25th Year of Publication

Vol: 25 No. 06
Monthly June 2019

INSIGHT

OIC raises concern

over grave situation in IOK

UNHRC seeks details JKCCS-APDP report Aasiya and Neelofar

from India on Kashmir reveals India’s brutal remembered on 10th
killings, torture torture in IOK martyrdom anniversary
 Kashmir dispute should be
resolved as per UN resolutions

"The people of Kashmir must also have their right to self-determination; (we) as a body
must stand against the oppression happening with the Muslim world. Pakistan wants to
resolve Kashmir dispute as per the UN resolutions and aspirations of the Kashmiris.
Peaceful struggle of the people of Kashmir must not be labelled as terrorism.”

(Prime Minister Imran Khan addressing

the 14th Islamic Summit hosted by
the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Makkah, May 31, 2019)
Kashmir Insight JUNE 2019

Editor: M Raza Malik From The Editor's Desk

In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their unabated
Sub Editor: Benazir Khan acts of state terrorism martyred 34 Kashmiris including a
young boy during the holy month of Ramadan from May
Art Editor: M.Haroon 07 to June 04, 2019.
According to the data issued by the Research Section of
CONTENTS Kashmir Media Service on June 05, of those martyred 3
were killed in custody. The killings rendered 4 women
Editorial widowed and 10 children orphaned. During the month of
Indian brutalities in IOK come to limelight . . . . . . 02 Ramadan, 497 people were critically injured due to the
firing of pellets, bullets and teargas shells by Indian
Cover Story Army, paramilitary and police personnel on peaceful
OIC raises concern over grave situation in IOK . . . 03 demonstrators in the occupied territory. 137 civilians
including a woman were arrested. The troops molested 5
Reports women and damaged and ransacked 39 houses in 303
Journalists working in difficult situation in IOK . . 07 cordon and search operations during the month of
Ramadan.
UNHRC seeks details from India on It is a fact that India has been subjecting the people of
occupied Kashmir to the worst kind of brutalities for the
Kashmir killings, torture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 09 past over seven decades for opposing its illegal
JKCCS-APDP report reveals India’s brutal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir. It has given its troops
and police personnel unbridled powers under draconian
torture in IOK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 laws like Disturbed Areas Act, Armed Forces Special
Pictorial Powers Act and Public Safety Act to commit atrocities on
the Kashmiris to intimidate them into submission.
Images speak louder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Killings, arrests, torture, abductions, destruction of
Human rights situation property, molestation of women and other human rights
violations by the Indian forces’ personnel are the order of
HR abuses by Indian troops in IOK the day in the occupied territory that have turned the
paradise on earth into a hell for its inhabitants. However,
during May 2019 India’s state terrorism and military might have not been
Raies Ahmed Mir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 able to subdue the Kashmiris’ resolve for freedom and
they are very much determined to take their struggle to
Reports secure their inalienable right to self-determination to its
Indian troops martyr 34 Kashmiris in logical conclusion.
It is unfortunate that instead of respecting the aspirations
holy month of Ramadan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 of the Kashmiri people, India continues with its brutal
measures to prolong its illegal hold on Jammu and
Rich tributes paid to Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq, Kashmir. New Delhi needs to acknowledge the fact that
Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 no amount of its state terrorism can force the Kashmiri
people to surrender their just cause. It must stop its
Aasiya and Neelofar remembered on military approach on the Kashmir dispute and take steps
for settling it according to the will of the Kashmiri
10th martyrdom anniversary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
people.
Chronology The international community must hold New Delhi
A chronological account of developments accountable for its brutalities against the people of
occupied Kashmir and must play an effective role in the
on Kashmir (154) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 settlement of the Kashmir dispute to mitigate their
sufferings. The earlier the world community fulfills its
Beauty thy name is obligations regarding resolution of the Kashmir dispute,
Srinagar Gardens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 the more will it be beneficial for the peace in South Asia.
Literature
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 Report
Editorial
In occupied Kashmir, the
Jammu and Kashmir Coalition
of Civil Society (JKCCS) and
the Association of Parents of
Disappeared Persons (APDP)
while releasing a comprehen-
sive report on human rights
violations by Indian Army,
paramilitary and police
personnel urged the United
Nations to establish a commis-
sion of inquiry to investigate
the brutal torture inflicted by
the Indian forces on the people
of the territory. The report
released by the JKCCS and
Indian brutalities in
IOK come to limelight
APDP in Srinagar on May 20,
2019 focused on the torture
committed in occupied
Kashmir by the Indian State
since 1990 and provided a
contextual understanding of
various phases of torture being
perpetrated in the territory
since 1947. Using 432 case
studies, it charted out trends
and patterns, targets, perpetra-
tors, sites, contexts and
impacts of torture in occupied
Kashmir besides calling upon
India to ratify the UN conven-
tion against torture and also
allow global right groups
unhindered access to the
occupied territory. The report
maintained that due to the
impunity provided to the
Indian armed forces, not a
single prosecution has taken
place in any case of human
rights violations in occupied
Kashmir so far.
On the other hand, three
special rapporteurs of the
United Nations Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) wrote a
letter to India asking for
details on the steps taken to
punish or provide justice to
victims and their next of kin in
76 cases of torture and arbi-
trary killings in occupied
Kashmir since 1990. The letter
to the Indian government
dated March 18, 2019 was
written by the Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary execu-
tions, Agnes Callamard,
Special Rapporteur on the
right of everyone to the
enjoyment of the highest
attainable standard of physical
and mental health, Dainius
Puras, and the Special
Rapporteur on torture and
other cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or
punishment, Nils Melzer. It
was made public on the
UNHRC website on May 18,
2019 after a scheduled interval
KASHMIR INSIGHT
of 60 days, along with India’s
reply that refused to provide
any clarification.
These developments show
that local and global human
rights organisations are
concerned about the gross
human rights violations - in
fact crimes against humanity -
being committed by Indian
troops and police personnel in
occupied Kashmir to suppress
the Kashmiris’ ongoing
movement for securing their
inalienable right to self-
determination. They also
indicate that the sacrifices of
Kashmiri people in their
ongoing freedom struggle are
not going unnoticed but are
shaking the conscience of the
world community, which
otherwise had maintained a
criminal silence over New
Delhi’s brutal actions in
occupied Kashmir due to their
economic interests in India.
It is high time for New Delhi
to read writing on the wall that
it would not be able to hide for
long the brutalities being
perpetrated by its forces
against the unarmed people of
occupied Kashmir and sooner
or later it will have to give
them their right to self-
determination. The world
community must also come
forward in a decisive manner
to impress upon India to stop
its state terrorism in occupied
Kashmir and settle the
Kashmir dispute in accor-
dance with the Kashmiris’
aspirations.
JUNE 2019 02
 Cover
Report
Story
Indian oppression and atrocities
in occupied Kashmir need no
introduction. They are well
documented and the world
seems to be rising from its deep
slumber to acknowledge the
fact that the unabated Indian
state terrorism in the occupied
territory has led to the killing,
persecution and torture of
hundreds of thousands of
innocent Kashmiris. Time and
again voices have been raised
and commitments reaffirmed in
support of the Kashmiris’
liberation struggle and for their
right to self-determination
promised to them by the United
Nations resolutions.
One such voice was raised by
the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) at the
meeting of its Contact Group on
Jammu and Kashmir in Jeddah,
Saudi Arabia, on May 29, 2019
where the OIC stressed the need
for peaceful resolution of the
Kashmir dispute.
Addressing the meeting of the
Kashmir Contact Group, the
OIC Secretary General, Dr
Yousef Ahmed Al-Othaimeen,
expressed deep concern over
the grave situation in occupied
Kashmir and called for an
immediate cessation of Indian
oppression and atrocities in the
territory. He urged India to
peacefully resolve the Kashmir
dispute in accordance with the
wishes of the Kashmiri people
and the UN Security Council’s
resolutions.
The meeting was attended by
the Foreign Ministers of
Pakistan and Turkey, Deputy
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan
and Senior Representatives of
Saudi Arabia and Niger. The
Tr u e R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f
KASHMIR INSIGHT
Kashmiri people including
President of Azad Jammu and
Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan,
and the Convener of Azad
Jammu and Kashmir chapter of
All Partiers Hurriyat
Conference, Syed Abdullah
Gilani, also attended the
meeting.
In his address, Dr Yousef
Ahmed Al-Othaimeen said,
“The Jammu and Kashmir issue
is close to our hearts and is one
of the most important issues on
the agenda of the Organisation
of Islamic Cooperation, and
therefore our commitment to
the Jammu and Kashmir cause
has been and will remain firm.”
He said that the Kashmir
movement was a legitimate
struggle of the people for the
realisation of their rights and
was fully in conformity with the
UN resolutions and interna-
JUNE 2019 03
 Cover Story
tional law. He said that the
attempts to suppress or degrade
it by linking it to terrorism are,
therefore, futile and in violation
of the UN resolutions and
international law.
The OIC Secretary General
while stressing for talks to settle
the Kashmir dispute hoped that
a genuine dialogue between
Pakistan and India will resume
that will be the best framework
for addressing their all
outstanding issues, particularly
the Kashmir dispute. He called
Kashmir as an important
agenda of the OIC and asked
India to cease using force
against the unarmed Kashmiri
people.
D r Yo u s e f A h m e d A l -
Othaimeen said the OIC
General Secretariat has
continued to highlight in all its
engagements in the interna-
tional forums that it is necessary
to ensure that India ceases to use
force against innocent and
defenseless civilians in
Kashmir and stops its disregard
for human rights laws.
The Secretary General said that
the OIC would continue to work
towards peaceful settlement of
the Kashmir dispute. “The OIC
Independent Permanent Human
Rights Commission will also
continue to monitor serious
violations of human rights in
Kashmir and will keep on
raising the matter with other
international human rights
bodies,” he added.
D r Yo u s e f A h m e d A l -
Othaimeen said that they were
following with deep concern
the bloody events against the
people of occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan Foreign Minister,
Shah Mehmood Qureshi,
apprised the delegates of the
continued Indian state terrorism
in occupied
K a s h m i r.
He drew
attention of
the partici-
pants of the
O I C stability in South Asia, he
Contact
Group to
the reports
issued on
Kashmir by
the Office
of the UN
High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR) and the UK
P a r l i a m e n t ’s A l l - P a r t y
Parliamentary Kashmir Group
(APPKG) as well as the historic
debate on the human rights
situation in occupied Kashmir
in the European Parliament - all
KASHMIR INSIGHT
of which have denounced
systematic torturing and killing
of innocent civilians in the
occupied territory. He pointed
out that the world is finally
waking up to the worst form of
Indian state terrorism in
occupied Kashmir.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi
reaffirmed Pakistan’s moral,
political and diplomatic support
to the people of occupied
Kashmir in their just struggle
for securing their inalienable
right to self-determination. He
thanked the OIC for its unfal-
tering support to Pakistan on the
Kashmir dispute. Noting that
the unresolved dispute was a
constant threat to peace and
reiterated Pakistan’s determina-
tion to resolve the dispute in
accordance with the relevant
UN Security Council resolu-
tions and the wishes of the
Kashmiri people.
The Foreign Minister of Turkey,
Mevlut Cavusoglu, expressed
grave concern at the deterio-
rating situation in occupied
Kashmir. He also condemned
the gross human rights viola-
tions being perpetrated by
Indian troops in the territory. He
emphasised the urgency of
JUNE 2019 04
 Cover Story
resolving the Kashmir dispute.
He said that resolution of the
lingering dispute was important
for peace and development in
South Asia. It was the major
obstacle in India-Pakistan
relations and its humanitarian
aspect required urgent attention
of the international community,
he said.
The members of the OIC
Contact Group expressed their
complete solidarity with the
valiant struggle of the Kashmiri
people. They
reaffirmed
their resolve
to remain the
voice of the
Kashmiris at
the interna-
tional stage.
The AJK
President,
S a r d a r
M a s o o d
Khan, briefed
the members
about the
continued
oppressive
policies of
Indian troops in occupied
Kashmir. He commended the
OIC’s support for the Kashmiri
people in their struggle for
securing their right to self-
determination. He also
presented to the OIC Secretary
General a memorandum
containing the details of the
human rights violations by
Indian troops in the occupied
territory.
The APHC-AJK Convener,
Syed Abdullah Gilani, in his
address said that the unresolved
Kashmir dispute had been a
constant irritant for Pak-India
relations threatening the peace
and stability of both the coun-
tries.
He said that this year marks
seven decades since the United
Nations adopted a resolution
outlining the principles and
procedure to be followed for the
final settlement of the Kashmir
dispute. “In this historically
significant, and as for as
Kashmir issue is concerned
vitally important document, the
UN Commission for India and
Pakistan (UNCIP) noted with
satisfaction that both India and
Pakistan have agreed and have
communicated to the commis-
sion their acceptance of the
principle of democratic method
of plebiscite as the basis for
deciding the future of Kashmir.
Seventy years on, Kashmir not
only remains unresolved but has
left a horrifying trail of death,
destruction and immeasurable
human suffering in its wake,” he
added.
Syed Abdullah Gilani said that
only a couple of months ago, the
world watched with awe and
horror how an incid ent in
Kashmir almost pushed the
neighbouring countries to the
precipice of a nuclear confron-
tation. “Thanks to the timely
international intervention a
KASHMIR INSIGHT
disaster was averted just in
time. But let’s make no mistake.
While the international commu-
nity has been able to douse the
flames of war for the time
being, the spark – the Kashmir
dispute – that triggers these
flames every now and then
continues to remain neglected,”
he pointed out.
The OIC Contact Group on
Jammu and Kashmir was
formed in 1994 to coordinate
the policy of the OIC on the
Kashmir
dispute.
Azerbaijan,
N i g e r ,
Pakistan,
S a u d i
Arabia and
Turkey are
its members.
The deliber-
ations of the
Contact
G r o u p
reflect the
solidarity of
the OIC with
the people of
Jammu and
Kashmir.
Earlier, talking to the OIC
Secretary General, Dr Yousef
Al-Othaimeen, on the sidelines
of the meeting of OIC Foreign
Ministers’ Council in Jeddah,
Pakistan Foreign Minister,
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said
