24th Year of Publication

Vol: 24 No. 05
Monthly May 2018

INSIGHT

Kashmiris, Sikhs hold Protests against

anti-India demos in London rape and murder of
as Modi attends CHOGM Aasifa rock IOK
 Pakistan draws world attention towards
Kashmir crisis

“The people of Kashmir need urgent attention of international community, which should
respond to the current human rights situation in the Indian occupied Kashmir. The world
community should urge India to allow access to UN observers to lead fact-finding missions to
occupied Kashmir.”

(Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in a meeting with

UK Prime Minister Theresa May at Windsor Castle in London, April 20, 2018)

OIC reiterates support to Kashmir cause

“Organisation of Islamic Cooperation supports the people of Jammu and Kashmir in achieving
their legitimate rights including the inalienable right to self-determination. The Kashmir
dispute should be resolved in accordance with the aspirations of the Kashmiri people and the
United Nations Security Council resolutions.”

(Ambassador Abdullah Al-Aalim, OIC Special Envoy on

Jammu and Kashmir, in a meeting of OIC Contact Group
on Jammu and Kashmir in Jeddah on April 30, 2018)
Kashmir Insight MAY 2018
Editor: M Raza Malik From The Editor's Desk
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Contact Group on
Sub Editor: Benazir Khan Jammu and Kashmir at an emergency meeting held in Jeddah
Art Editor: M.Haroon on April 30, 2018 strongly condemned the recent killing of
civilians by the Indian troops in occupied Kashmir. The
meeting was chaired by Ambassador Abdullah Al-Aalim,
CONTENTS OIC Special Envoy on Jammu and Kashmir, and was
Editorial attended by the delegations from Pakistan, Azerbaijan,
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Niger. Addressing on the
Indian state terrorism continues unabated in IOK . 02 occasion, Ambassador Abdullah Al-Aalim on behalf of the
Cover Story OIC Secretary General denounced the killing of innocent
civilians by the Indian troops in occupied Kashmir and
Thousands attend funerals of martyred
reiterated the OIC’s principled position on supporting the
youth in IOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 03 people of Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle for
Reports securing their legitimate rights including the inalienable
right to self-determination. He emphasised that the Kashmir
OIC Contact Group on Kashmir condemns dispute should be resolved in accordance with the aspirations
civilian killings in IOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07 of the Kashmiri people and the United Nations Security
Council resolutions.
Kashmiris, Sikhs hold anti-India demos Meanwhile, the US State Department in its annual Human
in London as Modi attends CHOGM . . . . . . . . . . . . 08 Rights Report for the year 2017 released in Washington
expressed serious concern over the gross human rights
Protests against rape and murder of Aasifa violations by the Indian troops in occupied Kashmir. The
rock IOK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 report mentioned the suspension of life sentences by the
Indian Armed Forces Tribunal of five soldiers involved in the
US report paints grim picture of
killing of three civilians in Machil fake encounter in 2010, the
human rights in IOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 continuation of draconian laws, Armed Forces Special
Pictorial Powers Act and Public Safety Act, that grant the Indian
forces’ personnel impunity for their brutal actions in
Images speak louder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 occupied Kashmir and denial of the detainees the access to
Human rights situation lawyers and medical attention.
It is a good sign that the international community is
HR abuses by Indian troops in IOK during
expressing its resentment over India’s brutal actions in
April 2018 occupied Kashmir. The world organisations like the United
Raies Ahmed Mir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Nations, European Union, OIC, and the human rights bodies
including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch
Report and Asia Watch have been condemning from time to time the
Washington rally demands justice for Aasifa . . . . . . 22 Indian state terrorism in occupied Kashmir. However, their
actions had so far remained confined to mere issuance of
Kashmiri delegation highlights in Brussels statements and reports and failed to force India to stop its
HR abuses in IOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 brutalities against the innocent and unarmed people of
occupied Kashmir.
These organisations need to take practical steps to impress
Chronology upon New Delhi to halt the grave human rights violations,
A chronological account of developments rather crimes against humanity, being perpetrated by its
troops in the occupied territory and initiate measures to
on Kashmir (141) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 resolve the Kashmir dispute by giving the people of Jammu
Beauty thy name is and Kashmir an opportunity to exercise their right to self-
determination to decide their political future by themselves.
Tourist places in occupied Kashmir . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Literature Printed & Published by
The Village Teacher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 All Parties Hurriyat Conference AJK
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Email: kashmirinsight@yahoo.com
Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Printers: Web Brothers, Printers, Publishers
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Ph:051-5566348, Fax: 051-5516142
Editorial
Indian state terrorism continues unabated in IOK
India has been resorting to the
worst kind of state terrorism in
occupied Kashmir for the past
over seven decades to
continue its illegal hold on
Jammu and Kashmir and to
suppress the Kashmiris’ just
struggle aimed at securing
their inalienable right to self-
determination. It has imposed
draconian laws like Armed
Forces Special Powers Act,
Public Safety Act and
Disturbed Areas Act that give
unbridled powers to the
Indian forces’ personnel to
commit atrocities with impu-
nity on the people of the
occupied territory to intimi-
date them into submission.
Killings, arrests, torture,
abductions, destruction of
property, molestation of
women and other human
rights violations by the Indian
troops and police personnel
are the order of the day in the
occupied territory that have
turned the paradise on earth
into a hell for its inhabitants.
A report recently released by
the Research Section of
Kashmir Media Service
revealed that the Indian troops
in their unabated acts of state
terrorism killed thirty three
Kashmiris in occupied
Kashmir in the month of April.
It pointed out that the troops
had martyred almost six
hundred people since the start
of the ongoing uprising, which
was triggered by the extrajudi-
cial killing of popular youth
leader, Burhan Muzaffar
Wani, on 8th July, 2016. It said
that more than 21,600 people
had sustained injuries due to
the firing of pellets, bullets and
teargas shells by the Indian
troops and police personnel on
the protesters during the
uprising. The pellet firing, the
report added, had rendered
128 youth totally blinded
while over 200 persons had
lost vision in one eye and 1020
youth were at the verge of
losing their total eyesight.
These are the credentials of the
country, which projects itself
as the largest democracy of the
world. In fact the aforemen-
tioned figures expose the real
face of the so-called secular
India. However, it is a reality
that India’s brutalities and
military might have not been
able to subdue the freedom
sentiment of the Kashmiri
KASHMIR INSIGHT
people and they are very much
determined to continue their
struggle till it reached its
logical conclusion. It is unfor-
tunate that instead of
respecting the aspirations of
the Kashmiri people, New
Delhi continues with its brutal
tactics to prolong its illegal
occupation of Jammu and
Kashmir.
India needs to acknowledge
the fact that the worst kind of
its state terrorism cannot force
the Kashmiris to accept its rule
in occupied
Kashmir. It must
honour its commit-
ments made with
the Kashmiri
people at the world
forums like the
United Nations of
giving them the
right to choose their political
future by themselves and take
steps towards settling the
Kashmir dispute in accor-
dance with their aspirations.
The international community
must also shun its silence, hold
India accountable for its
brutalities in occupied
Kashmir and play an effective
role in the resolution of the
Kashmir dispute to mitigate
the sufferings of the Kashmiri
people.
The early settlement of the
Kashmir dispute is imperative
not only for the peace in the
region but also the world at
large.
MAY 2018 02
Cover Story
Thousands attend funerals of
martyred youth in IOK
In occupied Kashmir, a sea of
people was witnessed in
Ganderbal, Shopian, Kulgam,
Baramulla and Pulwama
districts as thousands of people,
defying curfew and other
restrictions, had converged in
these towns from different areas
of the territory to attend the
funeral prayers of the martyred
youth in the month of April 2018.
The people had massively
participated in these funerals
despite the warning by the
Indian Army Chief, Bipin Rawat,
that those holding demonstra-
tions during cordon and search
operations and participating in
the funerals of martyred youth
would be considered the over-
ground workers of mujahideen
and would be treated sternly.
The participants of these massive
gatherings had raised high-
pitched pro-Pakistan, pro-
freedom and anti-India slogans
and waved Pakistani flags.
People had to use alternative
routes to reach the funeral
processions as after every killing
the puppet authorities had
resorted to severe restrictions in
the native areas of the martyred
youth by blocking the main
roads and deploying Indian
troops and police personnel in
strength.
The troops in their unabated acts
of state terrorism martyred thirty
three youth while hundreds of
people had sustained injuries in
the firing of bullets, pellets and
teargas shells on protesters
during the month. The troops
had massacred 19 people and
injured more than two hundred
KASHMIR INSIGHT
in Shopian, Islamabad and
Ganderbal districts on April 01
and 02 only. Fourteen of those
killed were shot dead by the
troops during cordon and search
operations and five others
during anti-India demonstra-
tions.
On April 01, seven youth
identified as Yawar Itoo, Nazim
Nazir, Aadil Thokar, Ubair Shafi
Malla, Raees Thokar, Ishafaq
Malik and Zubair Turay were
killed by the troops during a
siege and search operation in
Dragad area of Shopian. The
local police said that the Indian
soldiers had picked up a civilian,
Mushtaq Ahmed Thokar, from
his home, used him as a human
shield and subsequently killed
him. Five more youth were
martyred by the troops in
MAY 2018 03
Cover Story
Kachdoora area of the same
district during a cordon and
search operation. The troops had
also killed another youth
identified as Rauf Ahmed
Khanday during a similar
operation in Dialgam area of
Islamabad district on the same
day.
Meanwhile, hundreds of youth
had marched towards Dragad
and Kachdoora and staged
forceful demonstrations after the
troops launched the cordon and
search operations in these areas.
The Indian troops and police had
resorted to indiscriminate firing
of bullets, pellets and teargas
shells on the protesters, trig-
gering severe clashes between
the protesters and the forces’
personnel. Four people were
killed and over two hundred
others injured during the brutal
actions of the Indian forces. The
martyred youth were identified
as Jan Muhammad Lone, Zubair
Ahmed Butt, Iqbal Butt and
Merajuddin Mir.
On April 02, a youth, Gowhar
Ahmed Rathar, sustained critical
head injuries in the pellet firing
of the troops on protesters in
Kangan area of Ganderbal
district and later succumbed to
his injuries at a hospital in
Srinagar.
On April 06, the troops martyred
a youth, Mussavir Ahmed Wani,
during a cordon and search
operation in Pulwama.
On April 11, the troops shot dead
four youth, Sharjeel Ahmed, Bilal
Ahmed, Faisal Illahi and Aijaz
Ahmed, during demonstrations
against a cordon and search
operation in Khudwani area of
Kulgam district.
On April 15, a youth, Amir
Hameed Lone of Chuturgul
Kangan, succumbed to his
injuries at a hospital. He was
critically injured in the firing of
the Indian forces on demonstra-
tions in Kangan area of
Ganderbal which had erupted
after the killing of a civilian,
KASHMIR INSIGHT
Gowhar Ahmed Rathar, on April
02.
On April 24, Indian troops
martyred four youth identified
as Aabid Ahmed, Ishfaq Ahmed,
Umar Khalid and Yasir Ahmed
during a violent military opera-
tion at Goitango Laam in Tral
town.
On April 26, the troops martyred
a civilian, Shafeeq Shabbir Shah,
in Laizbal area of Islamabad
town.
On April 30, two youth, Sameer
Ahmed Butt alias Sameer Tiger
and Aaqib Mushtaq, were
martyred after the troops
destroyed a house with mortar
shelling while a teenager, Shahid
Ashraf Dar, was killed in the
firing of the Indian paramilitary
personnel on protesters in
Drubgam area of Pulwama
district.
After every incident of killing,
the puppet authorities had
imposed curfew and other
restrictions in different parts of
the occupied territory particu-
larly in the native areas of the
martyred youth to prevent
people from staging demonstra-
tions and participating in the
funerals of the martyrs. The
authorities had also put Hurriyat
leaders including Syed Ali
Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,
MAY 2018 04
Cover Story
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai,
Muhammad Yasin Malik,
Mukhtar Ahmed Waza,
Muhammad Yousuf Naqash,
Hilal Ahmed War, Javaid
Ahmed Mir, Bilal Siddiqi, Zafar
Akbar Butt and Muhammad
Ashraf Laya, under house arrest
or in custody to prevent them
from visiting the family
members of the martyred youth
and expressing solidarity with
them. The authorities had also
suspended mobile, internet and
train services and ordered
closure of educational institu-
tions. However, defying curfew
and restrictions thousands of
people had attended the funeral
prayers of the martyrs in
different areas and staged
forceful anti-India demonstra-
tions. The protesters had raised
high-pitched pro-freedom, pro-
Pakistan and anti-India slogans.
Funerals in absentia for the
martyrs were also held at several
places in the territory. The Indian
forces’ personnel had resorted to
brute force against the demon-
strators and showered bullets,
pellets and teargas shells on
them. Men, women and children
were beaten up mercilessly on
the streets and in their homes.
However, these brutal tactics
could not stop people from
pouring on to the streets to
express their love for the
martyred youth and their
affiliation with the ongoing
freedom movement by attending
in large numbers the funerals of
the martyrs.
Male and female students also hit
the streets in Srinagar,
Bandipora, Kupwara, Pulwama
and other parts of the territory to
condemn the killing of the youth.
The students of Kashmir
University, Srinagar; Central
University of Kashmir;
Government
D e g r e e
College
Bemina and
Amar Singh
College
Srinagar;
Government
D e g r e e
College
S u m b a l
Bandipora;
Government
D e g r e e
College Kupwara; Government
Degree College Handwara; and
different other colleges held
protests across the territory and
shouted pro-freedom and anti-
India slogans. The protesting
students had also offered funeral
prayers in absentia for the
martyred youth. They had
displayed banners reading
KASHMIR INSIGHT
slogans like, ‘Stop Genocide’,
‘Free Kashmir’ and ‘Stop killings’
in Kashmir. The female students
also massively participated in the
demonstrations against the
killings.
On the other hand, Hurriyat
leaders and organisations
strongly condemned the killing
spree unleashed by the Indian
troops in occupied Kashmir.
They also paid glowing tributes
to the martyred youth and urged
the international community to
impress upon India to halt its
state terrorism in the occupied
territory.
The Chairman of All Parties
Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali
Gilani, who is under continued
house arrest since 2010 in his
telephonic addresses to the
participants of the funerals of the
martyred youth has time and
again maintained that India can
kill the Kashmiris but cannot kill
their freedom sentiment. He said
that India had massacred six
hundred thousand Kashmiris
during the past seven decades.
He pointed out that New Delhi
suffered from arrogance of
power and was using its military
might to crush the basic rights of
the Kashmiri people.
The Chairman of Hurriyat
forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in
MAY 2018 05
Cover Story
a statement in Srinagar said that
New Delhi was pushing the
Kashmiri youth to the wall. He
maintained that the sacrifices of
the Kashmiri martyrs would not
be allowed to go waste and their
mission would be accomplished
at all costs.
Senior APHC leader and the
Chairman of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat
Jammu and Kashmir,
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, in a
statement in Srinagar said that
India’s stubbornness on the
Kashmir dispute was the main
reason behind the killing of
innocent Kashmiris.
The Jammu and
Kashmir Liberation
F r o n t C h i e f ,
Muhammad Yasin
Malik, in a statement
in Srinagar said that
the Indian state
terrorism would not
be able to force the
Kashmiri people to
give up their just
struggle.
Other Hurriyat leaders
including Agha Syed Hassan Al-
Moosvi Al-Safvi, Aasiya
Andrabi, Yasmeen Raja,
Zamruda Habib, Farida Bahenji,
Muhammad Yousuf Naqash,
Hakeem Abdur Rasheed, Syed
Bashir Andrabi, Bilal Siddiqi,
Mukhtar Ahmed Waza, Javaid
Ahmed Mir and Zafar Akbar
Butt in their statements also paid
rich tributes to the martyred
youth.
The roots of the recent wave of
killings in occupied Kashmir
could be traced back to 2010
when the summer of that year
turned bloody, as over 120
people, mostly youth, fell to the
bullets of the Indian forces'
personnel. Then came the 2016
mass uprising, which was
triggered by the extrajudicial
murder of popular youth leader,
Burhan Wani, by the Indian
troops in Kokernag area of
Islamabad district on July 8 that
year. Since the killing of Burhan
Wani, the troops have martyred
almost 600 people and injured
over 21, 500 others. The pellet
firing during this period has
rendered 128 youth totally
blinded while 207 persons lost
vision in one eye and 1020 youth
are at the verge of losing their
total eyesight. These atrocities of
the Indian forces have led to
more hatred against India among
the Kashmiris.
The people of occupied Kashmir
have nourished their ongoing
freedom movement with their
blood. A cursory look at the
history of Kashmir freedom
struggle shows that from leaders
to common citizens of the
occupied territory, from men and
women of all ages and even
children have sacrificed their
lives in the ongoing struggle for
freedom from the Indian yoke.
Since 1989 when the people of
occupied Kashmir intensified
their freedom struggle, the
occupational troops have
martyred around one lac
innocent Kashmiris and
subjected more than eight
thousand to custodial disappear-
ance besides molesting over ten
thousand women. The unabated
Indian state terrorism has
KASHMIR INSIGHT
rendered more than one lac
children orphaned and almost
twenty three thousand women
widowed. But all these Indian
brutalities have failed to
suppress the Kashmiris’ freedom
movement and they are
committed to continue it till
complete success.
The presence of huge number of
people in the funerals of the
martyred youth depicts the love
and affection of the Kashmiris for
their martyrs and their dedica-
tion and commitment with the
ongoing freedom movement.
The Kashmiri people
have realised that they
have no option but to
fight against the
Indian oppression.
Despite India's brutal
tactics, the resistance
movement is going on
and with each incident
of humiliation, every
killing and every act of
oppression, the
freedom sentiment is
growing stronger and
stronger, especially among the
youth who are ready to sacrifice
their lives for the sake of freedom
of their homeland.
New Delhi needs to acknowl-
edge the fact that by using brutal
tactics it would not be able to
keep the Kashmiris under its
subjugation for long. It should
respect their aspirations and give
them an opportunity to decide
their fate by themselves. The
world community should also
come forward in a big way to
resolve the Kashmir dispute in
accordance with the Kashmiris'
aspirations to prevent further
loss of lives in the occupied
territory and for ensuring
durable peace in the South Asian
region.
(Humayun Aziz Sandeela)
MAY 2018 06
Report

