. This is clear hypocrisy. On one hand, India lectures the world about human rights; on the other hand, it denies those very rights to millions of Kashmiris. If India truly believed in democracy, it would allow the people of Kashmir to decide their future through a fair and peaceful process.

Instead, India has turned Kashmir into one of the most heavily militarized zones in the world. There is one soldier for every eight Kashmiris. These soldiers have special laws like the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which protects them from any legal action, even if they kill or torture innocent people. Because of this, Indian soldiers can enter any house, arrest anyone without a warrant, and even shoot without fear of punishment. These laws are not found in any real democracy.

The Indian media, instead of exposing these crimes, often tries to hide them or blame Pakistan without any proof. Whenever any news of human rights violation comes out from Kashmir, Indian news channels start shouting about “terrorism” and “cross-border attacks”. This is another example of Indian double standards. Instead of helping the Kashmiri people and giving them justice, India always tries to change the topic and blame others.

The silence of the international community is also very disappointing. Big human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported these crimes many times. Even the United Nations has expressed concern about the situation in Kashmir. But so far, no strong action has been taken against India. This shows how some powerful countries ignore the pain of Kashmiris because of political and economic interests.

What the people of Kashmir are asking is not anything special. All they need is the right to live in peace, right to speak freely and the right to know where their loved ones have spat. They are fundamental human rights and every human being on Earth is entitlement to this. India needs to be accounted upon. The forcible abductions should end, black legislations which are restrictions like AFSPA should be eliminated and the military who carried out such crimes need to be convicted.

Pakistan has never failed to point fingers at the rights of Kashmiri people in the international fronts. As a result of the Kashmiri cause, Pakistan had been on the side of the Kashmiri people and had requested justice since the dispute started at the United Nations all the way to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). This is due to humanity and that of history. Pakistan keeps urging about non violent solutions and a dialogue. But it is not able to listen and it keeps its policy of silence and suppression.

Eventually, the world should know that a solution to the Kashmir issue considering the interests of the Kashmiri people is the only way South Asia can enjoy peace. Unless India forces stop oppressing and gagging the Kashmiri people, there is no peace. The recent episode in Karimabad is another black page in the history of Indian atrocities.

It is necessary that the world should wake up. Lives of humans are being lost. Families are broken apart. Kids are living under fear. It is time that the world fraternity if they really believe in the rights of the human beings should be with the people of Kashmir and have to put some difficult questions to India. A delayed justice is denied justice. Kashmir does not have time anymore.