the solution to the challenges
being faced by the Muslim
world lies in unity and joint
efforts.
Lauding the role of the OIC
Contact Group on Jammu and
Kashmir, he said the grouping
has played an important role in
highlighting the Kashmir
dispute at the global level and
drawing the international
JUNE 2019 05
 Cover Story
community’s attention toward
the atrocities being committed
against the innocent people of
occupied Kashmir.
He said that Pakistan wants
Kashmir dispute to be resolved
as per the UN resolutions and
aspirations of the Kashmiris. He
thanked the OIC chief for
supporting Pakistan on
Kashmir and other issues.
Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen
maintained that Pakistan is an
important member of the OIC.
He said the organisation
welcomes the suggestions
presented by Pakistan and gives
them special importance.
Later, speaking to journalists in
Jeddah, Shah Mehmood
Qureshi said that Pakistan had
always emphasised on talks
with India.
On the other hand, on May 31,
Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran
Khan, addressing the 14th
Islamic Summit hosted by the
O rg a n i s a t i o n o f I s l a m i c
Cooperation in the holy city of
Makkah also touched upon the
plight of the peoples of Kashmir
and Palestine. He said Pakistan
supports the two-state solution
to the Palestinian dispute with
the East Jerusalem as the capital
of Palestine.
“The people of Kashmir must
also have their right to self-
determination; us as a body
must stand against the oppres-
sion happening with the
Muslim world.”
He reiterated Pakistan's strong
stance to resolve the Kashmir
dispute saying it must be settled
as per the UN resolutions and
aspirations of the Kashmiri
people. He maintained that the
peaceful struggles of the
peoples of Kashmir and
Palestine must not be labelled
as terrorism.
It is a good sign that the interna-
KASHMIR INSIGHT
tional community is expressing
its resentment over India’s
brutal actions in occupied
Kashmir. The world organisa-
tions like the United Nations,
European Union, OIC, and the
human rights bodies including
Amnesty International, Human
Rights Watch and Asia Watch
have been condemning from
time to time the Indian state
terrorism in occupied Kashmir.
However, their actions had so
far remained confined to mere
issuance of statements and
reports and failed to force India
to stop its brutalities against the
innocent and unarmed people of
occupied Kashmir.
These organisations particu-
larly the UN and OIC need to
take practical steps to impress
upon New Delhi to halt the
grave human rights violations,
rather crimes against humanity,
being perpetrated by its troops
in the occupied territory and
initiate measures to resolve the
Kashmir dispute by giving the
people of Jammu and Kashmir
an opportunity to exercise their
right to self-determination to
decide their political future by
themselves.
(Humayun Aziz Sandeela)
JUNE 2019 06
 Report
Indian occupied Kashmir is one
of the most dangerous places of
the world where people associ-
ated with the press and media
are performing their profes-
sional duties in the most
difficult circumstances and
situation.
According to a report released
by the Research Section of
Kashmir Media Service on the
occasion of the World Press
Freedom Day on May 03, 2019,
eighteen journalists have been
confirmed as being killed while
performing their duties during
the Kashmiris’ ongoing libera-
tion struggle since 1989. They
included Shabbir Ahmed Dar,
Mushtaq Ali, Muhammad
Shaban Wakeel, a woman
scribe Aasiya Jeelani, Ghulam
Muhammad Lone, Ghulam
Rasool Azad, Pervez
Muhammad Sultan, Shujaat
Bukhari, Ali Muhammad
Mahajan, Syed Ghulam Nabi,
Altaf Ahmed Fakhtoo, Saidan
Shafi, Tariq Ahmed, Abdul
Majid Butt and Javed Ahmed
Mir. A renowned journalist,
Sahil Maqbool, passed away in
March last year. He was kept in
illegal detention by the occupa-
tion authorities for several years
for highlighting the Indian
atrocities in the territory. He
was subjected to severe torture
during the incarceration.
The report said that in the
occupied territory, almost
routinely, the journalists face
manhandling, abductions,
murder attempts and death
threats by the Indian troops and
all this has made their everyday
work extremely difficult. It
revealed that the Kashmiri
KASHMIR INSIGHT
journalists and many other
scribes while performing their
professional duties were
roughed up, injured and
detained by the troops on fake
charges in the territory.
Indian police and sleuths of
National Investigation Agency
(NIA) arrested a photojournal-
ist, Kamran Yousuf, on 4th
March in 2017 and two journal-
ists, Aasif Sultan and Aaqib
Javaid Hakeem, in August 2018
for highlighting the brutalities
of the Indian troops during pro-
freedom demonstrations in
Pulwama. Kamran was later
shifted to New Delhi. He was
released on bail on 14th March
2018 from New Delhi’s Tihar
Jail. The illegally detained
journalist, Aasif Sultan,
featured among the month of
May’s list of the 10 ‘Most
Urgent’ threats to press freedom
across the globe. The list is
released monthly by the One
Free Press Coalition, which was
founded by a dozen news
organisations including TIME,
with the goal of defending
journalists under attack.
JUNE 2019 07
 Report
The Indian police physically
assaulted reporters and photo-
journalists including Shah
Irshad, Fida Hussain, Aman
Farooq, Manzoor Zahoor,
Suhail Hameed, Younis Khaliq,
Aaqib Javaid Hakeem, Shah
Jahangir, Farooq Shah, Fayaz
Lolu, Deen Imran, Junaid Lolu,
Aijaz Ahmed Dar, Sajjad
Hameed, Abdul Hameed,
Tawseef Mustafa, Danish
Ismail, Umer Meraaj, Habib
Naqash, Merajuddin, Younis
Khaliq, Aasif Qureshi, Arshad
Hussain Shah, Manzoor Mir,
Qazi Irshad, Khan
Ya s r u b , B i l a l
B a h a d u r ,
Mubashir Khan,
Farooq Javaid
Khan, Umar
Sheikh and Shoaib
Masoodi during
the last sixteen
months. These
journalists were
also not allowed by
the authorities to
perform their
professional duties
du ring cordon and search
operations frequently
conducted by the Indian troops
in the occupied territory.
A freelance French journalist,
Comiti Paul Edward, was
arrested by the Indian police
when he was video-graphing the
pellet victims in Srinagar city on
International Human Rights
Day (December 10) in 2017.
Comiti Paul Edward later in an
interview said that the
Kashmiris were facing the worst
kind of military repression and
human rights violations at the
hands of Indian troops and New
Delhi did not want these
happenings in Kashmir to be
known internationally. In his
documentary released this year,
Paul Comiti exposed the
genocide of Kashmiris being
carried out by Indian forces.
Annie Gowan, Bureau Chief of
The Washington Post for India,
was restricted by the occupation
authorities in a house in
Srinagar on 31st July 2018 and
was not permitted to move in the
territory for reporting.
A driver associated with English
daily, Greater Kashmir, Bilal
Ahmed, and another employee,
Farooq Ahmed Parray, were
dragged out of the vehicle and
beaten up by the troops at Safa
Kadal in Srinagar on 13th April
2018 when they were on way
back to their homes.
The journalists including
Waseem Andrabi, Nisar-ul-
Haq, Junaid Gulzar and Mir
Burhan received injuries on
their faces and necks when the
troops fired pellets during a
cordon and search operation at
Heff Shirmal in Shopian district
on January 11, this year.
The Belgium-based
International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) has said that
the government-control through
advertisement revenue is
prevalent in occupied Kashmir
and the media is being pressur-
ised to toe the official line or
KASHMIR INSIGHT
face financial insecurity. In a
report titled “Kashmir’s Media
in Peril: A Situation Report”
released in Brussels, the IFJ
said, “The information is
controlled by the government
and security forces” and among
other challenges are “out-of-
bounds areas, telephone and
internet shutdowns; no system
in place to get official version of
incidents from police or security
agencies”.
On the other hand, mobile
internet and social networking
websites are blocked by the
authorities during violent
operations and
after every
killing of youth
in the occupied
territory.
It is worth
mentioning here
that during the
mass uprising
triggered by the
extrajudicial
killing of
popular youth
leader, Burhan
Wani, by the
Indian troops on 8th July 2016,
the Kashmir valley witnessed the
most sweeping information
blackout. The Indian authorities
banned newspapers’ publication
in the occupied territory and
police raided media houses and
also shut down printing presses
of Srinagar-based newspapers.
The authorities had kept the
publication of English daily,
Kashmir Reader, banned for
over three months. After the
imposition of President’s Rule in
occupied Kashmir, last year, the
occupation authorities stopped
the advertisements to the valley-
based newspapers.
(Report compiled by Raies
Ahmed Mir)
JUNE 2019 08
 Report
Three special rapporteurs of the
United Nations Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) wrote a
letter to India asking for details
on the steps taken to punish the
perpetrators or provide justice
to victims and their next of kin
in 76 cases of torture and
arbitrary killings in occupied
Kashmir since 1990.
The letter to the Indian govern-
ment, dated March 18, 2019
was written by the Special
Rapporteur on extrajudicial,
summary or arbitrary execu-
tions, Agnes
Callamard,
S p e c i a l
Rapporteur on
the right of
everyone to the
enjoyment of the
highest attain-
able standard of
physical and
mental health,
Dainius Puras,
and the Special
Rapporteur on
torture and other
cruel, inhuman
or degrading
treatment or
punishment, Nils Melzer.
It was made public on the
UNHRC website on May 18,
2019 after a scheduled interval
of 60 days, along with India’s
reply that refused to provide
any clarifications.
The letter was related to 76
cases of torture and killing of
civilians, including 13 just in
2018.
The three officials wrote that in
all these cases, the authorities
have reportedly failed to
conduct thorough, prompt and
impartial investigations so as to
ensure that the rule of law
prevails and justice is done and
steps are taken to ensure the
non-recurrence of the viola-
tions.
Reminding that the UN Human
Rights Council had given them
the mandate to seek clarifica-
tions from its members, the
letter asked the Indian govern-
ment to provide details on eight
issues, ranging from the
outcome of the investigation
into the cases to the steps taken
to repeal the draconian law,
Armed Forces Special Powers
Act.
The letter also had a line stating
that it took note of the report of
the Office of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human
Rights (OHCHR) on the human
rights situation in Kashmir
released in June 2018. India had
rejected the report and implic-
itly accused the then UN rights
chief, Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein,
of having acted on his “indi-
KASHMIR INSIGHT
vidual prejudices”.
A month later, India’s response
to the letter of the three special
rapporteurs focused on the
sentence referring to the
UNHRC report. Claiming that
the report was “false and
motivated”, India said that it
was now a “closed chapter”.
According to the special
rapporteurs, the allegations
were contrary to the
International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights and
International Covenant on
Economic,
Social and
Cultural Rights,
ratified by India
in April 1979.
They said that the
eight cases
related to Indian
forces in 2018
“appeared to be
deliberate
killings or
excessive and
careless use of
firearms in the
context of either
demonstrations
or social events”.
The special rapporteurs said
that there was an anomaly in the
filing of police complaints
through first information
reports in these cases. “It is not
clear whether FIRs have been
registered or whether magiste-
rial inquiries have been under-
taken, both of which the
Supreme Court has ruled are
mandatory for deaths involving
the security forces,” they said.
On May 20, reacting angrily to
the submission from Human
JUNE 2019 09
 Report
Rights Council on the
human rights violations
by Indian troops in
occupied Kashmir, India
informed the United
Nations body that it will
no longer entertain any
communication with the
C o u n c i l ’s S p e c i a l
Rapporteurs on their
report. Earlier, the Indian
Permanent Mission to the
United Nations in
Geneva replied to the
OHCHR on April 23
saying that “India… does
not intend to engage
further with these
mandate-holders or any other
mandate-holder on the issue,”
whom it accused of “individual
prejudice”.
The UN officials say that India
is already in contravention of
several Conventions it has
committed to, including a
Standing Invitation signed in
2011 to all special rapporteurs
to visit India. According to the
UN records, more than 20 such
visit requests, including a visit
to occupied Kashmir, are
pending at present. Indian
newspaper The Hindu reported
that between 2016 and 2018, the
OHCHR Special Rapporteurs
had sent as many as 58 commu-
nications but had received no
response.
“The only response so far has
been to the communication
relating to Jammu and
Kashmir….The last visit was by
the Special Rapporteur on water
and sanitation, in October-
November 2017,” a UN official
said.
It merits mentioning here that
KASHMIR INSIGHT
India had also rejected the
OHCHR’s report on the ‘Situa-
tion of Human Rights in
Kashmir’ - the first-ever such
report on Jammu and Kashmir
that came out in June 2018 - and
accused the UN High
Commissioner for Human
Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein,
of “clear bias” in
bringing it out.
Meanwhile, Hurriyat
leaders welcomed the
UNHRC’s initiative of
seeking details from
India on steps taken to
provide justice to the
victims of torture and
arbitrary killing by
Indian troops in occu-
pied Kashmir since
1990.
The All Parties Hurriyat
Conference Chairman,
Syed Ali Gilani, in a
statement issued in
Srinagar urged the
UNHRC, Amnesty
International,
International Committee of Red
Cross and other human rights
groups to visit occupied
Kashmir and take stock of
human rights situation. He
JUNE 2019 10
 Report
expressed the hope
that the UN as a
responsible institu-
tion will come to the
rescue of the
oppressed people of
occupied Kashmir
and impress upon
India to stop its state
terrorism in the
occupied territory.
He called for more
aggressive role by the
UN to stop frequent
killings, torture,
arbitrary arrest,
custodial deaths and
incidents of rape by
hundreds of thou-
sands of personnel of
Indian occupational forces in
the territory.
The APHC Chairman said that
it was moral and political
obligation of the UN to resolve
the Kashmir dispute at the
earliest and till its final settle-
ment ensure the Kashmiris’
right to live with liberty and
dignity.
The APHC Chairman said the
people of occupied Kashmir
have never accepted Indian
aggression in their struggle for
securing their right to self-
determination. “Our resistance
movement bears moral and
political support of the vast
majority of the international
community, so sooner or later
India shall have to accept our
legitimate demand for right to
self-determination,” he said and
called for an early settlement of
the Kashmir dispute in accor-
dance with the Kashmiris’
aspirations.
Senior APHC leader and the
C h a i r m a n o f Te h r e e k - e -
Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir,
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, in a
KASHMIR INSIGHT
statement in Srinagar strongly
condemned India’s refusal to
provide any clarification on
such cases.
He said the United Nations and
UNHRC have not only been
mandated to investigate but to
intervene, if a state fails to
conduct impartial investiga-
tions, or refuses to investigate
the cases of gross human rights
violations. He said that the
world community and the UN
must take cognisance of the
brazen rejection of the report by
India and New Delhi should be
isolated internationally over
this serious act of vandalism of
international commitments.
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai said
that India must be held account-
able for these human rights
violations. “Kashmiris have
suffered immensely for the past
several decades and helplessly
eyeing world community and
international bodies for their
rescue. The people of Kashmir
will therefore like the Human
Rights Council to take account
of the evidence with a view to
mount an investigation into the
JUNE 2019 11
 Report

