The Indian court’s decision to sentence the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader and freedom fighter Yasin Malik to life in prison in the so-called “terrorist funding” case on bogus allegations is another example of India’s state terrorism. Yasin Malik’s sentence to life is disappointing and hinders peace efforts. Moreover, this will exacerbate the region’s insecurity and lead to additional isolation and separatist sentiments.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) demanded the Kashmiri leader’s death penalty, but the court instead sentenced him to two life sentences. For more than seven decades, India has refused to give the people of Jammu and Kashmir their right to self-determination through a referendum.
Notably, Indian atrocities are at an all-time high in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), with residents experiencing unimaginable atrocities at the hands of Indian forces. Killings, arrests, and torture are common in IIOJK, and in addition to murdering Kashmiris, Indian forces damage their property and demolish their houses in the occupied region. Moreover, Indian crimes against Kashmiris have multiplied since August 2019, when the Modi-led fascist Indian government abolished the special status of Kashmiris and established a military blockade on the area.
The people of Indian-occupied Kashmir seek independence and justice. They have been handicapped by Indian soldiers and are victims of Indian state aggression. The Indian government is adamant about bringing major demographic changes that could alter the traditional identities of the Kashmiri people under the amended constitutional cover.
With human rights violations ongoing, the situation in occupied Kashmir is a predicament of new security threats hovering over regional and international peace. In addition, thousands of Kashmiris are alleged to be languishing in Indian jails under draconian laws, with no access to food, hygiene, or medical care.
The world community is well aware of extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, blackouts, and violations of basic human rights in the India-occupied valley. Unfortunately, indifference on the part of the world community has just exacerbated the situation for the Kashmiris. The tyrannical Indian government, a key US ally in the fight against China, has never been held accountable for its oppression. Instead, it continues to turn a blind eye to India’s state terrorism against the people of Kashmir, just as it does to “Israel’s” apartheid against the Palestinians.
The United States never lived up to its self-proclaimed role as a leading proponent of human rights. Additionally, when it comes to atrocities committed against Palestinians and Kashmiris, the international community turns a blind eye.
Similarly, the UN and international community’s silence is disappointing regarding the humanitarian catastrophe in Kashmir. With a sweeping crackdown on innocent Kashmiris and their confinement in the occupied valley, India portrays a more severe and ruthless approach to occupied Kashmir.
Even after almost a month of freedom fighter leader Yasin Malik who has been sentenced to life in jail by an Indian court, the UN is still not listening to the plight of the oppressed Kashmiri people. How many more mass executions in occupied Kashmir can the world suffer before shaking the conscience of the Western world, where human rights are traditionally regarded as holy beyond all other rights? In the aftermath of any human rights infringement in the West, the UN and human rights watchdogs move to avoid any misunderstandings and resolve the situation through established processes. Moreover, the UN has never shied away from intervening in various humanitarian situations to settle conflicts in its interests.
Significantly, the World Kashmir Awareness Forum (WKAF) has urged the United Nations and other international organizations to break their long silence and press the Indian government to allow international standards of justice to prevail and free Kashmiri Hurriyat leader.
Yasin Malik desired independence from India for his cherished motherland and wished for India to respect the vow made to the international community and the United Nations that the people of Jammu and Kashmir would have the right to self-determination and to decide their future and destiny. Therefore, the international community and several regional organizations should consider the ever-changing security situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir by demonstrating sincerity in resolving this dispute.
By assassinating peace-loving leaders like Yasin Malik, the Indian state is closing all the doors to peace in the area and driving Kashmir’s youth toward activities that might be damaging to a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue. However, India can never stifle Kashmiris’ calls for independence and freedom. Most importantly, if world powers and international organizations remain silent and turn a blind eye to this crime, the entire world would bear the repercussions since these fires will not be restricted to India but will consume the entire planet.
The oppressed Kashmiri people, repeatedly humiliated at the hands of the occupying force, looked to the UN for definitive liberation from Indian domination. Therefore, the United Nations and the Human Rights Council must immediately condemn India’s outrageous targeting of indigenous Kashmiri leadership through motivated cases, particularly the vicious treatment meted out to one of the most prominent Kashmiri leaders, Mr. Yasin Malik, who has been leading a peaceful freedom struggle for decades.
*The writer is a researcher and analyst.
June 14, 2022
The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of Aequitas Review.