OIC Contact Group on Kashmir condemns civilian killings in IOK

Reaffirms support to Kashmiris’ right to self-determination
The Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) Contact
Group on Jammu and Kashmir at
an emergency meeting held in
Jeddah on April 30, 2018 strongly
condemned the recent killing of
civilians by the Indian troops in
occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan’s Foreign Secretary,
Tehmina Janjua, led Pakistan's
delegation to the meeting which
was chaired by Ambassador
Abdullah Al-Aalim, OIC Special
Envoy on Jammu and Kashmir,
and was attended by the delega-
tions from Azerbaijan, Turkey,
Saudi Arabia and Niger.
United Nations Security Council Tehmina Janjua thanked the OIC
In his opening remarks,
resolutions. for its continued support on the
Ambassador Abdullah Al-Aalim
Tehmina Janjua briefed the Kashmir dispute. She said that
on behalf of the OIC Secretary
participants about the Indian the unresolved Kashmir dispute
General condemned the recent
aggression and recent escalation posed serious threat to the peace
killing of innocent civilians by
in atrocities against the innocent and stability in South Asia. She
the Indian troops in occupied
Kashmiri civilians, gruesome maintained that Pakistan was
Kashmir and reiterated the OIC’s
incident determined to resolve the
of rape decades-old dispute through
a n d dialogue.
murder Ghulam Muhammad Safi, the
of the True Representative of Kashmiri
eight- people, briefed the Contact
year- Group on the Indian policy of
old girl, rape, loot, torture and kill at will
Aasifa in occupied Kashmir. He
submitted a memorandum
Bano,
highlighting the grim human
a n d
rights situation in the occupied
gross
territory to the Contact Group for
v i o l a-
onward transmission to the OIC
tions of
Council of Foreign Ministers
human
principled position on (CFM).
rights in the occupied territory.
supporting the people of Jammu The Contact Group on Jammu
She rejected such policies of and Kashmir was formed in 1994
and Kashmir in their struggle for
occupation and oppression. She to coordinate the OIC’s policy on
securing their legitimate rights
also reaffirmed Pakistan's moral, the Kashmir dispute. The
including the inalienable right to
self-determination. He political and diplomatic support deliberations of the Contact
emphasised that the Kashmir to the people of occupied Group reflect the solidarity of the
dispute should be resolved in Kashmir in their just struggle for OIC and the Muslim Ummah
accordance with the aspirations freedom from the Indian bond- with the people of Jammu and
of the Kashmiri people and the age. Kashmir.