serious oppression
and human rights
violations suffered by
the people of
Kashmir,” he main-
tained.
He expressed concern
over the impunity
given to the Indian
troops for human
rights violations and
lack of access to
justice in occupied
Kashmir. He said that
the draconian laws,
Armed Forces
Special Powers Act
( A F S PA ) , P u b l i c
Safety Act (PSA) and Indian forces’ personnel in the said. “When questions by
Disturbed Areas Act (DAA), occupied territory. He also impartial agencies are raised
had created structures that denounced India’s response to about New Delhi not respecting
“obstruct the normal course of the letter of the special rappor- the human rights of Kashmiris,
law, impede accountability and
teurs. India in desperation takes steps
jeopardise the right to remedy
He said that India, on one hand, to strengthen its policy of
for victims of human rights
was seeking permanent aggression and subjugation to
violations”.
membership of the UN Security prolong its occupation but
history stands testimony to the
fact that all the forcible occupa-
tions have ended with the
passage of time and the same
will be fate of India,” he added.
The High Court Bar
Association of occupied
Kashmir in a statement in
Srinagar also appreciated the
three UN Special Rapporteurs
who have written to India and
sought details on the steps taken
to provide justice to victims and
next of their kin in the cases of
torture and arbitrary killing of
The Chairman of Jammu and Council while on the other, was civilians by Indian troops in
Kashmir Muslim Conference, refusing to cooperate with the occupied Kashmir. It ridiculed
Shabbir Ahmed Dar, in a representatives mandated by the Indian response to the letter
statement also welcomed the the same institution. Every by the three Special
clarifications sought by the member country should be Rapporteurs describing it as
United Nations Human Rights made accountable by the UN to violation of the UN Charter and
Council of 76 cases of killing have a peaceful and free world the international covenants.
and torturing of civilians by and India is no exception, he (KI Report)

