Jammu Kashmir
Liberation Front’s statement issued to press and media at its London Secretariat
on the arrest and judicial remand of JKLF Chairman Mr Yasin Malik along with
his senior colleagues, under section 307 of the IPC, in Indian occupied Jammu
Kashmir.
London, 31 December 2015:
1: Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front-JKLF-
strongly condemns the arrests and charges of ‘attempt to murder and waging of
war against the Indian state,’ on its Chairman Mr Yasin Malik and other senior
JKLF leaders. Mr Malik along with his colleagues was remanded in judicial
custody for 10 days and shifted to Srinagar central jail on 27 December 2015.
We demand an immediate release of Mr
Yasin Malik and his colleagues who include, Vice Chairman Mr Shaukat Ahmed Bakhshi,
Zonal President Mr Noor Muhammad Kalwal,
Zonal General Secretary Sheikh Abdul Rashid, Zonal organiser Mr Bashir
Kashmiri, Mr Ghulam Muhammad Dar, Mr Nazir Ahmed Rather, Mr Ashraf Hussain and
Mr Munib Javid Khan. We demand that all charges are dropped against the JKLF
leaders.
2: Mr Malik and his colleagues were
initially arrested on 25 December 2015 when the JKLF Chairman was leading a
peaceful protest demonstration against the violence and terror perpetrated by
the ‘Village Defence Committee. The VDC specifically operate in the Jammu
province in the Muslim populated areas. JKLF has taken a strong position against
the anti-people activities, violence and terrorism of the VDC.
3: During the JKLF protest rally on
25 December 2015, police resorted to heavy handed force by using pepper guns
and tear gas on peaceful demonstration. The police also targeted hundreds of
worshippers at Friday prayers in the nearby two large mosques- the Jamia
ahle-hadis and the haji mosque- injuring many people.
4: The VDC enjoy full support and
patronage of the Indian government and the military as part of the ‘civil
defence force’. Since 1995 the VDC have committed thousands of violent acts,
rapes and lootings in the Jammu province.
5: This state supported terrorist
set up has over 2,000 FIRs lodged against it over the past twenty years, and
not a single case has been investigated by the Indian state and its local quislings
against this so called civil defence force.
6: The VDC with RSS connections operate
in all the districts of Jammu with substantial Muslim population, and commit
acts of murder and arson in these areas with impunity. They have committed acts
of violence against drivers with fatal results and set their vehicles on fire
over the past few months.
7: They killed a mother and her
small son in the Budal area of Rajauri district, and continue to harass
families in the region. The 25 December 2015 rally led by Mr Malik was taken
out specifically against the mother and son murder in Budal.
8: The terror of hired VCD killers
and terrorists is, over and above the unabated violence perpetrated by 700,000
Indian military and para military forces deployed in Kashmir. This
unprecedented militarisation of the territory by India, has resulted in tens of
thousands of civilian deaths since 1988. Thousands of people are missing. There
are hundreds of unmarked graves all over Indian occupied Kashmir of victims of
extra judicial killings and faked encounters.
9: There are over 7,000 unmarked mass graves and
over 8,000 disappeared persons in Kashmir today. The association of Parents of Disappeared
Persons –APDP- continues to demand answers about their loved ones who were
picked up by the occupation authorities and have since vanished from the face
of the earth!
The International Peoples Tribunal
on Human rights and Justice in Kashmir-IPTK- in its 2009 report entitled
“Buried Evidence” accounted for almost 3,000 bodies in 2,700 graves, just in
the districts of Badndipura, Baramulla and Kupwara alone.
10: This long and continuing pain
and agony of Kashmiri people is a consequence of Indian occupation. JKLF
Chairman has exposed the reality of the brute face of military occupation and the
ugly face of Indian democracy in Kashmir
11: The trumped up charges slapped
on Mr Malik and his 8 colleagues are not a coincidence. They are part of
India’s vindictive and malicious actions, to malign the peaceful, popular and
democratic freedom struggle and deny the JKLF, political space and engagement with
Kashmiri masses.
12: These concocted charges are
preposterous, and are part of a deliberate and pernicious strategy of the Indian
occupation apparatus and its quislings in Kashmir, to silence Mr Yasin Malik
who is a towering figure, for the pro freedom and anti-status quo political
struggle in Jammu Kashmir.
13: In the light of current
rapprochement between India and Pakistan, the nature of these charges against the
JKLF leadership, is a clear indication that the Will of Kashmiri people and
their sentiment, has no place in bilateral framework of proposed Indo- Pak “Bilateral
Comprehensive Dialogue” process.
14: We unambiguously and unequivocally,
make it clear that Kashmiris will not accept Indo- Pak bilateralism over the
future status of their country, as it is not a territorial dispute between
India and Pakistan.
15: The future political status of Jammu
Kashmir is an internationally recognised issue, whose political and
constitutional status can only be decided through an unfettered democratic
decision by twenty million Kashmiris as they are the main affected party in the
dispute.
16: It is quite ironic therefore that
the charge of ‘waging war against the Indian state’ has been levelled against
Mr Yasin Malik. In reality however it is the Indian state that continues to
wage war on the people of Jammu Kashmir.
17: Mr Malik on the other hand has
struggled for the rights, aspirations and dignity of his people through
peaceful means.
18:
Mr Malik renounced all forms of violence in the Kashmiris’ struggle for self-determination
more than twenty years ago. Therefore no amount of state harassment and
oppression will deter the JKLF leadership from representing the genuine
sentiments for freedom, dignity and the exercise of the unfettered democratic Will
of Kashmiris, across both sides of the Line of Control-LoC-.
19: Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front
will mount a vigorous and concerted campaign at political and democratic level
throughout the world to expose the oppression and brutality of the Indian
occupation in Jammu Kashmir and the repressive and draconian methods with which
the JKLF and its leadership has been subjected to over the years, and in
particular the current incarceration of Mr Yasin Malik and his colleagues under
section 307 of the IPC
20: Throughout the world JKLF local
organisations and branches have been informed and asked to undertake
appropriate and suitable political and diplomatic campaigns and high light the
nefarious actions being taken by the Indian government through its quisling
administration Kashmir.
21:
In the UK where around a million Kashmiris reside, and who are quite
well embedded within the British
political system, British Chapter of the
JKLF has been asked to mount a concerted incremental political campaign, and
also assist and contribute towards
diplomatic efforts for an immediate release of the JKLF leadership. Similarly
Europe and North America based organisation will engage with the local
political and diplomatic fraternity, and press and media to gain support for
the immediate release of Mr Malik and his colleagues.
22: The nature and method of
campaigning will be decided by branches and the zonal organisations based on
their situation and circumstances both in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. Paramount
objective however, will be to ensure that no one misjudges or misreads the determination
and the desire of 20 million Kashmiris for freedom, and to assert their
absolute right to decide on the political and constitutional status and
reunification of their country-Jammu Kashmir- peacefully.
Prof
Zafar Khan
(Chairman)
JKLF Diplomatic Bureau
119-123 Cannon Street Road,
(Basement North)
London
E1 2LX
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