[Reader-list] Indian Civil Society supports the Right of Self Determination of J&K peopl

[rashneek kher]

Is that all they could come with up.Considering they can all cook and
conjure imagination,shouldnt they have said more...

On Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 1:53 PM, Khurram Parvez <khurramparvez at yahoo.com>wrote:

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> Press Release
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> At a public meeting organized in Delhi by Janahastakshep, PUCL and PUDR on
> 9th September, speakers stressed that respecting the right of
> self-determination was the only way forward. It was the opinion of the
> speakers at the meeting that the agreement reached between the Jammu based
> agitation and the Indian government, through its Governor, is an appeasement
> of the Hindutva forces and singularly fails to follow the recommendations of
> the Nitish Sengupta Committee (1996) which had proposed curtailment of the
> Amarnath Yatra to 30 days and restricting the number of yatris to one lakh.
> This appeasement was compounded by the blood-letting in valley resulting in
> death of 50  and injury to more than 2000 persons. Moreover, repression is
> back in vogue with security forces singling out local leaders in the
> villages with arrests, beating, booking some under preventive detention act
> of J&K, Public Safety Act, and filing of more than 250 cases. In contrast,
> as part
>  of the agreement with the agitators in Jammu persons charged with various
> violent acts have been allowed to go scot free and may in fact, as part of
> the deal struck,  be provided with compensation.  It was the considered
> opinion of almost all speakers that there was no basis to support Indian
> state's approach of military suppression accompanied by politics of
> manipulation and empty promises or though an election process which severely
> lacks credibility.
>
> The meeting was held against the background of over two month long
> agitation and counter agitation in Kashmir and Jammu which  brought home
> Indian state's precarious hold over  J&K. In just four days on August 11-14
> Indian security forces shot dead thirty two people  in Kashmir valley. The
> Valley saw lakhs of people coming out to protest against the blockade and
> for their inalienable right to exercise the right of self-determination. The
> people of the state groan under draconian laws like AFSPA, Disturbed Areas
> Act, PSA  etc and unarmed people are fired upon. Despite the unprecedented
> violence against the protestors in  Kashmir their quest for 'azadi' from
> Indian Union remained non-violent.
>
> In contrast the agitation in Jammu, spearheaded by BJP and Congress,
> conducted what is essentially an anti-Muslim agitation. There was
> competition between the two leading parties in harnessing majority Hindu
> chauvinism. Their top leaders in Jammu  participated in blockade while the
> Congress led UPA went into a denial mode on the fact of blockade despite
> extensive proof of the same. The economic blockade which severely affected
> the life in the valley imperiled the right to life of people in the valley.
>  The message conveyed was that Indian State was unmindful of even the
> physical well-being of the people in Kashmir.
>
> Speakers at the meeting stressed that erosion of Article 370 along with
> India and Pakistan resiling from their commitment to refer the matter to the
> people of J&K has been a major reason for the irresolution of the dispute
> for over 61 years. They also opined that massive and peaceful outpouring on
> the streets of Srinagar and elsewhere in Kashmir ought to be met with
> meaningful political dialogue. For this dialogue to be meaningful it ought
> to revolve around the right of self-determination of the people of J&K.
>
> The prominent speakers who spoke in the meeting were:
> Arundhati Roy, Prem Shankar Jha, Javeed Naqvi, Sanjay Kak, Dr. Aparna -
> CPI(ML) New Democracy, G.N. Saibaba - Revolutionary Democratic Front, Retd.
> Juctice Rajinder Sachar - People's Union for Civil Liberties, Gautam
> Navlakha - People's Union for Democratic Rights, S.A.R. Geelani - Commitee
> for Release of Political Prisoners
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> Janahastakshep, PUCL and PUDR (Delhi)
> 9th September, 2008
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-- 
Rashneek Kher
Wandhama Massacre-The Forgotten Human Tragedy
http://www.kashmiris-in-exile.blogspot.com
http://www.nietzschereborn.blogspot.com