KASHMIR INSIGHT JUNE 2019 12

 Report
In occupied Kashmir, the
Jammu and Kashmir
Coalition of Civil Society
(JKCCS) and the
Association of Parents of
Disappeared Persons
(APDP) while releasing a
comprehensive report on
human rights violations by
Indian Army, paramilitary
and police personnel urged
the United Nations to
establish a commission of
inquiry to investigate the
brutal torture inflicted by the
Indian forces on the people
of the territory.
The report released by the
JKCCS and APDP in
Srinagar on May 20, 2019
focused on the torture
committed in occupied
Kashmir by the Indian State
since 1990 and provided a
contextual understanding of
various phases of torture being
perpetrated in the territory since
1947. Using 432 case studies,
the report charted out trends and
patterns, targets, perpetrators,
sites, contexts and impacts of
torture in Kashmir besides
calling upon India to ratify the
UN convention against torture
and also allow global right
groups unhindered access to the
occupied territory.
The report maintained that due
to the impunity extended to the
KASHMIR INSIGHT
armed forces, not a single
prosecution has taken
place in any case of human
rights violations in
o c c u p i e d K a s h m i r.
Despite global attention
and condemnation of
torture following exposés
of indiscriminate torture
practiced in Guantanamo
Bay and Abu Ghraib
prisons, torture remains
hidden in Jammu and
Kashmir, where tens of
thousands of civilians
have been subjected to it,
the report said. It pointed
out that torture is used as a
matter of policy by the
Indian forces in occupied
Kashmir in a systematic
and institutional manner,
as all the institutions of the
territory be it legislature,
executive, judiciary and armed
forces form a part.
The widespread use of torture
continues unabatedly in Jammu
and Kashmir. As recently as 19
March 2019, a 29-year-old
school principal, Rizwan Asad
Pandit, was killed due to torture
after being illegally detained in
the infamous Cargo Camp of
the Special Operations Group
of police. Three days later, the
police filed a case against the
deceased Rizwan, alleging that
he was trying to escape from the
police custody while no case
was filed against the police
officials under whose custody
he was killed. A postgraduate in
Physics, Rizwan Asad was
principal of a school and a
faculty member at the Islamic
University of Science and
JUNE 2019 13
 Report
Te c h n o l o g y ( I U S T ) i n
Awantipora, Pulwama. His
custodial killing had triggered
massive anti-India demonstra-
tions across the occupied
territory.
The report gave an under-
standing of the historical
background of the use of torture
in occupied Kashmir since 1947
to curb the dissenting voices, a
practice which attained an
unprecedented magnitude post-
1990. The report categorised
the eras after 1990 during which
torture and other human rights
violations - which are still being
carried out by the Indian armed
forces and police - were also
outsourced to
different
militias like
Ikhwan and
Village Defence
Committees
(VDCs).
The report
established that
the vast number
of methods of
torture and
other cruel,
inhuman and
degrading
treatment or
punishment, as
set out in the Office of the UN
High Commissioner for Human
Rights’ Istanbul Protocol, have
been and continue to be used in
occupied Kashmir. The forms
of torture that have been
documented in this report
included among other stripping
the detainees naked (190 out of
432 cases studied for this
report), beating with sticks, iron
rods or leather belts (326 cases),
roller treatment (169 cases),
water-boarding (24 cases),
dunking detainees’ head in
water (101 cases), electrocution
including in genitals (231
cases), hanging from the
ceiling, mostly upside down
(121 cases), burning of the body
with hot objects (35 cases),
solitary confinement (11 cases),
sleep deprivation (21 cases),
sexual torture (238 cases)
including rape and sodomy.
The report pointed out that a
predominant majority of the
torture victims were civilians:
301 out of 432, which included
women, students and juveniles,
political activists, human rights
defenders and journalists. It
said that entire populations had
also been subjected to collec-
tive punishments like cordon
and search operations (CASOs)
during which torture and sexual
violence had been common.
This report provided an insight
into how torture ruined the lives
of survivors with a multitude of
them suffering from chronic
ailments resulting from torture.
“Apart from the physical
ailments, people who have been
tortured or even witnessed it,
have suffered from psycholog-
ical issues like post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). 49 of
the 432 victims of torture died
post-torture, 40 of them as a
KASHMIR INSIGHT
result of injuries received
during torture. Since many
deaths due to torture-related
injuries are not immediate but
may occurred after years or
even decades, accurate figures
of such fatalities and morbidity
are extremely hard to be
estimated,” it added.
The report said that torture had
been associated with other
human rights violations like
custodial deaths and enforced
disappearances and a torture
case got reported in the media
only when it was accompanied
by such human rights viola-
tions. “As a result, torture has
remained unnoticed and
survivors
continue to
s u ff e r i n
silence.
S i n c e
policies
l i k e
operation
“All Out”
continue in
Kashmir
and the
army is
given a
“free hand”
as declared
by the
Prime Minister of India as
recently as 15th February 2019,
the Indian forces are only
emboldened to continue
perpetrating torture. This report
is an attempt by APDP and
JKCCS to break the silence
around such a penetrating
violation.
It stated that torture was the
most under-reported human
rights violation perpetrated by
India in occupied Kashmir. It
further maintained that due to
the impunity provided to the
Indian forces’ personnel under
JUNE 2019 14
 Report
draconian laws like Armed
Forces Special Powers Act and
Disturbed Areas Act not a single
prosecution had taken place in
any case of human rights
violations in the territory.
The report, compiled after a
research spanning over a
decade, recommended an
investigation by the Office of
the UN High Commissioner for
Human Rights into all cases of
human rights violations by
Indian troops in the occupied
territory to fix the responsibility
and bring the perpetrators to
book.
Juan E Mendz, former UN
Special Rapporteur on torture,
said that the report would help
draw attention to the need to
express concern about India’s
human rights record.
“For the worldwide struggle
against torture, this report will
constitute a landmark,” Mendz,
who teaches human rights law
at American University in
Washington, wrote in the
prologue of the report. “I am
convinced that a report, when it
is as rigorous, evidence-based
and persuasive as this one is,
constitutes a building block
towards public awareness of the
tragedy of torture.”
The report highlighted the
brutalities of hundreds of
thousands of Indian troops
stationed in occupied Kashmir
and said that the granting of
widespread powers to them had
led to a culture of impunity and
human rights abuses. It said that
the JKCCS and APDP were the
first to discover thousands of
unmarked mass graves in
remote parts of occupied
Kashmir and demanded that
they be investigated to deter-
mine who the dead were and
how they were killed.
It said that the institutions of
India and occupied Kashmir
like the so-called legislature,
executive, judiciary and armed
forces used torture in a system-
atic and institutional manner.
Meanwhile, senior leader of All
Parties Hurriyat Conference
and the Chairman of Tehreek-e-
Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir,
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, in a
statement issued in Srinagar
KASHMIR INSIGHT
hailed the JKCCS and APDP for
doing an amazing job to
highlight human rights abuses
and releasing a comprehensive
report on torture and brazen
human rights violations by
Indian troops in occupied
Kashmir.
He said, India must be held
accountable for these human
rights violations. “Kashmiris
have suffered immensely for the
past several decades and
helplessly eyeing the world
community and international
bodies for their rescue. We
would therefore like the UN
Human Rights Council to take
account of the evidence with a
view to mount an investigation
into the serious oppression and
human rights violations
suffered by the people of
Kashmir,” he added.
The forum led by Mirwaiz
Umar Farooq in a statement
issued in Srinagar also termed
the report as an eye-opener for
all those who believe in sanctity
and dignity of the human life
and spirit.
(KI Report)
JUNE 2019 15
 06-05-2019 Srinagar 06-05-2019 Shopian 10-05-2019 Srinagar