KASHMIR INSIGHT MAY 2018 07

Report
Kashmiris, Sikhs hold anti-India demos in
London as Modi attends CHOGM
Forceful protests were organised
by the British Kashmiris and
Sikhs against the Indian Prime
Minister, Narendra Modi, at the
Parliament Square in London on
April 18, 2018 to condemn
Modi’s affiliation with violent
Hindu nationalism, rising
attacks on minorities in India and
rape and murder of an eight-
year-old girl in occupied
Kashmir. Narendra Modi visited
the UK to attend Commonwealth
Heads of Government Meeting
(CHOGM) held on April 16-20.
The protesters demanded
granting of right to self-
determination to the Kashmiris,
end to the Indian state terrorism
in occupied Kashmir and sought
justice for the rape and murder
victim, eight-year-old Aasifa
Bano of Kathua. People from
different age brackets partici-
pated in the street activism by
sloganeering and raising the
demand for Kashmir’s freedom
from Indian occupation. The
protesters expressed outrage
over the rape and murder of
Aasifa Bano, who was taken to a
temple and raped multiple times
before being murdered brutally.
The demonstrators demanded
stern punishment to the rapists
and murderers of the minor girl.
Kashmiri diaspora leaders
including Shameem Shawl,
Asima Rathor, Barrister Kiran
Rathor, Wasim Zafar, Mehboob
Bhati, Riaz Butt, Jabbar Rathor,
Shagufta Sofi, Naseem Fatima
Butt, Arooj Fatima and Nabeela
Asghar Rathor, several British
Parliamentarians including Naz
Shah, Lord Nazir Ahmed, Khalid
Mahmood, Shabana Mahmood,
Afzal Khan and others attended
the protest. Turnout of Kashmiris
was huge at the demonstration.
A Parliamentary delegation from
Azad Jammu and Kashmir also
joined the demonstration. The
protesters led by the AJK Prime
Minister, Raja Farooq Haider
Khan, opposition leader in the
AJK Legislative Assembly
Chaudhry Yasin, former Prime
Minister, Barrister Sultan
Mehmood Chaudhry, and
former Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami
AJK, Abdul Rasheed Turabi,
raised high-pitched slogans in
KASHMIR INSIGHT
favour of Kashmir’s freedom
from India and against the Indian
atrocities in occupied Kashmir.
The protesters demanded right
to self-determination for the
Kashmiris, end to the Indian
state terrorism in occupied
Kashmir and exemplary punish-
ment for the tormentors of Aasifa
Bano.
A roadside roundtable was also
organised on the occasion to
highlight the Indian state
terrorism in occupied Kashmir
and different aspects of the
Kashmir dispute. The conference
was organised by the Kashmiri
diaspora under the supervision
of Barrister Abdul Majeed
Tramboo and Professor Nazir
Ahmed Shawl to register protest
on the arrival of the Indian Prime
Minister, Narendra Modi, and
against brutalities of the Indian
troops in occupied Kashmir
specially the atrocities against
the women and children.
Members of British Parliament,
councillors, jurists and a large
number of Kashmiris attended
the conference.
In his opening remarks, Barrister
Abdul Majeed Tramboo
expressed deep anger and
anguish at the inhuman and
degrading treatment and
victimisation of the people of
Jammu and Kashmir by the
Indian forces and the Hindutva
nationalists in general and
sickening gang rape and beastly
murder of Aasifa Bano in
particular.
Launching a campaign, ‘Aasifa
Innocence Ravaged’, Barrister
Abdul Majeed Tramboo narrated
the horrid ordeal of Aasifa at the
hands of extremist Hindus. He
announced that a procedural
MAY 2018 08
Report
complaint will be filed with the
relevant mandates of the UN
Human Rights Council and a
comprehensive report to the UN
High Commissioner for Human
Rights, followed by European
Union, the Commonwealth and
the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation.
Addressing the roundtable,
Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl
was equally disturbed with the
horrific gang-rape and murder of
Aasifa. He said that it was
beyond one’s imagination to
understand the torture and
agony which this child had gone
through at the hands of extremist
Hindus.
The All Parties Hurriyat
Conference Chairman, Syed Ali
Gilani, addressing the
roundtable over telephone from
Srinagar, detailed the current
situation of occupied Kashmir,
slamming the disproportionate
force used by the Indian forces at
the behest of a radical and
extremist BJP government. He
stressed the need for initiation of
dialogue to resolve the Kashmir
dispute according to the aspira-
tions of the people of Jammu and
Kashmir. He further added that
the tragedy of Aasifa cannot, and
should not, be ignored,
reminding everyone that her
innocence was ravaged by the
Indian terrorists.
The Chairman of Hurriyat
forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in
his telephonic address expressed
satisfaction at the Kashmiri
diaspora leadership for organ-
ising regular events highlighting
the ongoing human rights
violations in occupied Kashmir.
He further stressed the need of
raising the issue of Kashmir
across Europe and UK whilst
supporting the diaspora leader-
ship who
r e p r e-
sent the
s e n t i-
ments of
t h e
people of
Kashmir.
H e
stressed
upon the
diaspora
leaders
t o
strongly
raise this at the UN level with
various United Nations Human
Rights Council mandates and
other international fora.
The Chairman of Jammu and
Kashmir Liberation Front,
Muhammad Yasin Malik, in his
telephonic address highlighted
the Indian state terrorism in
KASHMIR INSIGHT
occupied Kashmir. He urged the
British Government and the
Commonwealth countries to
help in resolving the Kashmir
dispute by giving the Kashmiri
people their right to self-
determination. He underlined
the need to raise the case of
Aasifa at every level to provide
justice to her family.
Dukhtaran-e-Millat
Chairperson, Aasiya Andrabi,
addressing the demonstration
over phone from Srinagar,
detailed the case of Aasifa and
how the Indian government
attempted to cover up the crime
while the BJP prevented further
investigations. She described this
pathetic but hoped that the
diaspora leadership will raise the
atrocity at every level, be it the
United Nations, the European
Union, the Commonwealth or
the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation.
Kashmir Tehreek-e-Khawateen
Chief, Zamruda Habib, in her
telephonic address from
Srinagar lamented India’s lack
of humanity towards Aasifa in
particular the lawyers and
political workers who made
attempts to sabotage the investi-
gation against the perpetrators of
this heinous crime. She
condemned those who took out
MAY 2018 09
Report
processions unashamedly
‘celebrating’ the rapists and
murderers.
Councillor Riaz Butt of Luton
pledged his continued support to
the Kashmir cause including
promotion and protection of
Kashmiris’ basic rights.
Councillor Mahboob H Bhatti of
High Wycombe was distressed
by the gruesome tragedy of
Aasifa Bano and assured that he
would leave no stone unturned
to impress upon the Members of
British Parliament (MPs) and
Members of European
Parliament (MEPs) of High
Wycombe to raise this tragedy at
all relevant forums.
Councillor Wasim Zafar from
Birmingham was outspoken
about the gross human rights
violations being perpetrated by
the Indian military and paramili-
tary personnel in occupied
Kashmir. He condemned the
disproportionate use of force in
particular pellets on peaceful
protesters in the occupied
territory.
Councillor Raja Saleem deplored
India’s intransigence on the
Kashmir dispute and hoped that
the international community,
particularly the Commonwealth
countries, would impress upon
the Indian government to engage
in dialogue to settle it to ensure
peace in South Asia.
The roundtable was addressed
by the Kashmiri diaspora leaders
including Iftikhar Chaudhry,
Mumtaz Rathor, Amjad Abbasi,
Sabir Gul, Zubair Awan, Ayub
Rathor, Shahid Iqbal and Mrs
Shamim Shawl. All the speakers
deplored Aasifa’s gruesome rape
and murder and called for the
settlement of the Kashmir
dispute for peace and security in
the region.
The Indian Prime Minister,
Narendra Modi, was present on
the occasion inside the British
Parliament.
Addressing a news conference
KASHMIR INSIGHT
on the sidelines of
Commonwealth meeting, the
Azad Jammu and Kashmir Prime
Minister, Raja Farooq Haider,
said that genocide of Kashmiris
under Modi government had
intensified. The AJK Prime
Minister said that he had reached
London especially to show
solidarity with the people of
occupied Kashmir by
confronting Narendra Modi on
the atrocities against the
Kashmiris under his watch. He
said that people of occupied
Kashmir were being denied their
right to life by the Indian authori-
ties. “All forms of political
expression and struggle for
freedom are met with brutalities
by the Indian forces. India has
always violated human rights by
killing innocent civilians in
Kashmir,” he added.
Raja Farooq Haider said that the
criminal silence over unending
Indian oppression in the occu-
pied territory was a blot on the
conscience of the international
community. The world commu-
nity must play its rightful role in
bringing peace to the region by
settling the Kashmir dispute, he
said.
The AJK Prime Minister said
thtat India was committing
heinous crimes in occupied
MAY 2018 10
Report
Kashmir and using all tactics to
suppress the indigenous libera-
tion movement of the Kashmiri
people. He urged the
Commonwealth countries to
constructively engage with
India, Pakistan and the
Kashmiris for a durable and
amicable resolution of the
Kashmir dispute as per the
aspirations of the Kashmiri
people and the relevant resolu-
tions of the United Nations
Security Council.
The members of Sikh Federation
(UK) in large numbers also
protested outside the Queen
Elizabeth II Centre against Modi,
who was the “primary focus” of
the demonstration.
Earlier, the Sikh Federation had
written a letter to the British
Prime Minister, Theresa May,
urging her to question Narendra
Modi on the issues of “extreme
Hindutva agenda”, “growing
Hindu radicalisation across the
globe” and “ill-treatment meted
out to religious minorities and
Dalits in India” during their
meeting on April 18. They also
cited a research at Leeds
University to argue that it found
no evidence of radicalisation of
Sikhs in the UK. The Sikh
Federation urged Theresa May to
raise concerns of the UK Sikh
community with Modi, adding
that around 200 Sikh gurdwaras
in the UK, the Federation of Sikh
Organisations, The Sikh
Network and other Sikh groups
had also supported the letter. It
said that when Modi first came to
the UK as the Indian Prime
Minister in November 2015, the
Sikh community raised a number
of serious concerns with the UK
government, MPs and media.
The letter mentioned that to
deflect attention from these
concerns and growing ‘Hindu
radicalisation’, it was widely
reported in the Indian media,
following briefings by the Indian
officials that a
“dossier” on
“radicalisation”
of British Sikhs
was on the
agenda when
David Cameron
and Narendra
Modi met. “This
so-called dossier
inappropriately
maligned certain
gurdwaras,
individuals, Sikh
TV channels and Sikh organisa-
tions in the UK,” the letter stated.
Earlier on the opening day of
Commonwealth summit in
London on April 16, a large
number of British women and
children assembled outside the
Parliament and staged a protest
KASHMIR INSIGHT
against the brutalities perpe-
trated by the Indian forces in
occupied Kashmir. Hundreds of
women from different parts of
the UK carrying placards and
banners joined the protest. They
were demanding end to occupa-
tion and justice for rape and
murder victim, Aasifa.
The protesters asked the
Commonwealth leaders to take
cognisance of the gross human
rights violations by the Indian
forces in occupied Kashmir and
help the people of Jammu and
Kashmir in securing their
inalienable right to self-
determination.
The demonstration was led by
Hurriyat leader, Shamim Shawl.
Dukhtaran-e-Millat
Chairperson, Aasiya Andrabi,
and Chief of Kashmir Tehreek-e-
Khawateen, Zamruda Habib,
telephonically addressed the
participants of the protest from
Srinagar.
Julie Ward, member of the
European Parliament, expressed
her unflinching support for the
suffering Kashmiri women and
children.
Lord Nazir Ahmed, MP Kelvin
Hopkin, former Deputy Mayor
Asma Rathor, Councillor
Shahida, Azmat Jameel, Anjum
Jarral and Bilqees Raja also
participated in the protest.
MAY 2018 11
Report
Protests against rape and murder
of Aasifa rock IOK
Indian occupied Kashmir
remained on the boil due to
widespread protests against the
brutal gang- rape and murder of
an eight-year-old girl, Aasifa
Bano, at a temple in Kathua area
of Jammu by the people affiliated
with extremist Hindu groups
and Special Police Officers of the
Indian police.
Aasifa Bano had gone missing
from her native village of Rasana
in Hira Nagar area of Hindu-
dominated Kathua district of
Jammu region on January 10,
2018 and her mutilated body was
found on January 17 near the
village.
The charge-sheet filed by the
police on April 10 stated that the
abduction of the victim was
planned by Sanji Ram, Deepak
Khajuria, Tilak Raj, Anand
Dutta, Parvesh Kumar, Vishal
Jangotra and Surinder Kumar in
an attempt to intimidate the
Bakarwal community to leave
the area. The fact that Aasifa was
held in a Hindu temple increased
the communal tension. With the
publication of horrifying details
