Kashmir at great risk if AFSPA not abolished: Mirwaiz

Srinagar, Mar 06: Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who continues to be under house arrest in the backdrop of Monday’s Shopian killings said that the situation in Kashmir is extremely grim and fast deteriorating by the day as more than thirteen civilians have been brutally killed by the forces in the last six weeks alone.
The spokesman said that government forces enjoy complete immunity from any accountability or legal prosecution under the cover of Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA.
Most of these killings have taken place in the Shopian district where around eight civilians, young men and teenagers have been killed including a 17-year-old girl Saima Wani, adding that “even lactating mothers have not been spared as two young mothers of infants were also killed”.
Mirwaiz said that “rampant killing of Kashmiri’s is becoming the order of the day and it seems that it is a part of the military solution that is promulgated by the government as a way of dealing with the Kashmir conflict.”
He said as no responsibility is fixed for these killings and there is no accountability, the highly worrisome reality is that the lives of the people of Kashmiris are perpetually at great risk unless the law of AFSPA is not abolished, the unaccounted for killing of Kashmiris will continue and we will keep losing our young and old men and women.
Mirwaiz also lambasted Jammu and Kashmir government over its stand on First Information Report (FIR) against army major in Shopian killings last month.
“Preposterous! Now, J&K Govt in Supreme Court says no accused named in the police FIR registered in the brutal killing of 3 civilians in Shopian, while all along they were beating the drum that the accused has been identified and named and “justice” will be delivered!” Mirwaiz wrote on his tweeter handle.
He urged upon international human rights organizations to take cognizance of the extremely grave human rights situation in the valley and highlight it at the global level. He said the silence of the Indian human rights organizations activists, humanists most print media, writers, columnists at the rising graph of gruesome killings in Kashmir each day is extremely sad and discouraging.