13-05-2019 Srinagar 16-05-2019 Pulwama 21-05-2019 Srinagar 22-04-2019 Kulgam

24-05-2019 Tral 25-05-2019 Srinagar

31-05-2019 Srinagar
Human Rights Situation
Although in past the world has
mostly remained silent over the
unabated Indian state terrorism
in occupied Kashmir, however,
it is a good omen that the world
bodies and organisations have
started raising their voice
against the Indian oppression in
the territory.
The Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) at the
meeting of its Contact Group on
Jammu and Kashmir in Jeddah
expressed deep concern over the
prevailing grave situation in
occupied Kashmir and called for
an immediate cessation of
Indian atrocities on the
Kashmiris.
Three special rapporteurs of the
United Nations Human Rights
Council in a letter to India asked
for details on the steps taken by
New Delhi to punish the
perpetrators or provide justice to
victims and their next of kin in
76 cases of torture and arbitrary
killings in the occupied territory
since 1990.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and
Kashmir Coalition of Civil
Society and the Association of
Parents of Disappeared Persons
releasing a report on human
rights violations by Indian
troops urged the UN to establish
a commission of inquiry to
investigate the brutal torture
inflicted by the Indian forces’
personnel on the people of
occupied Kashmir.
It is high time for New Delhi to
honour the demands of world
bodies as well as aspirations of
the people of Jammu and
Kashmir and give them their
promised right to self-
determination.
Following is the day-to-day
detail of human rights abuses by
Indian troops and police
personnel in occupied Kashmir
during the month of May 2019.
HR abuses by Indian troops
in IOK during May 2019
Compiled by Raies Ahmed Mir
May 01: Indian police arrested
over forty youth during house
raids in different areas of
Pulwama and Shopian districts.
May 02: Over two dozen youth
were thrashed and injured by
Indian troops in Shopian and
Pulwama districts.
The troops during house raids
arrested several youth in DK
Pora, Nadigam, Vehil and
Narwa areas of Shopian district.
May 03: Indian troops killed
three youth, Tariq Ahmed
Sheikh, Lateef Ahmed Dar and
Shariq Ahmed Negroo, and
destroyed a residential house
during a cordon and search
operation at Adkhara Imam
Sahab in Shopian district. At
least thirty people were injured
after the troops fired bullets,
pellets and teargas shells on
protesters in the area.
Indian police arrested over two
dozen youth in Handwara,
Pulwama and Shopian areas.
May 04: The police arrested
two youth from Bijbehara.
May 05: Twenty people
KASHMIR INSIGHT
sustained injuries after Indian
forces’ personnel fired bullets,
pellets and teargas shells on
protesters at Newa, Palpora,
Zawoora, Narpora, Keller, Mir
Mohallah, Shadab Kareewa,
Devpora and Mashwar in
Shopian district and in Saraf
Kadal area of Srinagar.
May 06: Over three dozen
people were injured after Indian
troops fired pellets and teargas
shells on protesters in Pulwama
and Shopian districts.
May 07: Indian police arrested
three teenage boys from
Nowshera area of Rajouri
district.
The occupation authorities
booked 60-year-old Hurriyat
leader, Muhammad Ramzan
Sheikh, under black law, Public
Safety Act (PSA), and lodged
him at Kot Bhalwal Jail in
Jammu.
May 10: Indian troops killed a
youth, Ishfaq Ahmed Sofi,
during a cordon and search
operation at Ramnagri-Herpora
in Shopian district.
Over forty youth were injured
JUNE 2019 18
Human Rights Situation
after Indian forces’ personnel
fired pellets and teargas shells
on protesters in Srinagar,
Shopian, Sopore and Budgam
areas.
Indian police during house raids
arrested eight youth from
Budgam and Pulwama districts.
May 11: The police arrested
four youth in Sopore town.
May 12: Indian troops killed
two youth, Javid Ahmed Butt
and Adil Bashir Wani, during a
cordon and search operation at
Hend Sitapora in Shopian
district.
Over fifty youth sustained
injuries after the troops fired
pellets on protesters in different
areas of Shopian and Budgam
districts.
May 13: Forty five youth were
injured after Indian forces’
personnel fired pellets and
teargas shells on protesters in
Chanabal, Mirgund and Pattan
areas of Baramulla district.
Indian police arrested five youth
in Islamabad and Ramban
districts.
May 14: The police arrested
fifteen youth from Pattan,
Mirgund and Hanjiveera areas
of Baramulla district and one
from Soura in Srinagar.
May 15: A 23-year-old youth,
Arshad Ahmed Dar, who was
injured in Indian forces’ action
on protesters on May 13 at
Chanabal in Pattan area of
Baramulla district, succumbed
to his injuries at Soura Institute
of Medical Sciences in Srinagar.
May 16: Indian troops killed
seven youth, Ishtiaq Ahmed
Wani, Rayees Ahmed Dar,
Naseer Ahmed Pandit, Umar
Ahmed Mir, Khalid Ahmed,
Shakeel Ahmed Dar and Yawar
Mushtaq Dar, and destroyed two
residential houses during
cordon and search operations at
Dalipora in Pulwama district
and in Handew area of Shopian
district.
Indian Army-backed Village
Defence Committee members
KASHMIR INSIGHT
shot dead a 50-year-old Muslim,
Nayeem Ahmed Shah, in Nalthi
area of Bhaderwah town in
Jammu region.
Over fifty people sustained
injuries when Indian forces’
personnel fired bullets, pellets
and teargas shells on protesters
in Shopian and Pulwama
districts.
Indian police arrested three
persons in Rajouri.
May 17: The occupation
authorities locked all gates of
the historic Jamia Masjid in
Srinagar and did not allow
people to offer Friday prayers in
the mosque even in the holy
month of Ramadan.
May 18: Indian troops killed
three youth, Showkat Ahmed
Dar, Muzaffar Ahmed and Irfan
Ahmed, and destroyed a
residential house during a
cordon and search operation at
Panzgam in Awantipora area of
Pulwama district.
The troops killed another youth,
Waseem Ahmed Naikoo, and
destroyed a residential house
during a similar operation in
Hatloongloo area of Sopore
town.
A dozen youth were injured
when Indian police resorted to
brute force on peaceful
protesters in Pulwama and
JUNE 2019 19
Human Rights Situation
Sopore areas.
The occupation authorities
booked Jammu and Kashmir
Liberation Front leader, Noor
Muhammad Kalwal, under
draconian PSA in Srinagar.
May 20: Indian police arrested
several youth and vandalised
properties of people during a
cordon and search operation at
Daharmuna in Budgam district.
May 21: The police arrested a
religious scholar, Maulana
Muhammad Farooq, in Rajouri.
May 22: Indian troops martyred
two youth, Zahid Ahmed
Mantoo and Irfan Manzoor Butt,
during a cordon and search
operation at Gopalpora in
Kulgam district. A dozen youth
sustained injuries after Indian
forces’ personnel fired pellets
and teargas shells on protesters
in Chowgam, Nihama, Mirhama
and other areas of the district.
May 23: The troops killed
prominent mujahid commander,
Zakir Rashid Butt alias Zakir
Musa, along with his associate
and destroyed a residential
house during a cordon and
search operation at Dadsara Tral
in Pulwama district. The troops
abducted a youth, Zahoor
Ahmed Sheikh, and killed him
in custody at Naira-Tahab in the
district. At least eighteen youth
were injured after Indian forces’
personnel fired pellets and
teargas shells on protesters in
different areas of
the district.
May 24: Scores of
people were injured
after Indian police
used brute force on
peaceful protesters
in Srinagar,
Baramulla,
K u p w a r a ,
P u l w a m a ,
Islamabad, Shopian and
Kulgam districts.
The occupation authorities
disallowed Friday
congregational prayers at Jamia
Masjid in Srinagar for the
second time in the holy month of
Ramadan.
Indian police arrested eight
youth during house raids in
Budgam and Islamabad
districts.
May 25: The police personnel
thrashed and disgraced four
women including a handicapped
lady at Pinglish in Tral.
The occupation authorities
booked a woman, Shakeela
Taya, and two youth,
Najmus Saqib and
Rehmtullah, under
draconian PSA in
Doda district.
May 26: Indian
troops thrashed a
journalist, Aadil
Hussain, near
Islamia College
Hawal in Srinagar.
Indian police during
house raids arrested a dozen
youth in Chanapora area of
Srinagar.
May 28: The troops killed two
youth, Faisal Nazir Mir and
Umar Ahmed, during a cordon
and search operation in
Kokernag area of Islamabad
district.
Two students were injured after
Indian police fired pellets on
KASHMIR INSIGHT
protesters in Sopore town.
The occupation authorities
booked three youth, Khursheed
Ahmed Lone, Tanveer Ahmed
Ganai and Farooq Ahmed, under
draconian PSA in Kishtwar
district.
Indian police arrested two
youth, Mushtaq Ahmed and
Naseem Akhtar, near Ratnuchak
Military Sta tion in Samba
district.
An Indian soldier, Havaldar
Ghar Singh, harassed and
attempted to molest a girl in
Reasi district.
May 29: A youth, Sajjad Ahmed
Parray, was killed and over two
hundred people were injured
when Indian troops fired bullets,
pellets and teargas shells on
peaceful protesters in Shopian
and Kulgam areas.
May 30: The troops killed two
youth, Aasif Ahmed War and
Naseer Ahmed Mir, during a
cordon and search operation at
Dangerpora in Sopore area of
Baramulla district.
Indian police arrested a youth at
Malhar in Kathua district.
May 31: Indian troops during
cordon and search operations
killed three youth, Aabid
Manzoor Magray, Hilal Ahmed
Butt and Jasim Rasheed Shah, at
Dragad Sugan in Shopian district
and two others, Yawar Ahmed
Najar and Umar, at Midoora Tral
in Pulwama district.
JUNE 2019 20
 Report
In occupied Kashmir, Indian
troops in their unabated acts of
state terrorism martyred 34
Kashmiris including a young
boy during the holy month of
Ramadan from May 07 to June
04, 2019.
According to the data issued by
the Research Section of
Kashmir Media Service on June
05, of those martyred three were
killed in custody.
The killings rendered 4 women
widowed and 10 children
orphaned. During the month of
Ramadan, 497 people were
critically injured due to the
firing of pellets, bullets and
teargas shells by Indian Army,
paramilitary and police
personnel on peaceful demon-
strators in the occupied terri-
tory. 137 civilians including a
woman were arrested.
The troops molested 5 women
and damaged and ransacked 39
houses in 303 cordon and
search operations during the
month of Ramadan.
Earlier, a report released by the
Research Section of Kashmir
Media Service on June 01
revealed that Indian troops in
their continued acts of state
terrorism martyred 34
Kashmiris including 3 in
custody during the last month of
KASHMIR INSIGHT
May also. The report said that
the killings rendered 4 women
widowed and 10 children
orphaned.
During the month of May, 601
people were critically injured
due to the firing of
pellets, bullets and
teargas shells by
Indian troops and
police personnel on
peaceful demonstra-
tors in the occupied
territory while 156
civilians including a
woman were arrested.
Most of the arrested
persons were
Hurriyat leaders,
activists and youth.
Seven of the arrestees
were booked under
black law, Public
Safety Act.
The troops also
d a m a g e d o r
ransacked 39 houses and
molested 5 women during the
month of May.
(KI Report)
JUNE 2019 21
 Report
In occupied Kashmir, Hurriyat
leaders and organisations paid
glowing tributes to prominent
martyred Hurriyat leaders,
Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad
Farooq and Khawaja Abdul
Ghani Lone, as well as the
victims of Hawal massacre on
their martyrdom anniversaries.
Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad
Farooq was shot dead by
unidentified gunmen
after barging into his
house in Srinagar on 21st
May in 1990. Seventy
mourners were killed
when Indian troops fired
at his funeral procession
in Hawal area of the city.
Twelve years later, on the
same day in 2002,
Khawaja Abdul Ghani
Lone was martyred by
unknown attackers when
he was returning after
addressing a gathering
held at the Martyrs’
Graveyard at Eidgah in
Srinagar in connection
with the martyrdom
