It’s the 18th day of Siege in Kashmir after the secret execution of Mohammad Afzal Guru, who was hanged inside Indian Prison on February 9. His alleged crime was that he had been a mastermind of ‘the Parliament Attack’ in December 2001. His trial has been disputed by many neutral observers in India and Kashmir.
For an ordinary Kashmiri, Afzal Guru was killed even after their was no direct evidence to implicate him as said by the ‘Indian Court. The Supreme Court of India had also acknowledged in its judgment that there is no proof that Afzal Guru was a member of a terrorist group, and the evidence against him was only circumstantial.
The Apex Court, however, said that it is necessary to hang Afzal to “satisfy the collective conscience of Indian society.” Finally Afzal was hanged and thus ‘collective conscience of Indian society’ has prevailed over justice. Now the conscience of Indian society is satisfied after hanging a person who was not provided a lawyer of his choice even at the beginning of his case at lower court.
Arundhati Roy remarked that ‘the hanging of Afzal Guru is a blot on Indian Democracy’ (http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/feb/10/hanging-afzal-guru-india-democracy)
A secret execution, where the family of Afzal Guru wasn’t even told of the plan beforehand. They only learnt it through the media about the news of his secret hanging. Three days later they received ‘ a letter’ through post giving them the news. In this age of technology sending a letter regarding such an important matter is not only shameful but it shows the disgusting humanity in the state.
Later, in the complete violations of International conventions. He was buried inside the Prison complex, his body was refused to be buried inside his homeland. All in the name of maintaining peace in the ‘disputed territory of Kashmir’.The hanging of Afzal Guru enraged the already simmering population of Indian administered Kashmir. Kashmir was put under siege like that of the one imposed by Israel on Gaza.Protests broke out in almost every part of Kashmir, which shook the administration which believed that ‘normalcy had returned’ in a region which is occupied by more than 700,000 Indian troops.The protests were crushed brutally, resulting in deaths of three protesters and injuries to hundreds. Later the crackdown started, where scores of Kashmiris were detained under Public Safety Act ( which states no trial for two years) and hundreds were hunted down during night raids.Gloom has struck in every part of the valley, with frequent imposition of curfews and violent crackdown of the Indian government in Kashmir.
The entire pro freedom leadership has been put either in prison or have been put under house arrest. Friday prayers have not been allowed in main mosques.
The use of pellet guns as ‘non lethal weapons’ has caused grievous injuries in internal organs of many causalities with some losing their eye sight. The use of pepper gas has caused hazardous breathing problems. It has been widely used in various areas of Kashmir resulting in breathing problems of the ordinary residents. Used by Nazi Germany to quell protests, it’s does not suit a democracy to use it against common people who protest for their rights.
The silence of world media has isolated the conflict torn region which is in its 66th year of occupation since 1947. With more than half a million people dead since the Indian Invasion, Kashmir remains the oldest unresolved dispute in the United Nations.
Turkey Tribune