of the gang-rape and murder,
people from all walks of life
including students, lawyers and
traders voiced outrage over the
heinous crime. The incident sent
shockwaves
across the
world.
M a s s i v e
protests were
held in all major
towns of the
territory on
April 13 on the
call of the Joint
Resistance
Leadership to
demand justice
for Aasifa. People took to the Muhammad Yasin Malik,
streets in Srinagar, Budgam, Muhammad Yousuf Naqash,
Ganderbal, Shopian, Islamabad, Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar, Bilal
Pulwama, Kupwara, Baramulla Siddiqi, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza,
and other areas raising high- Hilal Ahmed War, Zafar Akbar
pitched pro-freedom and anti- Butt, Javaid Ahmed Mir and
India slogans. Indian troops and other Hurriyat leaders under
police personnel fired pellets and house arrest or in custody to stop
teargas shells to disperse the them from leading the protests.
protesters at various places, On April 14, the students
injuring many of them. affiliated with All Jammu and
The puppet authorities had Kashmir Tribal Students
imposed restrictions in Srinagar, Association staged a demonstra-
Kulgam, Shopian, Pulwama, tion and a sit-in protest at main
Islamabad chowk in Handwara town to
and other demand justice for the minor girl.
areas and The members of Jammu and
deployed Kashmir Right to Information
Indian troops Movement, Civil Society for
and police Justice and Development, Gujjar-
personnel in Bakerwal Foundation and Gujjar
the entire Bakerwal Youth Conference also
Kashmir staged a protest at the Press
Valley to Colony in Srinagar with the same
p r e v e n t demand.
people from On April 17, thousands of people
staging the took part in a protest rally
d e m o n s t r a- organised by Imam Khomeini
tions. The Memorial Trust in Kargil city of
Jamia Masjid of Srinagar was Ladakh.
sealed and people were not Hundreds of students from
allowed to offer Juma prayers at educational institutions
the historic mosque. The puppet including Government Degree
administration kept Syed Ali Colleges Doda and Bhadarwah
Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in Jammu region staged strong
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, protests, demanding punish-
KASHMIR INSIGHT MAY 2018 12
Report
ment to the tormentors of Aasifa.
The All Jammu and Kashmir
Ladakh Students Association
also held a protest at Residency
Road in Srinagar. The protesters
said that it was shame that now
the women and girls were not
safe even at sacred places like
temples.
Protests were also held at the
Kashmir University, Kashmir
University of Agricultural
Sciences and Technology, CD
Hospital, Faculty of Veterinary
Sciences and Animal Husbandry
and Law College in Srinagar.
Besides, the students of S P
College, Srinagar; Government
Boys Degree
College, Srinagar;
Government Boys
Degree College,
Islamabad; Higher
Secondary School
P a l h a l l a n ;
Dangarpora
Higher Secondary
School, Sopore;
Government Boys
Degree College,
B e e r w a h ,
B u d g a m ;
Government
Degree College,
Sopore; and Government Higher
Secondary School, Nadihal,
Bandipora; staged massive
protests against the heinous
crime. The students also
condemned the Kathua Bar
Association for blocking the
challan by the Crime Branch of
police a few days back, and
demanded that the lawyers
involved in the act should be
arrested and stern action must be
taken against them.
Intense clashes between students
and the Indian police and troops
erupted in Sopore town after the
forces’ personnel fired teargas
shells to disperse the protesting
students.
Alongside students, lawyers
associated with the High Court
Bar Association Srinagar; Bar
Association Islamabad; and Bar
Association Ganderbal; took to
the streets in their respective
areas to condemn the rape and
murder of the innocent girl.
On April 18, dozens of students
were injured in the teargas
shelling of the Indian troops on
protesters who hit the streets in
Srinagar, Ganderbal, Budgam,
Shopian, Islamabad, Kulgam,
Bandipora, Kupwara, Pulwama
and Baramulla districts to
demand death penalty to the
rapists and killers of Aasifa.
More than fifty students, mostly
females, of Government Degree
College Tral fainted during
intense teargas shelling by the
troops.
On April 21, Indian forces’
personnel used brute force to
disperse the protesting students
in Chadoora and Panzan areas of
Budgam.
Meanwhile, Hurriyat leaders
and organisations strongly
condemned the brutal rape and
murder of Aasifa Bano and the
use of brute force by the Indian
forces on the students.
The Chairman of All Parties
Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali
Gilani, in a statement in Srinagar
KASHMIR INSIGHT
while condemning the use of
brute force by the Indian troops
and police on the students
demanded impartial probe by
some international agency into
the rape and murder of Aasifa
Bano. He expressed his anguish
and concern over the biased
approach of the Indian judiciary,
saying that it had always been
apathetic and unsympathetic
towards oppressed people of
occupied Kashmir.
The Chairman of Hurriyat
forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in
a statement in Srinagar said that
the Kathua incident was an open
a s s a u l t o n
humanity and
civilisation. He
also said that the
students were
being forced to
take to the streets
due to denial of
space where they
could express their
opinion freely.
The Jammu and
K a s h m i r
Liberation Front
C h i e f ,
Muhammad Yasin
Malik, in his
statement said that the rape and
murder of the minor girl in a
temple and the protests by
Hindu extremists in favour of the
killers and rapists added a new
chapter to the criminal history of
the world. He also condemned
the assault on students in Sopore,
Islamabad, Pulwama, Bandipora
and at many other places in
occupied Kashmir.
Other Hurriyat leaders and
organisations in their separate
statements also demanded stern
punishment to the rapists and
killers of Aasifa and condemned
the use of force on the protesting
students across the Valley.
MAY 2018 13
Report
US report paints grim picture of
human rights in IOK
The US State Department in its
annual Human Rights Report for
the year 2017 released in
Washington on April 21, 2018
said that the civilians were
reportedly killed in a staged
encounter in occupied Kashmir
and later labeled as foreign
militants. The report mentioned
the suspension of life sentences
by the Indian Armed Forces
Tribunal of five soldiers involved
in the killing of three civilians in
the occupied territory in 2010.
The report also discussed the
draconian law, Public Safety Act,
which permits the authorities to
detain persons without charge or
judicial review for up to two
years without visitation from the
family members. The report
pointed out that police in
occupied Kashmir allegedly
routinely employed arbitrary
detention and denied the
detainees access to lawyers and
medical attention.
The report citing family
members of the detainees said
that the authorities denied access
to relatives, particularly in
conflict areas including occupied
Kashmir. It said that the prisons
were severely overcrowded and
food, medical care, sanitation
and environmental conditions
were pathetic. “Potable water
was often unavailable. Prisons
and detention centers remain
underfunded, understaffed, and
lacking sufficient infrastructure.
Prisoners are physically
mistreated,” it added.
The report mentioned that an
NGO, Commonwealth Human
Rights Initiative, noted in its 2016
report that of 186 complaints of
human rights violations reported
between 2012 and 2016 against
the armed forces in the areas
under draconian law, Armed
Forces Special Powers Act
(AFSPA), 49.5 percent were from
occupied Kashmir.
Shedding light on civilian
killings in occupied Kashmir, the
US Human Rights report
mentioned that on July 27, the
Armed Forces Tribunal
suspended the life sentences of
five army personnel involved in
the 2010 killing of three civilians
in Machil area of Kupwara
district. The civilians were
reportedly killed in a staged
encounter and later accused of
being foreign militants, it added.
The report stated that draconian
law, Public Safety Act, which
applies only in the occupied
territory, allows the authorities
to detain people without charge
or judicial review for up to two
years without allowing the
family members to meet them. It
said that the authorities
anywhere in India allowed the
detainees access to a lawyer
during interrogation but police
in the occupied territory
routinely employed arbitrary
detention and denied the
detainees access to lawyers and
medical attention.
KASHMIR INSIGHT
About the fate of political
prisoners, the report pointed out
that the law enforcement
agencies in occupied Kashmir
held political detainees and
temporarily detained individ-
uals under the PSA. It said that
more than 650 such cases were
registered through June and
referred to the High Court of the
territory.
It mentioned as how the
Unlawful Activities (Prevention)
Act provides an additional legal
basis for warrantless searches in
occupied Kashmir, Punjab, and
Manipur, where the forces’
personnel enjoy special powers
under black laws to search and
arrest without a warrant.
The US report while referring to
the human shield incident
recalled that in July, the Human
Rights Commission of the
territory directed the authorities
to pay one million rupees
($16,000) as compensation to the
victim who was tied to the front
bumper of a military jeep by an
Indian Army Major and was
used as a human shield in central
Kashmir in April. Quoting
Indian media, it stated that Major
Nitin Gogoi used the victim to
prevent an angry mob from
attacking the military personnel
during the Indian parliamentary
by-election on April 9. “Human
rights activists also criticised
Army Chief General Bipin
Rawat’s statement backing
Gogoi’s action. Gogoi was also
awarded the army chief’s
commendation card for his
action and was not individually
punished,” it added.
The report quoting several local
and international human rights
organisations expressed serious
concern over the use of pellet
MAY 2018 14
Report
guns by the Indian forces for
crowd control purposes in
occupied Kashmir. It said that in
143 instances in which pellet
guns were reportedly used
across 12 districts of the Kashmir
Valley through July 31, one
civilian was killed and 36 were
injured. It pointed out that by
comparison in 2016, 777
instances of pellet gun use across
occupied Kashmir, mostly
during protests following the
killing of youth leader, Burhan
Wani, in July 2016, left at least 15
civilians dead and 396 injured. It
said that in a report during the
year, Amnesty International
detailed cases of 88 individuals
in the territory whose eyesight
was damaged by metal pellets
fired by the Indian police and
troops in the years 2014-17. It
maintained that both local and
international media sources and
NGOs have reported on the harm
- both physical and psychological
- to individuals injured by the
pellet guns.
The US report also lambasted the
censorship or content restrictions
in occupied Kashmir pointing
out that in June the Indian
Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting denied permission
to screen three films at a film
festival in Kerala. The three films
were about protests at the
Jawaharlal Nehru University, the
uprising in Kashmir, and the
suicide of doctoral student
activist, Rohith Vemula, it
added.
The report also mentioned that
on April 26, the authorities in
occupied Kashmir ordered
internet service providers to
block 22 social media and instant
messaging sites, including
Facebook, WhatsApp, and
Twitter, in the name of national
security for one month after
persistent street protests.
The report recalled as how the
puppet regime in the occupied
territory denied permits to
Hurriyat leaders for public
gatherings and the forces’
personnel sometimes reportedly
detained and assaulted members
of political groups engaged in
KASHMIR INSIGHT
peaceful protests.
It pointed out that the Indian
government continued delaying
issuance and renewal of pass-
ports to citizens from the
occupied territory, sometimes
up to two years. The Indian
government, it said, subjected
applicants born in occupied
Kashmir, including children
born to Indian military officers
deployed in the territory, to
additional scrutiny and police
clearances before issuing them
the passports.
It stated that during periods of
civil unrest in the territory, the
authorities imposed curfew to
ban public assemblies.
The US report also pointed out
that the Indian government did
not allow foreign nationals from
Pakistan, China, and Burma to
travel to occupied Kashmir,
Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland,
Mizoram and Manipur.
It highlighted that the Indian
troops, police, and other law
enforcement authorities in the
occupied territory reportedly
restrained or harassed the
human rights monitors.
The report rued the fact that the
women in conflict areas such as
occupied Kashmir, the northeast,
Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh, as
well as vulnerable Dalit or tribal
women, were often the victims of
rape or threats of rape.
MAY 2018 15
01-04-2018 Islamabad 03-04-2018 Ganderbal 04-04-2018 Srinagar