anniversary of Mirwaiz Molvi
Muhammad Farooq.
The occupation authorities
imposed strict restrictions in
different parts of Srinagar on
May 21, 2019 to prevent a
march towards Martyrs’
Graveyard at Eidgah in the city.
Call for the march was given by
the Hurriyat leadership to mark
the martyrdom anniversaries of
Shaheed-e-Millat Mirwaiz
Molvi Muhammad Farooq,
Shaheed-e-Hurriyat Khawaja
Abdul Ghani Lone and the
martyrs of Hawal. The authori-
ties deployed Indian troops and
police personnel in strength in
the city to stop people from
conducting the march.
Hurriyat leaders including
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and
Engineer Hilal Ahmed War
were placed under house arrest.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was
supposed to lead the march
from Jamia Masjid Srinagar to
the Martyrs’ Graveyard at
Eidgah.
Indian police arrested Hurriyat
leader, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza,
when he was on his way to
attend the rally to commemo-
rate the martyrdom anniversary
of Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq,
Hawal martyrs and Khawaja
Ghani Lone at Eidgah in
Srinagar. He was arrested by the
police in Islamabad town and
lodged at Saddar Police Station
in the town.
Meanwhile, on the call of
Hurriyat leadership complete
shutdown was observed in
memory of Molvi Muhammad
KASHMIR INSIGHT
Farooq, Khawaja Ghani Lone,
victims of Hawal carnage and
other Kashmiri martyrs. All
shops and business establish-
ments were closed while traffic
was off the road.
The Hurriyat forum led by
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq denou-
nced the occupation authorities
for placing the Hurriyat leader-
ship under house arrest and
imposing curfew in downtown
Srinagar to prevent the Eidgah
march.
The forum spokesman in a
statement issued in Srinagar
said that Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
was scheduled to lead a rally
from Jamia Masjid Srinagar to
the Martyrs’ Graveyard at
Eidgah to offer fateha for
Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad
Farooq, Khawaja Abdul Ghani
Lone and Hawal martyrs but the
authorities put him under
detention. He termed the
authorities’ move as highly
undemocratic and insensitive.
JUNE 2019 22
 Report
He said that it was unfortunate
that even commemorative
rallies and gathering by
Hurriyat leadership were
disallowed.
The All Parties Hurriyat
Conference Chairman, Syed Ali
Gilani, and other Hurriyat
leaders paid rich tributes to
Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad
Farooq, Khawaja Abdul Ghani
Lone and the victims of Hawal
massacre on their martyrdom
anniversaries.
Syed Ali Gilani in a statement in
Srinagar said that both the
martyred leaders played a vital
role in the Kashmiris’ ongoing
movement for securing their
right to self-determination.
Recalling his personal relation
with both the leaders, he said
that he always treated them as
younger brothers. They had
immense leadership qualities
and had dedicated their lives for
the sacred cause of freedom, he
added.
Senior APHC leader and the
C h a i r m a n o f Te h r e e k - e -
Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir,
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, in a
statement said supreme sacri-
fices and exalted martyrdom of
Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad
Farooq and Khawja Abdul
Ghani Lone are sure to go down
in the annals of freedom
movement of Kashmir in letters
of gold. He said the martyred
leaders will be remembered and
revered by the freedom-loving
people of Kashmir for the
historical role that they vigor-
ously played in championing
the legitimate and widely-
acknowledged cause of the
Kashmiris at every forum.
The Acting Chairman of Jammu
Kashmir Liberation Front,
Abdul Hameed Butt, in a
statement in Srinagar said that
the martyred leaders strived for
KASHMIR INSIGHT
the sacred cause and sacrificed
their lives for it and therefore
wrote their names with honour
and dignity in the annals of
history.
Other Hurriyat leaders and
organisations including Agha
Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi Al-
Safvi, Shabbir Ahmed Dar,
Bilal Siddiqi, Yasmeen Raja,
Zamruda Habib, Farida
Bahenji, Muhammad Yousuf
Naqash, Mir Shahid Saleem,
Javaid Ahmed Mir, Zafar Akbar
Butt, Imtiaz Reshi, Democratic
Freedom Party, Jammu and
Kashmir Liberation Front-R
and Islami Tanzeem-e-Azadi in
their statements paid homage to
Molvi Muhammad Farooq,
Khawaja Ghani Lone and the
Hawal martyrs. They said that
the Kashmiri people would not
allow their martyrs’ sacrifices
go waste and would accomplish
their mission at all costs.
On the other hand, the Jammu
and Kashmir Awami Action
Committee observed
Martyrdom Week from May 18
to May 21 to mark the anniver-
saries of Mirwaiz Molvi
Farooq, Khawaja Ghani Lone
and the martyrs of Hawal. The
Week commenced with Quran
JUNE 2019 23
 Report
khwani and fateha khwani at all
district headquarters of the
AAC and the Mirwaiz-led
Hurriyat forum.
On May 19, Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq while addressing a
seminar in Srinagar in connec-
tion with the Martyrdom Week
said that India was making all-
out efforts to suppress the
Kashmiris’ freedom struggle
but would never succeed in its
nefarious designs.
He hoped that Indian leadership
would eventually understand
that the Kashmir dispute could
not be resolved through military
means. He said that the Hurriyat
leadership was ready to extend
its cooperation to any mean-
ingful and result-oriented
dialogue between Pakistan and
India on Kashmir.
The seminar was also addressed
by Hurriyat leaders, Bilal Ghani
Lone, Engineer Hilal Ahmed
War, Masroor Abbas and a
representative of Syed Ali
Gilani.
On May 20, Anjuman-e-
Nusrat-ul-Islam organised a
seminar at the auditorium of
Islmia Higher Secondary
School, Rajouri Kadal in
Srinagar under the title “Amal
Say Zindagi Banti Hai Jannat
Bhi, Jahanam Bhi”. On the
occasion, a special issue of
Shaheed-e-Millat number 2019
was also released.
On the same day, the Awami
Action Committee held a
workers’ rally at its Rajouri
Kadal headquarters in memory
of the martyrs.
The AAC in a statement
deplored that it was for the first
time in past 28 years that the
free medical and blood dona-
tion camp could not be held
outside the Jamia Masjid,
Srinagar, in connection with the
Martyrdom Week as the
KASHMIR INSIGHT
occupation authorities didn’t
allow doctors to attend the
camp.
On the other hand, the All
Parties Hurriyat Conference
Azad Jammu and Kashmir
(APHC-AJK) chapter at a
meeting in Islamabad paid
homage to Mirwaiz Molvi
Muhammad Farooq, Khawaja
Abdul Ghani Lone and the
Hawal martyrs. The partici-
pants of the meeting said that
the Kashmiri people would not
allow their martyrs’ sacrifices
go waste and would accomplish
their mission despite all odds.
The meeting was presided over
by the APHC-AJK Convener,
Syed Abdullah Gilani, and
attended among others by
Muhammad Farooq Rehmani,
Mehmood Ahmed Saghar,
Abdul Majeed Mir, Muhammad
Hussain Khateeb, Abdul
Majeed Malik, Adeel Mushtaq
Wa n i , I s h t i a q H a m e e d ,
Shameem Shawl, Abdul
Hameed Lone, Raja Khadim
Hussain, Haji Sultan Butt,
Javaid Iqbal Butt, Shaikh Abdul
Mateen, Syed Kifayat Hussain
Rizvi, Engineer Mushtaq
Ahmed and Imtiaz Wani.
(KI Report)
JUNE 2019 24
 Report
Aasiya and Neelofar remembered on 10th martyrdom anniversary
In occupied Kashmir,
complete shutdown was
observed in Shopian
district on May 30, 2019
to pay glowing tributes
to the two young
women, Aasiya and
N e e l o f a r, o n t h e i r
martyrdom anniversary.
Aasiya (17) and her
sister in law, Neelofar
(22), were abducted by
the Indian men in
uniform when they had
gone across the ankle-
deep Ranbi Ara stream
to their orchard on the evening
of May 29, 2009. They were
abducted by the Indian men in
uniform, gang-raped and
subsequently killed in custody.
The next morning, their bodies
were recovered from the
shallow stream.
Call for the shutdown was given
by the All Parties Hurriyat
Conference Chairman, Syed Ali
Gilani. All shops, business
establishments and educational
institutes remained closed
while traffic was off the road in
the district.
The APHC Chairman, Syed Ali
Gilani, in a statement issued in
Srinagar said that occupied
Kashmir being a heavily
militarised zone in the world
had become most vulnerable
place to protect life, honour and
especially the chastity of
womenfolk.
Recalling the painful incident,
he termed it a heinous crime
against humanity and expressed
dismay on the dubious and
malicious role played by the
law enforcement agencies and
legal authorities with regard to
trampling down the evidences,
eyewitnesses and other creden-
tials of this case.
KASHMIR INSIGHT
Demanding a high-level probe
by some UN body, he said the
rape and murder of the two
women was committed in the
broad-daylight but culprits are
still at large, which speaks
volumes about the Indian
designs to use rape of women as
a weapon of war to suppress the
Kashmiris’ ongoing freedom
movement.
Expressing his grave concern
on the heavy military presence
in occupied Kashmir, Syed Ali
Gilani said that human rights
violations and military presence
having strong correlation
needed a serious notice by the
United Nations Human Rights
Council to help resolve the
Kashmir dispute and to bring an
end to the present miserable and
volatile situation in the territory.
The Chairman of Hurriyat
forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,
while recalling the 2009 rape
and murder of Aasiya and
Neelofar of Shopian in a
statement in Srinagar regretted
that the case was brushed aside
on a highly manipulated
investigation report of Indian
Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI). Instead of ordering an
JUNE 2019 25
 Report
impartial probe into the inci-
dent, the case was hushed up
under a conspiracy to shield the
real culprits and to deprive the
victims’ family of the justice, he
added.
Senior APHC leader and the
C h a i r m a n o f Te h r e e k - e -
Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir,
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, in a
statement in Srinagar while
remembering the rape-and-
murder victims Aasiya and
Neelofar on their 10th
martyrdom anniversary said
that they lost their chastity and
life only
because they
belonged to
an oppressed
territory.
He termed
the Shopian
incident as a
g r e a t
tragedy. He
said the
incident is
not a case of
isolation; it
is a leaf out
of the history
of gravest
human rights abuses by Indian
troops who enjoyed absolute
impunity under the protection
of draconian laws.
Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai said
that people of Kashmir were
morally and religiously bound
to raise their deepest concern
about such heart-wrenching
issues.
He deplored that perpetrators of
Shopian tragedy were still
roaming scot free. He said,
“When it comes to Kashmir the
word justice has been often
mocked. It is even not justice to
use this word in a virtual sense.”
He maintained that from the day
one justice had been misused,
interpolated and fabricated
through the so-called investiga-
tions, which had always been
aimed at shielding the culprits
rather than bringing them to
book.
The Chairperson of Muslim
Khawateen Markaz, Yasmeen
Raja, in a statement issued in
Srinagar paid glowing tributes
to Aasiya and Neelofar on their
martyrdom anniversary. She
deplored that despite the
passage of a decade, the culprits
of the Shopian tragedy were not
punished.
She said that under the black
laws like Armed Forces Special
Powers Act, Public Safety Act
and Disturbed Areas Act, India
had given its forces’ personnel a
free hand to commit all kinds of
brutalities to break the
Kashmiris’ resolve for freedom.
However, she maintained that
such tactics had failed to
intimidate the Kashmiri people
into submission in the past and
would meet the same fate in the
future as well. She demanded
exemplary punishment for the
