AIMMM Statement on fears of attacks on minorities in J&K

ALL INDIA MUSLIM MAJLIS-E-MUSHAWARAT

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AIMMM Statement on fears of attacks on minorities in J&K

New Delhi, Saturday, 30 August 2008: The All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat (AIMMM) President Dr Zafarul-Islam Khan expressed his concern over the statement issued yesterday by 32 civil society organisations and important personalities in Kashmir expressing their fears that Indian intelligence agencies may be planning massacres in Jammu & Kashmir with the aim to create an atmosphere of fear and mistrust amongst communities and divert the attention from the popular and peaceful protests in the Valley.

These civil society organisations were reacting to a news story carried by the Indian media on 28 August, 2008 saying that Indian Intelligence agencies fear possible attacks on minorities in Kashmir.

The Kashmir Valley has witnessed unexplained massacres of minorities including the killing of 36 Sikhs at Chittisingpora in 2000 by the security agencies on the eve of the visit of the then US President Bill Clinton and later cold-blooded murder of local villages by the same agencies claiming that those villagers were responsible for the killing of the innocent Sikhs.

The head of AIMMM, the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organisations, observed that any such murder of minority community members in Kashmir will be only a diversionary tactic by the agencies which have full protection of the questionable Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) which offers immunity to the security forces deployed in J&K under the pretext of fighting militancy. Now that the whole Valley is under total curfew, any such incident will only be possible with the consent of the security forces which use renegade militants for such crimes.

Dr Khan warned that any such incident will be another blot in our human rights record and will allow the people of the Valley and the world to question our policies and the role of our armed forces in that part of our country.

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Sukhia Sab Sansar Khaye Aur Soye
Dukhia Das Kabir Jagey Aur Roye

The world is 'happy', eating and sleeping
The forlorn Kabir Das is awake and weeping