05-04-2018 Srinagar 07-04-2018 Pulwama 16-04-2018 Srinagar 19-04-2018 Srinagar

20-04-2018 Srinagar 30-04-2018 Pulwama

25-04-2018 Tral
Human Rights Situation
India has been resorting to the
worst kind of state terrorism in
occupied Kashmir for the past over
seven decades to continue its illegal
hold on Jammu and Kashmir and
the recent wave of killing in the
occupied territory in which 33
youth were killed in April 2018 is its
manifestation. The Indian atrocities
in occupied Kashmir also attracted
the attention of the Organisation of
Islamic Cooperation’s Contact
Group on Jammu and Kashmir and
the US State Department which
expressed serious concern over the
bloodbath and human rights
violations in the occupied territory.
The OIC Contact Group on Jammu
and Kashmir at an emergency
meeting held in Jeddah strongly
condemned the recent killing of
civilians by the Indian troops. The
US State Department in its annual
Human Rights Report for the year
2017 expressed serious concern
over the gross human rights abuses
by the Indian troops in occupied
Kashmir.
It is a fact that the international
community including the United
Nations, the European Union, the
OIC and world human rights
bodies have been expressing their
resentment over India’s brutal
actions in occupied Kashmir but it
is regrettable that their actions had
so far remained confined to
issuance of statements and failed to
force India to stop its brutalities
against the Kashmiris. They must
impress upon New Delhi to stop its
state terrorism in occupied
Kashmir and resolve the Kashmir
dispute as per the Kashmiris’
aspirations and the UN resolutions.
Following are the details of human
rights violations by the Indian
police and troops in occupied
Kashmir during the month of April
2018.
HR abuses by Indian troops
in IOK during April 2018
Compiled by Raies Ahmed Mir
April 01: Indian troops
destroyed four residential
houses and killed 15 youth
during two siege and search
operations in Shopian and
Islamabad districts.
Over 250 people were injured
after the troops fired bullets,
pellets and teargas shells on
protesters in Srinagar,
Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam,
Islamabad, Ganderbal,
Kupwara, Baramulla and
Bandipore areas.
April 02: Twenty people
including Gowhar Ahmed
Rathar and Muneeb Ahmed
Wani were injured after the
Indian forces fired bullets and
pellets on protesters in
Shopian, Ganderbal and
other areas.
The puppet authorities
detained Hurriyat leaders
including Syed Ali Gilani,
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,
Muhammad Yasin Malik,
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai,
Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar,
Muhammad Ashraf Laya,
Bilal Siddiqi, Ghulam Nabi
Sumjhi, Syed Imtiaz Haider
KASHMIR INSIGHT
and Omar Aadil Dar in their
houses and police stations.
April 03: A youth, Gowhar
Ahmed Rathar, who was
critically injured in the firing of
Indian troops at Chattargul in
Kangan area of Ganderbal
district, the other day,
succumbed to his injuries at
Soura Institute of Medical
Sciences in Srinagar.
Several youth were injured in
the troops’ firing on protesters
in Kangan and Handwara.
Indian police arrested over a
dozen people from Sopore and
Beerwah areas.
April 04: The troops severely
tortured a youth, Jahangir
Ahmed Pala, at an army camp
in Kulgam district.
The police arrested eight youth
from Watergam area of
Baramulla.
April 05: Over twenty people
including many students and a
journalist, Mubashir Khan,
were injured when Indian
forces’ personnel fired teargas
shells inside Lalded Hospital,
Government Degree College
Bemina, Srinagar, Government
Degree College Handwara and
MAY 2018 18
Human Rights Situation

in different areas of Sumbal and

Palhalan.
April 06: Indian troops killed a
B.Tech student, Mussavir
Ahmed Wani, during a siege
and search operation in Kangan
area of Pulwama district.
At least thirty persons were
injured after Indian forces fired
pellets and teargas shells on
protesters in Srinagar, Shopian,
Islamabad and Palhalan areas.
Indian police arrested an injured
youth, Zabiullah, from Juktiyal
in Kupwara district.
The puppet authorities
youth, Rafiq Ahmed Dar and April 12: Several youth were
launched a massive crackdown
Aabid Majeed, from injured after Indian police fired
and arrested over a dozen
Awantipora area of Pulwama. teargas shells on protesters in
Hurriyat leaders including
April 08: The police arrested Drugmulla and Bumhama areas
Ghulam Nabi Zaki and kept
seven activists of Dukhtaran-e- of Kupwara district. The police
resistance leaders including
Millat from Pinglan area of personnel also barged into the
Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar
Pulwama. residential houses and
Farooq, Muhammad Ashraf
April 11: Indian troops during a vandalised property in
Sehrai, Muhammad Yasin
crackdown operation killed Shumnag area of the district.
Malik, Javaid Ahmed Mir, Zafar
Sharjeel Ahmed Sheikh, Bilal The puppet authorities kept
Akbar Butt, Muhammad Ashraf
Ahmed Tantray, Faisal Illahi Hurriyat leaders, Syed Ali
Laya and Mukhtar Ahmed
and Aijaz Ahmed Palla and Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
Waza under house arrest or in
injured over 100 people after and Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai,
detention and even disallowed
indiscriminately firing bullets, under house arrest and
them to offer Friday prayers.
pellets and teargas shells on Muhammad Yasin Malik, Hilal
April 07: Six persons were
protesters at Khudwani in Ahmed War, Ghulam Nabi
injured after Indian forces used
Kulgam district. The troops also Sumjhi, Ghulam Ahmed
brute force on protesters at
destroyed five residential Gulzar, Muhammad Yousuf
Delipora in Pulwama district.
houses and three shops in the Naqash, Bilal Siddiqi,
Indian police arrested two
area. Muhammad Ashraf Laya,
Mukhtar Ahmed Waza, Zafar
Akbar Butt, Muhammad Yasin
Attai, Javaid Ahmed Mir, Syed
Imtiaz Haider, Bashir Ahmed
and Muhammad Yousuf in
police stations and jails.
A young boy, Shahid Rafiq Dar,
was injured after a shell
exploded when the people were
clearing the debris of the houses
destroyed by the troops in
Khudwani, the other day.
April 13: Indian forces’
personnel thrashed two youth,
Bilal Ahmed and Farooq Ahmed