culprits involved in the heinous
crime.
Ten years have passed since
KASHMIR INSIGHT
Aasiya and Neelofar were raped
and murdered but justice still
continues to elude their family.
The incident had triggered
widespread protests across
occupied Kashmir. The entire
occupied territory convulsed
with outrage and shut in protest
for 16 days. Shopian town had
observed an unprecedented 47-
day shutdown demanding
justice for the young women.
Shakeel Ahngar, husband of
Neelofar and brother of Aasiya,
has lost faith in the Indian
institutions and demanded
justice from
independent
international
forums.
Shakeel in an
interview
said he has
n o w
completely
lost faith in
all institu-
tions of India
and the
occupied
territory and
demanded a
probe by an independent
international agency into the
Shopian incident.
“I have nothing new to add to
my poignant tale that I have
already recounted umpteen
times. The justice delivery
system in this part of world
stands frozen,” he said.
He added that all investigations
initiated by the occupation
authorities were a smokescreen
used to shield the perpetrators.
He, however, said that he would
never succumb to any pressure.
“I am relentless in my pursuit
for justice, come what may,”
Ahangar said. (KI Report)
JUNE 2019 26
 Chronology
Report
A chronological account of
developments on Kashmir (154)
KMS Research Desk
2014
April 16: People hold anti-
India protests in Shopian and
Kulgam areas against the visit
of the puppet Chief Minister,
Omar Abdullah, as part of the
so-called election campaign.
Angry youth attack the
supporters of pro-India
National Conference and
Peoples Democratic Party in
Srinagar and Shopian. Indian
police resort to brute force and
fire teargas shells on protesters,
who shout slogans like ‘No-
election, No-election’, ‘Go-
India Go Back’ and ‘We Want
Freedom’. The protesters attack
the vehicles of National
Conference leaders and
workers near Bonabazar,
Ramnagari and Patipora areas
of Shopian. Protest strike is
observed in Kulgam district
where puppet Chief Minister,
Omar Abdullah, is to address a
gathering. Angry youth also pelt
Omar Abdullah’s cavalcade
with stones in the district.
The APHC Chairman, Mirwaiz
Umar Farooq, addressing a
seminar in Srinagar says that
heavy presence of Indian troops
is the root cause of all problems
in occupied Kashmir. He says
that Kashmiris’ economy, trade,
culture and civilisation will
continue to remain at risk until
India pulls outs its troops from
the territory.
The Jammu and Kashmir
Liberation Front leaders and
activists march through the
roads and streets in several
areas of Srinagar as part of anti-
election campaign.
The veteran Kashmiri Hurriyat
leader, Syed Ali Gilani, is
warmly received by his
supporters at Srinagar airport
and is taken to headquarters of
his party, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, at
Hyderpora amid pro-freedom
and anti-India slogans as he
returns from New Delhi.
Indian police arrest APHC
leader, Zafar Akbar Butt, along
with several Hurriyat activists
at Chananpora in Srinagar to
prevent him from attending a
seminar at Hurriyat
headquarters in Srinagar.
April 17: The veteran Hurriyat
leader, Syed Ali Gilani, while
addressing a gathering at his
Hyderpora residence in
Srinagar asks the people of
Jammu and Kashmir to boycott
the farcical Indian elections in
the territory to safeguard the
supreme motive of the Kashmiri
martyrs’ sacrifices. He deplores
that instead of accepting his
five-point formula for initiation
of dialogue, New Delhi is using
cheap tactics to harass the
Kashmiris in and outside the
territory.
The puppet authorities arrest
Hurriyat leaders, Muhammad
Yasin Malik and Mukhtar
Ahmed Waza, and place Syed
Ali Gilani, Shabbir Ahmed
Shah and Nayeem Ahmed
Khan, under house arrest to
prevent them from leading anti-
election rallies in different areas
of the territory.
Complete shutdown is observed
as a mark of protest against pro-
India National Conference
Patron, Dr Farooq Abdullah’s
visit to Hajin area of Bandipora
district. In Baramulla, clashes
between protesters and police
take place when Farooq
Abdullah addresses a rally in
the district.
Indian police attack a civil
society protest at Press Enclave
in Srinagar against proposed
Tosa Maidan lease extension to
the Indian Army and arrest
around a dozen demonstrators.
April 18: The police arrest
hundreds of Hurriyat leaders
and activists and keep Syed Ali
Gilani, Shabbir Ahmed Shah
and Nayeem Ahmed Khan
under house detention to
JUNE 2019 27
 Chronology
prevent them from conducting
election boycott campaign.
Syed Ali Gilani addressing a
press conference at his
Hyderpora residence in
Srinagar says that the elections
held in the presence of seven
hundred thousand Indian troops
have no credibility.
The All Parties Hurriyat
Conference Chairman, Mirwaiz
Umar Farooq, addressing the
Juma congregation at Jamia
Masjid in Srinagar says that
India has converted the
occupied territory into a police
state to stage election drama.
Complete shutdown is observed
in Tral town against the visit of
puppet Chief Minister, Omar
Abdullah.
April 19: The APHC
Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar
Farooq, addressing a press
conference in Srinagar says that
the Hurriyat leadership will
support any dialogue process
aimed at just and amicable
resolution of the Kashmir
dispute.
The High Court Bar Association
of the occupied territory in a
report released in Srinagar after
its team’s visit to Jaipur Jail in
the Indian state of Rajasthan
says that the Kashmiri prisoners
lodged in the jail are not being
treated fairly and justice is not
being delivered to them. The
Bar Association team led by its
President, Mian Abdul
Qayoom, visits the Jaipur Jail to
take stock of the condition of
the Kashmiri detainees.
Angry youth attack the
cavalcade of a puppet minister
in Shahgund village of
Bandipora district. After the
incident, Indian police subject
the youth to brute force.
People stage demonstrations in
Baramulla town against the
arrest of
youth by
I n d i a n
police and
troops.
April 20:
The veteran
Hurriyat
leader, Syed
Ali Gilani, in
a statement
in Srinagar
terms the
arrest of over 200 Hurriyat
leaders and activists as
acceptance of defeat by the
puppet authorities. He
condemns the police action in
Shahgund area of Hajan in
which dozens of youth and
journalists are injured and many
residential houses are
ransacked by the Indian forces.
Indian police arrest several
leaders and activists of Jammu
Kashmir Liberation Front
including Advocate Bashir
Ahmed Butt and Muhammad
Azam Zargar during a candle
light vigil at Lal Chowk in
Srinagar.
The occupation authorities
continue to keep Hurriyat
leaders including Muhammad
Yasin Malik and Mushtaq-ul-
Islam behind the bars and Syed
Ali Gilani, Shabbir Ahmed
Shah, Muhammad Ashraf
Sehrai and Nayeem Ahmed
Khan under house arrest to
prevent them from conducting
election boycott campaign.
Indian police register a case
against the veteran Hurriyat
leader, Syed Ali Gilani, for
delivering what it terms an anti-
India speech during a press
conference in Srinagar.
The angry youth attack the
motorcade of Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP)
President, Mehbooba Mufti, in
Qaimoh and Yaripora areas of
Kulgam district, causing
damage to several vehicles. A
spontaneous shutdown is also
observed in Yaripora area
against the visit of Mehbooba
Mufti.
Compiled by: Showkat Ali
To be continued...
JUNE 2019 28
 Report
Beauty thy name is
Srinagar Gardens
MUGHAL GARDENS
There are numerous large and
small gardens or "Baghs"
scattered in and around
Srinagar. With terraced lawns,
cascading fountains, bright
colourful flowerbeds with the
panorama of the Dal in front of
them - the three Mughal
Gardens of Chashma Shahi,
Nishat and Shalimar are the
Mughal Emperors' concept of
paradise and are today very
popular places for picnics and
excursions.
SHALIMAR BAGH
The most beautiful of all the
Mughal gardens, Shalimar
Bagh was built for Nur Jahan,
by her husband Jehangir in
1616. The gardens are straight
out of a fairy tale. The Garden
has four terraces and is 539x182
meters and gets water from
Harwan Lake through canal,
which is lined with around 150
fountains which dazzle with
their display and electric lights
add charm to the beautiful
atmosphere. The top most of the
four terraces called the “Abode
of Love”, was reserved for the
emperor and the ladies of court.
The Garden blooms with
innumerable varities of flowers
in spring and autmn.
NISHAT BAGH
(The garden of
spring) -This
magnificent garden
designed by Nur
Jahan's brother Asaf
K h a n , w a s
constructed in 1633
and is among the
largest of the
Mughal gardens. It
is situated on the
banks of world
famous Dal-Lake in the back-
drop of Zabarwan hills. This
garden commands magnificent
view of the lake. The Garden is
terraced with beautiful water
channel flowing right in the
middle, beautiful lawns,
beautiful flowers and fountains.
Nishat Garden lies in Srinagar
district and it is 11 Kms from the
dstrict headquarters.
Shikara riding can
be undertaken to
Nehru Park from the
Garden.
C H A S H M A
SHAHI
(The Royal
Fountains) - Close
to Srinagar is the
smallest of the
Mughal gardens. It
is near the Oberoi Hotel. This
garden is attributed to Shah
Jahan and is set in beautiful
surroundings. The cool water of
the spring is highly refreshing
and digestive.
PARI MAHAL
(House of the Fairies) -
Located just above the Chashma
Shahi lie the ruins of this
astronomical observatory built
by Dara Shikho, a Mughal
emperor and Aurangzeb's elder
KASHMIR INSIGHT
brother. Pari Mahal offers a fine
view of the Dal Lake and has a
beautiful terraced garden,
which has been renovated in the
recent past.
NASIM BAGH
Built by Akbar in 1586, this is
the oldest of Kashmir's Mughal
gardens. It is a beautiful
camping ground which is
however restricted these days.
This garden offers a splendid
view of the Dal Lake.
HARWAN LAKE
Harwan Lake is a clean and
pure water lake, set among the
mountains, with its dark green
waters reflecting the lofty peaks
of Mahadeo. The surrounding
scenery is some of the best in
valley. The water of Harwan
Lake is fed to huge garden lined
with flower beds and massive
Chinar trees via a beautiful
canal flowing right through the
middle. There is not much
clutter of fountains and other
fancy things rather it has vast
big green carpeted green lawns
which form an ideal spot for
picnics. This spot is very
popular with the locals for
picnics and excursions. It also
seves as take off point for
visiting Wild life sanctuary of
Dachi Gam and starting point of
climb up to Mahadev Mountain.
JUNE 2019 29
 Literature
Report
Away from the ocean the sailor is
never in his element. He falls
prey to the sharp practices of
swindlers and city sharks; he
becomes the laughing stock of
the townsmen. Likewise is the
peasant when he is off his land.
Clever people exploit his
simplicity, his ingenuousness
and his capacity to work. He may
be made the butt of many a jest,
Eh! Oh!
(A Kashmiri folktale)
or the victim of a practical joke,
and he bears his cross on his
ample shoulders patiently.
Owing to the rigor of the climate
in Kashmir, the peasant has to
pass through a period of unem-
ployment for nearly five months
in a year. The well-to-do farmers
can afford to enjoy this enforced
rest, consuming cooked rice,
lentils, turnips and pickled knoll
kohl to their hearts' content.
Those who are not so well-off
supplement their slender
incomes by working on cottage
looms and turning out woolen
blankets. Others, standing at the
lowest rung of the ladder, hire
themselves out as domestic
servants in the larger towns, or
the metropolis of Srinagar. Aziz
Bhat commonly known as Aziza
belonged to this last class.
Many, many years ago when the
corn was abundant to the extent
of superfluity, Aziza could not
stretch his harvest so far as to
cover the needs of the family all
the year round. He was the father
of two children, and in spite of
