News Analysis |
International human rights organizations, civil society, and media have expressed reservations over the use of indiscriminate force by Indian security forces in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK). According to media reports Amnesty India has asked the Indian government to ensure that “ordinary Kashmiri women and men do not face targeted attacks, harassment, and arbitrary arrests” as tensions simmer in the aftermath of last week’s attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pulwama area.
According to the press release of Amnesty India “Kashmiri university students and traders in northern states, primarily Uttarakhand, Haryana, and Bihar, have been beaten, threatened, and intimidated by some Hindu nationalist groups.”
The mobs who are using patriotism as an excuse to hound Kashmiris out of their homes, hostels and shops are corroding the basic values of the Constitution of India. (1/4)
See our full statement here 👇https://t.co/xoVizrfW3s
— Amnesty India (@AIIndia) February 18, 2019
Ordinary Kashmiris across India who are only seeking to improve their lives should not be singled out for violence simply because of where they come from. (2/4)
— Amnesty India (@AIIndia) February 18, 2019
Media reports also suggest that after the tragic Pulwama incident extremist Hindu organizations have taken to the streets and used force and violence against Muslims and Kashmiri students residing in India. “We are at a dangerous moment, and authorities must do everything they can to uphold the rule of law,” the press release further read.
India is all set to hold the general election in the next month and PM Modi is making all his efforts to retain the office. He is known for his nationalist, extremist, and anti-Muslim policies across the world.
“The mobs that use patriotism as an excuse to hound Kashmiris out of their homes, hostels, and shops are corroding the basic values of the constitution of India. Authorities must investigate all allegations of threats and violence, and bring those responsible to justice, “read the Amnesty’s press release.
Soon after the Pulwama attack–that claimed lives of 40 Indian soldiers– Muslims, especially Kashmiris in India faced violence as they were targeted by Indian extremists, GVS reported earlier.
Political observers in Pakistan believe that the violence is being committed by Hindu extremists for two reasons. First, the state of India has decided not to focus on the origin of violence or suicide bombs taking place in Kashmir to target Indian armed forces. Instead, India is blaming Pakistan for political game scoring and to evade accountability over its indiscriminate use of force in IoK.
Read more: Kashmiris all over India fear for their lives after Pulwama attack
Second, Indian media completely stood by its state and decided not to work independently in order to look into what happened in Pulwama. TV anchors and political experts maintained that a war should be initiated against Pakistan to teach her a lesson.
Why is India Blaming Pakistan?
Furthermore, there is another aspect of the story as well. Indian establishment, the ruling party, and media have jointly decided to blame Pakistan for the attack and cut off already fragile relations with the western neighbor. Indian ministers have publically stated that their intention and project is to isolate Pakistan and teach her a lesson.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has offered India to give any substantial evidence if Pakistan was involved in the attack; he [PM] will himself take the action against such elements.
As a matter of fact, analysts in Pakistan point out that PM Modi is doing all this for his vested political interests. India is all set to hold the general election in the next month and PM Modi is making all his efforts to retain the office. He is known for his nationalist, extremist, and anti-Muslim policies across the world. He is now using anti-Pakistan narrative to maintain his political base which will help him winning the general elections.
Moreover, there is also another perspective that since India is using force to suppress the voice of Kashmiris and trying to eliminate the freedom movement; in such a critical scenario, it does not afford any friendly relation with Pakistan since the later will demand the right to self-determination for the people of Kashmir which is not acceptable for the former.
United Nation’s office of the High Commission for Human Rights issued its first-ever report on the situation in Kashmir June 14 that highlighted the protests after the martyrdom of Burhan Wani in 2016 and the brutal use of pellet guns against protesters among the human rights violations in Indian-held Kashmir.
Read more: Pellet guns: Indian forces kill youth in Pulwama, IOK
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan has offered India to give any substantial evidence if Pakistan was involved in the attack; he [PM] will himself take the action against such elements. PM Khan also offered India to initiate dialogue on terrorism and resolve the Kashmir issue. Observers point out that PM Khan has not put the ball into Indian court and now it is up to the Indian government to decide what it wants?