KASHMIR INSIGHT MAY 2018 19

Human Rights Situation
Parray, at Safa Kadal in
Srinagar.
The puppet authorities barred
congregational Friday prayers
at historic Jamia Masjid in
Srinagar by imposing
restrictions in Nowhatta and
other adjacent areas. The
authorities also put Syed Ali
Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
and Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai
under house arrest and kept
Muhammad Yasin Malik
imprisoned at Srinagar Central
Jail.
April 14: Advocate Talib
Hussain, a social activist and the
lawyer for 8-year-old Aasifa
Bano, who was raped and
murdered in Kathua area of
Jammu in January, this year,
was attacked by Hindu
extremists in Udhampur where
he had gone to participate in a
TV show.
April 15: A youth, Aamir
Hameed Lone, who was injured
in the firing of Indian troops on
protesters in Kangan area of
Ganderbal on April 03,
succumbed to his injuries at
Soura Institute of Medical
Sciences in Srinagar.
April 16: The troops thrashed
two students at Badibera in
Kupwara district.
April 17: Several students were
injured when Indian forces’
personnel fired teargas shells
into the premises of
Government Degree College
Sopore and Women’s Degree
College Baramulla.
April 18: Over 90 people
including students were injured
after Indian police and troops
fired teargas, chilli grenades,
PAVA shells and pellets in
Islamabad, Pulwama and Tral
areas during protests against the
rape and murder of Aasifa Bano.
The police arrested three
students in Pulwama town and
molested several women in
KASHMIR INSIGHT
Islamabad and Rafiabad areas.
April 19: Over a dozen people
suffered injuries to their faces
when Indian troops fired pellets
and teargas shells on protesters
in Shopian, Bandipore, Tral,
Pulwama and Budgam areas
during demonstrations against
the rape and murder of the
minor girl.
April 20: Indian police arrested
several Hurriyat leaders
including Muhammad Yasin
Malik, Aasiya Andrabi,
Fehmeeda Sofi, Nahida Nasreen
and Aashiq Hussain from
Srinagar, Islamabad and
Pulwama.
April 21: Three youth were
injured in Indian troops’ firing
on protesters in Kareemabad
area of Pulwama.
The police arrested a civlian, Dr
Aijaz Rasool, in Mir Bazaar area
of Kulgam district.
The puppet authorities booked
the Jammu and Kashmir
Liberation Front leaders,
Sirajuddin Mir and Abdul
Rashed Magloo, under the
draconian law, Public Safety
Act, and lodged them at Kot
Bhalwal Jail in Jammu.
April 22: The authorities shifted
MAY 2018 20
Human Rights Situation

the illegally detained

Dukhtaran-e-Millat
Chairperson, Aasiya Andrabi,
and other party leaders
including Nahida Nasreen and
Fahmeeda Sofi from Islamabad
Police Station to Srinagar
Central Jail on 8-day judicial
remand.
April 23: Over 50 people were
injured after Indian troops fired
pellets and teargas shells on
students in Islamabad,
Ganderbal, Shopian and
Bandipore districts.
Indian police arrested over 80
students from Baramulla and
Shakeeb Shabbir, was killed Police arrested a B-Tech
other areas.
when the troops resorted to Kashmiri student, Shahid Malla,
April 24: The troops killed four
indiscriminate firing after an and a BCA student, Aadil
youth, Ashfaq Ahmed Khan,
attack by unknown gunmen on Hussain Teli, during separate
Abid Bashir Butt, Yasir Ahmed
a patrolling party of Indian raids at Aryan Group of
and Omar Khalid, during a
Army at Lazibal in Islamabad Colleges in Rajpora and St.
cordon and search operation in
town. Soldiers Management &
Larnoo area of Tral district.
Several students were injured Technology Institution
Indian forces’ personnel barged
after the troops fired bullets, Jalandhar in Punjab.
into the residential houses, beat
pellets and teargas shells on April 28: Indian police
up the inmates and arrested
protesting students at Islamic assaulted and arrested Jammu
several people at Moran in Tral.
University of Science and and Kashmir Liberation Front
April 25: A youth, Ghulam Nabi
Technology in Awantipora area Chairman, Muhammad Yasin
Patel, who was injured in the
of Pulwama. Malik, in Srinagar.
firing of Indian troops on
Indian police arrested three April 29: Indian forces’
protesters at Rajpora in
persons from Pampore in personnel thrashed several
Pulwama district, succumbed to
Pulwama district. protesters at Lazibal Pahalgam
his injuries at a hospital.
April 27: Indian Cyber Cell in Islamabad.
April 26: A college student,
The police arrested Javaid
Ahmed Rathar, Yawar Ahmed
Sheikh, Faisal Tiger and Bilal
Ahmed Ghani during nocturnal
raids at Kareemabad in
Pulwama and Javaid Ahmed in
Hajin area of Bandipora.
April 30: Indian troops killed
three youth, Sameer Ahmed
Butt, Aaqib Ahmed Khan and
Shahid Ahmed Dar, during a
crackdown operation and
injured over 70 people during
demonstrations in Drabgam
area of Pulwama.

