spokesman peoples league imtiyaz reshi artical
Even as official statements are unambiguously indicative of decline to the limits of neutralizing militancy and return of normalcy to J&K - and of late the recommendation of 25% reduction in Security Forces’ deployment has come up - the continued detention of hundreds of youth weighs heavy on logic. There are instances where the families are not even aware of the condition and status of their detained children. The arrest of Rah brothers, Mushtaq Ahmad and Mohammad Shafi, of Maharaj Gunj, Srinagar from Kathmandu, Nepal, is an eye opener in this regard. The two brothers ran leather business and were arrested way back in September, 2000. Their arrest and subsequent enforced disappearance point to the indifference of the government to the woes of the poor parents. There are instances where Kashmiri youth had to buy their release for hefty sums. And there are instances where youth were released after being held in detention for as long as ten to fifteen years and then acquitted by courts. Who can return them their youth and what can compensate the trauma these unfortunate youth had to undergo for years together! In many such cases substantive evidence of involvement in any unlawful activities is wanting. It seems that police in many states is pouncing over Kashmiri youth whenever and wherever they get a chance to lay hands on them. Those who could earn their freedom by paying a price or battling it out in courts have harrowing experiences to share with their kinsmen and acquaintances. They usually dare not share it with strangers fearing the reprisal from their tormentors. But others have not been that lucky and have been languishing in jails without trial for years together. The situation of the youth who were picked up by the police of other states from different places across India is pathetic. In most of such cases the victims were detained after being labeled as either militants or sympathizers of militant outfits. The state government which is claiming to be working for return of normalcy and peace to the state should have taken up the cases of missing youth. Those languishing in the jails of different states after being picked up by the police or agencies and held in illegal detention need to be taken care of by the state. To alleviate the pain, suffering and trauma of the victims and their parents, state government must take up the matter with concerned agencies in other states. Instead the response of the state as well as the union government to this problem has been that of indifference. And the problem continues to pain the collective mind of Kashmir like a festering wound. The state and the union government need to address this humanitarian issue as it deserves to be addressed so that the agony and trauma of the affected people is ended. The two can act jointly and trace the missing persons and restore them to their families and if some of them have been killed let their parents be apprised of their fate. For a country that is lobbying for permanent member status in UN Security Council on the basis of its being world’s largest democracy it should not be difficult to hold to account various security agencies for the disappearances. It could set-up a Rehabilitation or Reconciliation Commission to address the problem of missing youth and further order release of all the detunes against whom no case is made out even after years of their detention. They can have the youth tried in fast track courts so that their agony and that of their parents ends. The two governments need to have each and every case of detention and disappearance examined by the commission so that justice is dispensed expeditiously. This would definitely go a long way in creating an atmosphere of peace and order. Earlier the better.
Even as official statements are unambiguously indicative of decline to the limits of neutralizing militancy and return of normalcy to J&K - and of late the recommendation of 25% reduction in Security Forces’ deployment has come up - the continued detention of hundreds of youth weighs heavy on logic. There are instances where the families are not even aware of the condition and status of their detained children. The arrest of Rah brothers, Mushtaq Ahmad and Mohammad Shafi, of Maharaj Gunj, Srinagar from Kathmandu, Nepal, is an eye opener in this regard. The two brothers ran leather business and were arrested way back in September, 2000. Their arrest and subsequent enforced disappearance point to the indifference of the government to the woes of the poor parents. There are instances where Kashmiri youth had to buy their release for hefty sums. And there are instances where youth were released after being held in detention for as long as ten to fifteen years and then acquitted by courts. Who can return them their youth and what can compensate the trauma these unfortunate youth had to undergo for years together! In many such cases substantive evidence of involvement in any unlawful activities is wanting. It seems that police in many states is pouncing over Kashmiri youth whenever and wherever they get a chance to lay hands on them. Those who could earn their freedom by paying a price or battling it out in courts have harrowing experiences to share with their kinsmen and acquaintances. They usually dare not share it with strangers fearing the reprisal from their tormentors. But others have not been that lucky and have been languishing in jails without trial for years together. The situation of the youth who were picked up by the police of other states from different places across India is pathetic. In most of such cases the victims were detained after being labeled as either militants or sympathizers of militant outfits. The state government which is claiming to be working for return of normalcy and peace to the state should have taken up the cases of missing youth. Those languishing in the jails of different states after being picked up by the police or agencies and held in illegal detention need to be taken care of by the state. To alleviate the pain, suffering and trauma of the victims and their parents, state government must take up the matter with concerned agencies in other states. Instead the response of the state as well as the union government to this problem has been that of indifference. And the problem continues to pain the collective mind of Kashmir like a festering wound. The state and the union government need to address this humanitarian issue as it deserves to be addressed so that the agony and trauma of the affected people is ended. The two can act jointly and trace the missing persons and restore them to their families and if some of them have been killed let their parents be apprised of their fate. For a country that is lobbying for permanent member status in UN Security Council on the basis of its being world’s largest democracy it should not be difficult to hold to account various security agencies for the disappearances. It could set-up a Rehabilitation or Reconciliation Commission to address the problem of missing youth and further order release of all the detunes against whom no case is made out even after years of their detention. They can have the youth tried in fast track courts so that their agony and that of their parents ends. The two governments need to have each and every case of detention and disappearance examined by the commission so that justice is dispensed expeditiously. This would definitely go a long way in creating an atmosphere of peace and order. Earlier the better.
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