the labours of the whole family
even the elder child would
sometimes contribute his mitehe
ran into debt. He was, therefore,
compelled to drift towards the
city in search of temporary
employment as a domestic
servant.
Untutored in the ways of the
world as he was, he did not think
it would be easy for him to find
some employment in the city. He
spent the first night in a mosque
wrapped in a blanket, for he
knew of no secular habitation
where he could obtain shelter. He
feasted on a couple of dry loaves
and sincere prayers rose from his
heart. The next morning had a
pleasant surprise for him, for he
met an acquaintance, a rare
experience for him. The man
belonged to a village in the
neighbourhood of his own, and
they knew each other moderately
well. Aziza considered his night
well-spent when his acquain-
tance promised to get him the sort
of employment he was after.
The acquaintance was as good as
his word. Aziza was taken to the
house of a man who appeared to
be very prosperous. There were
already a couple of servants in
the house and Aziza made the
third. Khwaja Saheb, that is how
the head of the house was
designated, called him to his
presence and said, "Many people
proudly seek my service for the
consideration of free board and
lodging. Will that satisfy you?"
Aziza was so overawed by the
manner of the Khwaja in his
costly shawl and turban that he
found words missing from his
tongue. With difficulty he
seemed to stammer out: "Noble
sir, I am a poor man having left
little ones in the village."
Khwaja Saheb was thereupon
pleased to fix half-anass load of
paddy as his monthly wages
besides the privilege of free
board and lodging. "But, mind
you, if ever one of my servants is
not able to complete a task given
to him, he is subjected to a fine,"
said he, half in jest and half in
seriousness. Aziz's companion
KASHMIR INSIGHT
only laughed "ha! ha" by way of
taking the sting out of these
words and he himself grinned
bashfully.
The winter was on and Aziza
gave his best to the employer.
Late at night before he went to his
bed Aziza had the privilege of
being admitted to the bed
chamber of his employer. He was
asked to massage the legs of
Khwaja with his strong muscular
hands, for he found sleep evading
him until he was subjected to this
process. Early in the morning,
sometimes even before the
rooster crew, the Khwaja would
shout "Aziza" and the latter was
expected to be ready with the
hubble-bubble, refilled with
fresh water from the river, with
tobacco and live coal to enable
his employer to fumigate his
interior to his fill. He was the
favorite of the harem so far as he
would be entrusted with all tasks
requiring personal attention. His
colleagues the fellow servants in
the house encouraged him in this
belief, for otherwise such tasks
would fall to their own lot. This
encouragement lightened their
tasks, for Aziza could easily be
got into the right frame of mind
so as to volunteer to undertake
what all shirked.
At the end of a period of about
four months Aziza thought of
going home. He had not seen his
family all the while and soon his
farm would claim his attention.
He made a request to the great
Khwaja, the first of its kind. The
latter did not seem to relish it, and
with a face beaming with a
mischievous smile he said,
"Aziza ! I shall certainly pay all
your dues. But before I do so, go
to the market and get me two
things, wy (eh!) and wai (oh!).
Your wages will be paid to you
only when you get the things."
"Eh and Oh!" ejaculated Aziza in
utter amazement, for he had
JUNE 2019 30
 Literature
never heard of such things.
However, he had not the face to
articulate his suspicions lest it be
only his ignorance. So he set out.
He roamed long and far, but
never did any shopkeeper seem
to deal in these substances. Some
laughed outright, others pricked
their ears while some came to
regard him light in the head.
"Should I fail in this last task?"
cried he. "All these months I
worked to the utter satisfaction of
everybody and now this last
straw seems to be too much for
me and the big man will probably
eat up my wages if I fail to satisfy
him.... "
He was walking abstractedly,
with these thoughts pressing
upon his mind. He went from
shop to shop. At the seventh or
the seventeenth shop he met with
a different response to his
inquiry.
“And what do you require them
for, my good man?" asked the
shopkeeper, an old man with a
rich stubble on his face.
Aziza told his tale.
"And if you fail to place them
before him you won't get your
pay, your hard-earned dues, is
that it?"
"Exactly; that is what the man
threatens me with."
The old man soon found out that
the Khwaja was trading upon the
simplicity of the peasant. He was
himself something of a sport and
he thought of playing the game
for the fun of it.
"I can give it to you provided you
hand it over directly to the
Khwaja himself without showing
it to any one else. Do you agree?"
Aziza agreed.
"Such precious things are not
found with every grocer. Even I
keep it in a godown. You will
wait here for me."
He returned after half-an-hour
and gave Aziza a
package covered
in an old news-
paper bound with
a dried weed. He
got eight 'annas'
for his pains and
Aziza was glad
that he could now
keep his head
high in the
presence of all
the other servants
in that he had not
failed in his
errand.
The Khwaja was
in a very rosy
mood when
Aziza appeared
before him. The
tube of the
hubble-bubble
passed from one package. The whole gathering
mouth to another. Seeing Aziza was intrigued. The outer chord of
he simulated an angry mood. dry weed was unfastened and the
"Where, in the name of God wrapping removed. Two small
Almighty, have you been all this earthenware receptacles, no
while," he shouted. "I sent you on bigger than a medium sized
a little errand and you seem to inkpot, were discovered. Each
have been lazing at your grand- had a wide mouth closed over
mother's. How fat you have with a piece of paper pasted with
grown eating my cooked rice gum. Their inquisitiveness was
here!" piqued.
"Respected sir, I have been The paper covering of one of the
roaming from street to street in vessels was broken through and
search of it and my legs are the Khwaja peered into it. It
aching with the fatigue," replied appeared to be empty. While he
Aziza. was about to throw it away out
"If your legs are so delicate, why came a bee, which buzzed along
did you take the trouble of the hand of the Khwaja who
coming over here for employ- could not help crying "eh!" So far
ment? Did you not get the thing?" so good.
"Respected sir, I have got it," The paper lid of the other vessel
submitted Aziza. was broken through. But before
Khwaja relaxed as he now the Khwaja could say anything,
expected to fill the little assembly from its interior darted a wasp
with theatrical laughter by who perched directly on his brow
declaring what Aziza had got as and involuntarily a painful "oh!"
spurious. "What have you got? escaped from his lips.
Let me see it," he said in an over- The assembly realised that Aziza
weaning tone. had after all not failed to get the
Aziza submitted the little rare commodity!
KASHMIR INSIGHT JUNE 2019 31
 Report
Feedback
Letters to editor
Indian atrocities
Dear editor, the people of
occupied Kashmir are facing the
worst kind of Indian state
terrorism in their just struggle for
securing their right to self-
determination. Hurriyat leaders
are the main target of India’s
reprisal for advocating the
Kashmir cause. Indian
highhandedness is proven from
the fact that its investigating
agencies, NIA and Enforcement
Directorate, have arrested many
Hurriyat leaders in false cases
during the past two years. They
include Muhammad Yasin
Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah,
Aasiya Andrabi, Nayeem
Ahmed Khan, Altaf Ahmed
Shah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal,
Farooq Ahmed Dar, Peer
Saifullah, Ayaz Muhammad
A k b a r, S h a h i d - u l - I s l a m ,
Fehmeeda Sofi and Nahida
Nasreen. The NIA and ED failed
to prove charges against these
leaders despite passing of
several months. They are now
harassing the resistance leaders
and their family members by
summoning them to their
headquarters in New Delhi.
India needs to realise the fact that
its suppression would not be able
to force the Kashmiris and their
leadership to surrender their just
cause. It must respect their
sentiments and take steps to
settle the Kashmir dispute in
accordance with their
aspirations.
Zameer Ali
Kohat
Martyrdom Week
Dear editor, the people of
occupied Kashmir
commemorate Martyrdom Week
in the month of May, every year,
to pay homage to prominent
martyred Hurriyat leaders,
Mirwaiz Molvi Muhammad
Farooq and Khawaja Abdul
Ghani Lone, and the martyrs of
Hawal on their martyrdom
anniversaries. Unknown
gunmen had shot dead Mirwaiz
Molvi Muhammad Farooq after
barging into his residence in
Srinagar on May 21, 1990.
Seventy mourners were killed
when Indian troops fired at his
funeral procession in Hawal area
of the city. Khawaja Abdul
Ghani Lone was martyred on the
same day in 2002 when he was
returning after addressing a
gathering organised at Eidgah in
Srinagar in connection with the
martyrdom anniversary of
Mirwaiz Molvi Farooq. By
commemorating the Martyrdom
Week, the people of the occupied
territory convey to the
international community that the
unparalleled sacrifices they are
rendering in their just struggle
aimed at securing their
inalienable right to self-
determination must be valued.
There is no denying the fact that
the Kashmiris of different ages,
from young to mature, from
elderly to kids, from men to
women, from villagers to
urbanites, from newborns to
toddlers, from journalists to
lawyers and from activists to
leaders have laid down their
KASHMIR INSIGHT
lives for the Kashmir cause and
no age group, no segment,
gender or class of the Kashmiri
society lagged behind in offering
sacrifices for the liberation of
their motherland from the Indian
bondage.
The international community
must honour the sacrifices of the
Kashmiri people. It must come
forward in a big way and play
role in the settlement of the
Kashmir dispute in accordance
with their aspirations.
Salman Ahmed
Karachi
Fearless Kashmiris
Dear editor, Kashmir is heaven
on earth but hell for its people.
Kashmir looks so wonderful,
beautiful and colourful from
outside, but when one looks at its
heart, this colour looks like the
colour of blood. Why shouldn’t
Kashmiris have the freedom to
live without fear? Why are they
targeted as ‘terrorists’ by Indian
people? Bhagat Singh was a
martyr who loved his country so
much that he gave his life for its
sake. He wanted his country to
be free from British rule. If
anyone wants to live with dignity
and protects his life, is he a
terrorist? If Bhagat Singh is
regarded as a hero by Indians
then we, the Kashmiris, are
rightful in claiming that all those
Kashmiri people who have
rendered their lives for the cause
of liberation of Kashmir from
Indian bondage are our heroes
and martyrs.
Ijaz Khan
Srinagar
JUNE 2019 32
 Atrocities by Indian troops
(January 1989 to May 31, 2019)

Total killings 95,383

Custodial killings 7,126

Civilians arrested 146,764

Structures destroyed/damaged 109,357

Women widowed 22,905

Children orphaned 107,771

Women gangraped/molested 11,125

Including custodial killings

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

 A reminder to Indians!

“We do not seek to go behind the UNCIP (United Nations Commission for
India and Pakistan) resolutions, or to ignore the vital elements of principle
contained in them. …… We have always adhered to the UNCIP
resolutions… ….. We cannot be a party to the reversal of previous decisions
taken by the United Nations Commission with the agreement of the
parties.”

(Permanent Representative of India in UN,

Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit’s statement at the
Security Council, December 8, 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