KASHMIR INSIGHT MAY 2018 21

Report
Washington rally demands
justice for Aasifa
The participants of a huge rally
organised by the World Kashmir
Awareness Forum (WKAF) and
Kashmiri American Council
(KAC) in front of the White
House in Washington D.C. on
April 29, 2018 demanded justice
for Aasifa, an eight-year-old
angel from Kathua area of
occupied Kashmir who was
abducted, drugged, gang-raped
and finally murdered by the
goons associated with extremist
Hindu organisations simply
because she was a Muslim.
The participants who had come
from across the US to highlight
the brutal rape and murder of a
daughter of Kashmir were
holding placards and chanting
slogans like, “Justice for Aasifa”,
“No justice - no peace”, “Kathua
rape - stain on Indian democ-
racy”, “Wake up wake up: UN
wake up”.
Addressing the participants of
the rally, Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai,
the Secretary General of World
Kashmir Awareness Forum
(WKAF), said that the rape and
murder of Aasifa shook the
conscience of the leaders not
only in South Asia but also all
over the world. He pointed out
that rape is a crime against
humanity and the killers of
Aasifa used it as a weapon of
terror and fear to force the whole
Muslim community leave the
area. Dr Fai thanked the UN
Secretary General, Antonio
Guterres, who had termed the
gang-rape and murder of Aasifa
as a horrific incident and
demanded that the perpetrators
of this heinous crime should be
brought to book. He urged the
UN Secretary General as the
custodian of human rights to
send a clear message to India
that such brutalities and cruel-
ties could not be tolerated in the
comity of nations in this day and
age. He demanded an impartial
investigation by a neutral
agency like the United Nations
into the Kathua incident and
those found guilty should be
given severe punishment.
Speaking on the occasion,
Professor Imtiaz Khan, the
President of the Kashmiri
KASHMIR INSIGHT
American Council, said that
Aasifa’s case was not an isolated
one. “There are more than 10,000
innocent women whose honour
was violated in occupied
Kashmir,” he said and
demanded that all those cases
should be reopened and investi-
gated by some international
neutral agency. Dr Khan cited
the example of Kunanposhpora
where around a hundred
women between the ages of 8 to
80 were gang-raped by the
Indian troops in 1991. “It was
reported by the New York Times,
Amnesty International and
many NGOs. Yet no investiga-
tion had taken place so far,” he
said. He also expressed serious
concern over the grim human
rights situation in occupied
Kashmir.
Sardar Sawar Khan, former
Advisor to the Prime Minister of
Azad Jammu and Kashmir, said
that the rape and murder of
Aasifa should be an eye-opener
for the world powers that their
silence had given a sense of
immunity to India to carry on its
genocidal actions in occupied
Kashmir. He called upon the US
to play an active role in bringing
India and Pakistan to the table of
negotiations along with the
Kashmiri Hurriyat leadership to
hammer out a durable and
lasting resolution of the decades-
old Kashmir conflict.
Dr Zafar Noori said that the issue
of Kashmir was simply the issue
of the right to self-
determination, which was
agreed upon by both India and
Pakistan and endorsed by the
UN Security Council through its
resolutions. He asked India to
MAY 2018 22
Report
accede to the international law
and cooperate in holding a
referendum in Jammu and
Kashmir. He emphasised that it
was inescapable moral responsi-
bility of the US as the leader of
the free world and champion of
the human rights to take a
leading role in helping to resolve
the Kashmir dispute.
Dr Zulfiqar Kazmi said that
India’s continued denial of right
to self-determination to the
people of Jammu and Kashmir
had brought Pakistan and India
to the brink of nuclear disaster.
“There is no freedom of expres-
sion and freedom of assembly in
occupied Kashmir. Peaceful
protesters are subjected to brute
force,” he added. Dr Kazmi
demanded a peaceful environ-
ment where the Kashmiri people
could express their political
opinion freely without any
external coercion and intimida-
tion.
Dr M A Dhar said that the
Kashmiris wanted a peaceful
settlement of the lingering
Kashmir dispute but if the
Kashmiri youth were pushed to
the wall without any ray of hope,
they would become disillu-
sioned which might lead to
frustration and destruction.
Such a situation, he said, will not
be helpful to establish peace in
South Asia. He appealed to the
world community to help
resolve the Kashmir dispute for
the peace and stability in the
region.
Sardar Aftab Roshan Khan
deplored that the government of
India was not allowing the
Kashmiri resistance leadership
to conduct political activities
which was a clear violation of the
fundamental right to free
movement and speech. He said
that the United Nations had a
moral responsibility to respond
to the miseries of the people of
KASHMIR INSIGHT
occupied Kashmir. He said that
India publicises itself as the
largest democracy of the world
but its democratic credentials
stand exposed in occupied
Kashmir where it was using
every brutal tactic to suppress
the Kashmiris’ just struggle for
securing their inalienable right
to self-determination. He said
that New Delhi had usurped all
the basic freedoms of the
Kashmiris including the
freedom of movement, the
freedom of expression, the
freedom of speech and the
freedom of peaceful protest and
assembly.
Sardar Aftab Roshan Khan said
that curbs had been imposed in
occupied Kashmir on the
political and religious activities
of the people particularly
Hurriyat leaders. “The All
Partias Hurriyat Conference
Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, and
other Hurriyat leaders including
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and
Muhammad Yasin Malik are
frequently placed under house
arrest or illegal detention and are
not allowed even to perform
their religious obligations like
offering Juma prayers,” he
pointed out.
Ms Shamshad Begum cited the
MAY 2018 23
Report
examples of the grave human
rights abuses by the Indian
troops in occupied Kashmir. She
said that from the last over seven
decades particularly since 1989,
the Indian forces were engaged
in a sustained campaign of
slaughter, rape, arson and
destruction in the territory. She
pointed out that Indian state
terrorism during the past twenty
nine years had resulted in the
killing of more than 100,000
Kashmiris. The killing of
innocent people in occupied
Kashmir must end, she
demanded.
Hamid Malik said that it was a
tragedy that the legitimate
aspirations of the people of
Kashmir were being crushed
with the grotesque and brute
force by the Indian troops.
Khalid Faheem said that
Kashmir was being brutally
victimised through human
rights violations perpetrated by
over 700,000 Indian military and
paramilitary personnel. He said
that it had made Kashmir the
largest army concentration
anywhere in the world.
Sardar Zahid Khan said that the
case of Aasifa should not be
handed over to infamous and
notorious Central Bureau of
Investigation (CBI), as being
demanded by some communal
elements in Jammu, but instead
be investigated by an independ-
ent, unbiased and neutral
agency to punish the perpetra-
tors.
Dr A R Mir said that the Kashmir
dispute was the main cause of
tension between India and
Pakistan. He hoped that tripar-
tite talks involving Pakistan,
India and the genuine Kashmiri
leadership would be initiated
soon to settle the lingering
dispute.
Sardar Zubair Khan said that the
whole world was aware of the
magnitude of the massacres
KASHMIR INSIGHT
committed by the Indian Army
in occupied Kashmir but they
were yet to utter a word of
condemnation. He suggested
that India needs to be persuaded
to repeal the draconian laws,
which gave total impunity to the
Indian Army for its brutal
actions in the occupied territory.
Hisham Khan said that the
denial of democratic rights to the
people of Jammu and Kashmir
by India had spawned nuclear
and missile proliferation in the
region. He said that the peace
process between New Delhi and
Islamabad would not yield
positive results unless the
Kashmiri leadership was
involved with it.
Sardar Zarif Khan condemned
the continued house arrest and
detention of Hurriyat leaders in
occupied Kashmir who were not
even allowed to attend the
peaceful public gatherings. He
termed it a clear violation of
Geneva Conventions.
Sardar Zulfiqar Roshan Khan
acted as the Emcee and thanked
the attendees who came with
their families and friends to
express solidarity with the
oppressed people of occupied
Kashmir.
MAY 2018 24
Report

Kashmiri delegation highlights in

Brussels HR abuses in IOK
A delegation of Kashmiri
representatives during their visit
to Brussels, the Capital of
European Union, briefed the
Members of the European
Parliament about the human
rights abuses being perpetrated
by the Indian troops in occupied
Kashmir. During the two-day
visit on 29th and 30th April 2018,
the delegation comprising
Barrister Abdul Majeed
Tramboo, Professor Nazir
Ahmed Shawl, Zubair Awan and
Shamim Shawl held meetings
with a number of Members of
European Parliament (MEPs),
occupied Kashmir including the freedom of expression, the
policy makers, political groups
rampant use of pellet guns on freedom of speech and the
and delegation officers at the
protesters and the rape and freedom of peaceful protest and
European Parliament and
murder of eight-year-old Aasifa assembly. They said that India
briefed them as how the people
Bano of Kathua and the stale- was using every brutal tactic to
of occupied Kashmir have been
mate between India and suppress the Kashmiris’ just
facing the worst kind of Indian
Pakistan. struggle for securing their
state terrorism in their just
inalienable right to self-
determination. They urged the
members of the European
Parliament to take cognisance of
India’s undemocratic actions
against the Kashmiris particu-
larly pro-freedom leaders and
play their role in the settlement of
the Kashmir dispute in accor-
dance with the aspirations of the
Kashmiri people to save them
from the Indian cruelties.
The members of the delegation
were of the view that New Delhi
should understand that its brutal
tactics cannot suppress the
Kashmiris’ resolve to get
struggle for freedom from India's The Kashmiri representatives freedom from its subjugation as
occupation of their homeland for raised with the MEPs the issues they are determined to take their
the past over seven decades. The of the recent wave of killings, use ongoing freedom movement to
Kashmiri delegation was of brute force on peaceful its logical conclusion at all costs.
received warmly during its visit protesters and the violations of The delegation was the guest of
and there was a fair exchange of all human rights including the honour at an International
views on the current situation in freedom of free movement, the Soiree, which was hosted by

