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His Excellency, Dr J Bhagwati
Indian High Commissioner in the UK
India House
Aldwych London WC2B 4NA
United Kingdom
Dated: 22 July 2013
Dear Dr Bhagwati
Re: The abominable outrage of the
desecration of the Holy Quran and the Gool massacre of peaceful protesters on
18 July 2013.
Your
Excellency if entering in to a mosque and desecration of the Holy Quran,
beating up of people at prayers in the Holy month of Ramadan was not enough,
the Border Security force-BSF -a paramilitary force deployed in huge numbers
by the Indian Government in Kashmir - killed six innocent Kashmiris who had
come out to protest peacefully against this abominable outrage perpetrated by
the BSF in the Gool area of Ramban district in Jammu on Thursday 18 July
2013.
This
protest note lodged through your Excellency by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation
Front-JKLF- today is to express and put on record our strong condemnation and
utter disgust of the cowardly and callous actions of the BSF in Gool, and to
convey deep hurt and anguish of Kashmiris in Britain, over the desecration of
the Holy Quran and the killing of six innocent civilians.
Your
Excellency such outrages committed by Indian forces have become a norm in Kashmir. With the ‘legal cover’ that your government has provided them
through various draconian laws such as the Armed Forces Special Powers
Act-AFSPA- the men in uniform deployed across the Jammu Kashmir, have a
licence to commit extra judicial killings, wanton destruction of property,
rape, fake encounters and abductions with impunity.
Gool
massacre is the latest chapter-and alas will not be the last- in the ongoing
state oppression and violence unleashed against Kashmiris by over 700,000
Indian military and paramilitary forces particularly since 1988 that has
resulted in deaths of tens of thousands of men, women, children, young and
old alike as well as disappearance of hundreds of Kashmiri youth.
Indeed
since the unpardonable action of the BSF in Gool on 18 July, further deaths
and injuries are reported across various towns and hamlets of Jammu Kashmir
with imposition of curfew, curtailing of internet and phone services.
Kashmiri
leadership is prevented to meet and console the aggrieved in their hour of
sorrow. MrYasin Malik Chairman of the JKLF and other prominent leaders like
Syed Ali Gilani and Shabir Shah has been put under arrest.
Your
Excellency Kashmir is a political issue whose future status is yet to be
decided upon with reference to the unfettered expression and will of 20
million Kashmiris across both sides of the Line of Control-LoC- that
arbitrarily divides Jammu Kashmir between India and Pakistan. The movement for self determination and
reunification is peaceful and for the inherent and inalienable right of each
and every Kashmiri to decide on the future status of the erstwhile kingdom of Jammu Kashmir.
And
yet India continues to resort to a high handed, violent and
oppressive occupation of the territory. Such intransigence, intolerance and
ambivalence ill behoves a democracy of India’s stature to stifle democratic expression and to
forcibly hold Kashmir and its people subjugated.
Inevitably
the way forward for a peaceful solution on the future status of Jammu Kashmir
is through dialogue. Your Excellency India must therefore desist from unleashing further
militarised terror and brutality against the population and withdraw its
military and paramilitary forces to the barracks to prevent further incidents
like the Gool outrage. And more importantly engage with Kashmiri leadership
for an early negotiated settlement on the future political status of Jammu
Kashmir.
In
the meantime your Excellency, it remains to be seen as a test of the criminal
justice system and democracy in India as to the actions it is prepared to take against
BSF personnel responsible for the Gool massacre.
On behalf of and for the JKLF
Zafar Khan: Head of JKLF’s Diplomatic
Bureau
Azmat .A. Khan: President of the JKLF in the UK
Mahmud Hussain Snr. V president of the JKLF in the UK
Tehsin Gilani: General Secretary of the JKLF
in the UK
Sabir Gul: Organiser of the JKLF in
the UK
Ali Asghar: Finance Secretary of the
JKLF in the UK
For contact:
Email: info@JKLF.co.uk
Tel: 07956 400 834
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