WASHINGTON: An influential American, \human rights group has said that conditions in Kashmir have deteriorated on the eve of the forthcoming parliamentary elections as a result of a new policy by the Indian Government to arm and protect irregular militias to carry out its counter insurgency operations.
In a 49page report titled “India’s Secret Army in Kashmir: New Patterns of Abuse Emerge in the Conflicts,” released here last week, the group Human Rights Which has called upon the international community to press the new Government in India to keep up its promise of transparency, disarm all militias and fully investigate Bate all reports of abuse and punish those responsible.
The report warned that if the current counter insurgency strategy continues and there is no effort to disarm the militias who are responsible for much of the violence now claiming Kashmir the “May 1996 elections will be Worse than meaningless.”
They will herald the beginning or a period of investigations in Kashmir that India may not be able to control,” the report said, adding that while attempting to reassure the international
Mir, Indian forces have instead “subcontracted some of their abusive tactics to groups with no official accountability.”
The Indian Embassy in a statement said the report consists of “baseless accusations and wildly exaggerated accounts of alleged human rights abuses” and maintained the urgency ‘with which it was released left the government no time to respond in any meaningful fashion. Kashmiri groups under the umbrella organization Hurriyat, which has currently sent a three member delegation to Washington, welcomed the report and the report also recognized the security threat posed by the militants, Indeed, as the election neared, a number of militant groups demonstrated that they were prepared to go to any lengths to enforce their will through violent attacks on candidates, campaign workers and other civilians, it said.
“Their indiscriminate use of land mines and other explosive devices reveals a deep callousness towards Civilian life, these actions have contributed to the erosion of civil life and security in Kashmir, and no militant their behavior has lost them much. Support among civilians in Kashmir,” the report said.
‘The report also called for the suspension of arms sales and other forms of military cooperation to both India and Pakistan until both countries end their support for abusive forces including state forces, militias and militant groups operating in Kashmir.
Meanwhile, a three member delegation from the All Party Hurriyat Conferences has been calling on American officials and lawmakers seeking US involvement to settle the dispute.
The delegation met Assistant Secretary for South Asia Robin Raphel, last. Week, besides calling on several Senators and Congressmen, notably those who have been consistently voting against India like Senator Hank Brown and Congressman Dan Burton.
A delegation member said that they were seeking a three step resolution to the dispute starting with a soundtrack, intro Kashmir dialogue. To this end, the Hurriyat had suggested invitations to even eminent non-Muslim Kashmiris like Dr, Karan Singh, Ved Bhasin, Raghunath Vaishnavi, P.N. Jalai and Samar Mangyal for a Kashmir.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 22, 1996