KASHMIR INSIGHT MAY 2018 25

Report
Frank Schwalba-Hoth (former
MEP) and was attended by
members of civil society
including scholars, jurists,
journalists, staffers (from various
EU institutions) and NGOs.
Barrister Abdul Majeed
Tramboo in his presentation
briefed the participants about the
background of the Kashmir
conflict and India’s intransigence
to address the issue.
Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl
talked about the gross human
rights violations being perpe-
trated by the Indian military and
paramilitary personnel in
occupied Kashmir.
Zubair Awan highlighted the
legality of the Kashmir dispute
and the way forward to resolve
it.
Shamim Shawl shed light on the
violence against the women in
occupied Kashmir.
Thereafter, the delegation met
the participants on individual
basis during which they pledged
their full support to the work
undertaken by the delegation to
raise the issue within the EU.
The delegation addressed the
press at Brussels Press Club. A
movie “Bruised Kashmir”
depicting the atrocities of the
Indian troops in the occupied
territory was screened on the
occasion which left a serious
mark on the journalists present
there.
The delegation also participated
in a community event which was
hosted by the Kashmiri diaspora
in Belgium.
Earlier on April 24, speakers at a
conference on Kashmir organ-
ised by Jammu and Kashmir
Liberation Front-R in Luton,
United Kingdom, urged India to
shun its egoistic approach and
take steps towards settlement of
the Kashmir dispute through
meaningful talks.
KASHMIR INSIGHT
The conference was chaired by
the JKLF-R Chief Patron,
Barrister Abdul Majeed
Tramboo, and among others was
addressed by councilors, Raja
Muhammad Aslam, Asima
Rathor, Raja Saleem, Riaz Butt,
Malik Tahir and Raja Wahid.
Others who attended the
function included Professor
Nazir Ahmed Shawl, Shamim
Shawl, Muzammil Thakur,
Amjad Abbasi, Zubair Awan and
Raja Mumtaz Ahmed Rathor.
The speakers on the occasion
highlighted different dimen-
sions of the Kashmir dispute and
presented reports about the
atrocities being perpetrated by
the Indian troops in occupied
Kashmir. They said that the
troops were using reckless force
against unarmed people of the
occupied territory to suppress
their just freedom struggle.
It was unanimously held that all
participants would work as
emissaries for the oppressed
people of occupied Kashmir.
The conference hall was deco-
rated with pictures of martyred
Kashmiris including prominent
liberation leader, Muhammad
Maqbool Butt.
MAY 2018 26
Beauty Thy Name is
Tourist places
Lakes ofinJammu
occupied Kashmir
& Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is one of the
most beautiful regions in the
world. It has always been a
fascinating place for the tourists
from across the world. Following
are some of the tourist spots in
Indian occupied Kashmir.
Yusmarg:
Yusmarg or Yousmarg is a hill
station in the Kashmir Valley. It
is located in Badgam district at a
distance of 47-km in south of
Srinagar. It is an alpine valley
covered with snow-clad moun-
tains and the meadows of Pine
and Fir. It is situated at the bank
of Doodganga River, which is a
tributary of Jhelum River. It is a
popular tourist destination,
nestled within the imposing Pir
Panjal peaks, a sub range of
Himalaya. It lies at an altitude of
2,396 metres above the sea level.
Yusmarg has a great scope for
adventure tourism. Doodganga
River flows through this
meadow. In its vicinity lies the
alpine meadow of Tosa Maidan.
A trek of 4-km leads to a small
lake named as Nilnag, which is
surrounded by pine trees.
Another 10-km trek leads to a
wonderful frozen lake in Sang-e-
Safed valley. Most portion of this
lake is covered by ice even
during the summer. A number of
tourist huts, restaurants and
hotels are available for lodging.
The main activities include
horse riding, fishing, skiing
(during winter) and photog-
raphy.
About 13-km from Yusmarg is
Charar-e-Sharief, the shrine of
Kashmir’s patron saint Sheikh
Noor-ud-din.
Sunset Peak and Mahadiv
Mountain are the major points
of interest here. Yusmarg
Valley has the best spring
flowers in occupied Kashmir.
Watlab:
Watlab is situated on the Sopore-
Bandipore road, about 56-km
from Srinagar and 8-km from
Sopore. Apart from the untamed
beauty, Watlab is famous for its
hilltop Muslim shrine built in the
memory of Sufi saint, Baba
Shukurdin. This place
offers a beautiful view of
the Wular Lake,
stretching out as far as the
eyes can see. The pictur-
esque villages edging
around the lake further
enhance the scenery. Also
adding a touch of colour
to the landscape, are the
fields of paddy nearby.
Achabal:
Achabal is a town in Islamabad
district of occupied Kashmir
situated at an altitude of 1,936
metres above the see level.
Perhaps the most beautiful of
springs in Kashmir is Achabal
which gushes out of the
Sosanwar hill and was once
enlisted by the Emperor Jehangir
in the service of beauty and
pleasure.
Achabal is an important tourist
spot about 7-km away from
Islamabad. The place is famous
and attractive due to an ancient
spring surrounded by a garden
KASHMIR INSIGHT
terraced and developed by the
Mughals. The upper portion of
the garden is called 'Bagh-e-
Begum Abad' developed by
Empress Noor Jehan in 1616 AD.
Cascades and fountains erected
by Mughal Emperors enhance
the beauty of the spot. A mosque
standing in the garden is
believed to have been
constructed by Mughal Prince,
Dara Shikoh. Achabal was once
the pleasure retreat of Empress
Noor Jehan. It is the site of
famous Mughal gardens called
Achabal Gardens. A trout
hatchery is also located nearby.
Daksum:
Daksum is a natural scenic spot
situated at a distance of 40-km
from Islamabad town and about
85-km from Srinagar. It is on the
trekking route to Kishtwar.
Daksum, a trekker's paradise, is
swathed in coniferous forests,
gurgling streams and hidden
grassy meadows. It is also
famous for its trout - an angler's
heaven. Standing at an altitude of
2,438 metres in a densely forested
gorge, Daksum offers peace and
tranquillity. The only sound
heard there is that of the Bringhi
River, rushing right through its
centre.
MAY 2018 29
 Literature
The Village Teacher
The village about which this
story is related maintained a
school where education in the
traditional manner was imparted
to village boys. The old white-
bearded teacher who taught at
the school for thirty years had
passed away, much to the regret
of the villagers. He had perhaps
never taught more than three or
four pupils at a time, but his
culture and good breeding won
him a warm niche in every heart.
He was succeeded by another
gentleman from a neighbouring
village.
The new teacher was a young
man. He was gifted with all those
qualities, which make us look
wistfully on our departed youth:
energy, health, ambition, hope
and vanity. Since his pedagogic
duties did not tax his energy to
any extent, he interested himself
in other activities and was fond
of the company of young men. In
the midst of his friends nothing
would distinguish him from the
brotherhood of the laity. He even
disclosed a strain of gallantry in
his nature. Some elderly people
recalled the fatherly attitude of
his predecessor and sighed that
even those who were expected to
set the standard in public
behaviour failed to maintain
proper decorum.
The life lived by a woman in the
city is different from that of her
sister in the village. In a city the
standard is set by the official
class who for this purpose may
be said to include the business
and professional class too. Till
recently their womenfolk, both
Hindu and Muslim, lived in
‘pardah’ and would not leave the
four walls of the house except
(A Kashmiri Folklore)
with a veil hanging down to their
toes. There is no question at all of
their talking to a stranger,
however good-natured he may
be. The village woman, on the
other hand, is free from many of
the taboos in the city. She moves
about freely and goody goody
modesty is alien to her
unsophisticated nature. Her
conduct is a true reflection of her
nature and not qualified by the
fear of Mrs. Grundy. She is
mostly a workingwoman
assisting her husband in the
fields or tending cattle on the
outskirts of the village. She will
meet anybody unflinchingly, be
he a robber or even the devil, and
not faint with fear like some of
her sophisticated sisters living in
towns behind latticed curtains.
In spite of that, however, her
conduct is unblemished.
The schoolmaster referred to
above had certain preconceived
and illusory notions about
village women. He thought he
could play the gallant and thus
tickle his vanity. Women move
about freely in villages and his
movements were so timed as to
cross a number of them on the
road when they proceeded to
their farms. Sometimes he
contrived to enter into
conversation with one either on
the roadside or at the village
spring where they went daily to
fetch water. There was nothing
indecent in his behaviour, but it
sprang from a motive, which did
not appear to be "brotherly" as
was the case with the village folk.
There was, in particular, a
housewife, both pretty and
prosperous whose acquaintance
and friendship he wanted to
KASHMIR INSIGHT
cultivate. On several occasions
he tried to enter into
conversation with her. She never
resented such an attempt on his
part but, so far as she was
concerned, the matter ended
there for her. It never paved the
way for a friendship or even
what may be called an
acquaintance because the next
time he had to begin once again
from the lowest rung.
Finding no indication of progress
in this way, he changed his line of
action. The young boy of the
housewife attended the school
where the teacher taught. The
teacher frequently said to the boy
"Remember me to your mother".
The boy carried the message as
charged. The mother realised,
that the teacher needed a purge
for his humour and she chalked
out her line of action. She told her
boy to inform the teacher that she
wanted to have a word with him
at her house. It was conveyed to
him that her husband was
expected to be away for the
whole day.
The heart of the teacher fluttered
like a bird when he got the
message. He felt highly excited
and in his best attire went too
early for the appointment. The
housewife gave him a reception
that seemed to lack nothing in
warmth. She seemed to have
placed full confidence in his
friendship and gallantry. He
could not conceal the
lasciviousness in his looks and
she reciprocated by pretending
to gaze at him fondly. She busied
herself in making tea for him and
offered him a cupful.
While the cup brimful with tea
was steaming in the hands of the
MAY 2018 30
 Literature
teacher, a most unwelcome
visitor arrived in the person of
the owner of the house, viz., the
husband. The teacher did not
seem to be taken by surprise
because the presence of the
housewife had dilated his spirit
and elated his vanity. The
husband called his wife in a gruff
voice from the yard. The
housewife began to tremble and
turned pale.
"I am undone," she whispered, "if
he discovers you here he will kill
me and not spare you either."
"Have no fear," said the teacher in
a voice that faltered, "he cannot
be so harsh."
"I know better how ruthless he is.
Would to God I were dead rather
than be surprised in this
compromising situation." She
began to beat her chest. "O quick,
save my life" she whispered in a
commotion, which was now
instilled into the teacher's heart.
"Is there no other exit?"
"No, none. He sees you here and I
am killed. He is such a rough
bear. Nothing can save me unless
.... she began to wail in a hushed
voice.
"Unless what?"
"Unless you disguise yourself to
escape his suspicion."
"Most willingly. I'll do anything
for your sake," said the teacher
out of a sense of gallantry and a
trace of relief that a way out was
indicated.
In a jiffy the housewife gave him
a workingwoman's cloak and
scarf, which he donned as
quickly, casting off his own
turban and cloak which she put
away. To allay all traces of
suspicion in her husband she
placed before him a basketful of
maize and two portable
millstones. They almost acted a
pantomime. She impressed upon
him that he must look bashfully
downwards, rotate the upper
millstone
and turn out
the yellow
f l o u r .
Needless to
say that the
o t h e r
obeyed.
H a v i n g
accomplishe
d all this she
c a m e
downstairs
to meet her
husband so
that he did
not get a
chance to
suspect that
the teacher
was in the
person of the
working-
w o m a n
turning out
flour.
T h e
housewife
greeted her
husband had better dismiss him now. The
with a face beaming with smiles. lesson must have gone home to
"What is that grinding sound him."
upstairs?" growled the husband. The housewife gave the captive
"It is that deaf woman turning his clothes and the teacher
out maize flour", she replied slipped away without
aloud. exchanging another word.
The husband and wife stayed It was remarked by many people
pretty long in the kitchen garden the next day that the teacher had
and in the barn. The sound of lost much of his liveliness. His
grinding continued to come from spirit had been clouded by a sort
upstairs though it was slow and of an eclipse. But nobody knew
punctuated with intervals of why. For neither the housewife
silence. The teacher developed nor her husband revealed the
many blisters on his hands. He secret of the "deaf woman"
thought of slipping away, but grinding maize.
knew nothing about where his One day the housewife sent a
turban, scarf and tunic had been message to the schoolmaster
deposited without which he was desiring him to repeat the visit.
sure to attract the attention of the The boy conveyed the message,
pariah dog no less than of man. but now the teacher felt no
"The fellow must be tired now excitement. All that he said was,
and feeling bitter" said her "Ask her if she has consumed the
husband to the housewife, "you flour ground previously."
KASHMIR INSIGHT MAY 2018 31
 Atrocities by Indian troops
(January 1989 to April 30, 2018)

Total killings 94,985

Custodial killings 7,105

Civilians arrested 143,729

Structures destroyed/damaged 108,733

Women widowed 22,871

Children orphaned 107,707

Women gangraped/molested 11,071

Including custodial killings

Source: Kashmir Media Service (www.kmsnews.org)

 Forgotten promises

“... With all deference to this Parliament, I would like to say that the
ultimate decision will be made in the minds and hearts of the people of
Kashmir and not in this Parliament or at the UN....
“If, however, the people of Kashmir do not wish to remain with us, let them
go by all means; we will not keep them against their will, however painful it
may be to us. We want no forced marriages, no forced unions...
“I want to stress that it is only the people of Kashmir who can decide the
future of Kashmir. It is not that we have merely said that to the United
Nations and to people of Kashmir.”

(Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru’s statement in

Indian Parliament, August 7, 1952)

All Parties Hurriyet Conference Azad Jammu And Kashmir

P. O. Box No. 2617, GPO Islamabad.
Ph: 0092-51-4861457, Fax: 0092-51-4861458 (Islamabad)
0092-5822-432344 (Muzaffarabad)
Email: kashmirinsight@yahoo.com