September 20, 2019
Australian senators call for self-determination in Kashmir
By Syed Rifaquat Ali
A Kashmir symposium was held on September 18 at the Australian Parliament in Canberra, attended by a number of parliamentarians, representatives of Australian Forum for Kashmir (AFK) community and interfaith leaders, raising concern on the current human rights situations in Kashmir under total lockdown
by the Indian military, and calling for self-determination of the indigenous people of Kashmir.
The Forum was addressed by Craig Kelly, M.P. from Liberal party, Senator Deborah Oneill from Labour Party, Senator Dr. Mehreen Faruqi, Senator Richard di Natale, former Senator Lee Rhiannon and other community leaders and activists.
Senator Dr. Mehreen Faruqi said: Too rarely do we hear the voices of Kashmiris they were not allowed to determine their fate when the British drew the borders. Kashmiris have suffered long enough and the only solution to Kashmir issue is self-determination.
All the Senators acquiesced with the views of Senator Mehreen Faruqi and highlighted the plight of Kashmir people and violation of human rights by the Indian government.
The parliamentarians showed their full support and assured those present that they will raise the concerns regarding the Kashmir imbroglio at the forthcoming sessions of the Parliament and urge the Australian government to counsel the Indian government to respect the human rights of the people of Kashmir.
India's flagrant violation of human rights has resulted in loss of 50,000 lives, according to Amnesty International.
The secretary-general of United Nations, Antonio Guterres, too has vehemently told the Indian government to bring normalcy in Kashmir immediately, and set free the detained people.
The arrogant Modi government has acted on the contrary as a result of which eighty-three-year old Farooq Abdullah, son of the prime minister of Kashmir, the late Sheikh Abdullah, has been arrested under the National Safety Act, enacted by Sheikh Abdullah himself in 1987 to check timber smuggling.
There is public outcry in India over Farooq's arrest who is Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) member. Farooq is under detention for 12 days, which could be extended up to two years without any trial.
And what is most shocking is the fact that AmIt Shah, Home Minister in BJP government, answering to noted MP and author Shashi Tharoor in the Parliament, said that Farooq Abdullah is not under house arrest and is having a jolly good time in his house. Imagine the character of India's Home Minister who mislead the Parliament shamelessly.
Nobel prize winner Arundhati Roy is aghast at the wicked action of the Indian government in Kashmir where three former chief ministers and thousands of other people are detained since August 5.
The Indian forces have misbehaved with Kashmiri women and girls, tortured men and children in the most barbarous way. There is no press freedom, no internet, no mobile, no freedom of speech, no medical facilities, no freedom to communique, no freedom to travel, no freedom to shop and a
plethora of other restrictions which have made the lives of people a hell.
It is about fifty days and thousands of people are either locked up in their houses or have been sent to jail in and outside Kashmir.
And yet the Central government has the cheek to claim that everything is normal in Kashmir.
For how long this Draconian law will continue in Kashmir Mr. Narender Modi? On the one hand you give sermons that every Kashmiri aught to be , and on the other hand you stab in the back of every Kashmiri.
Central government forgets that the day these sinister restrictions and curbs are lifted in Kashmir, militancy will be rampant and anarchy will prevail unprecedented. The Modi government is down and out to establish Hindu Rashtra in India, the RSS agenda, but this dangerous trend could lead to war with Pakistan which will see millions of lives lost on either side of Indo-Pak. border, as both are nuclear-armed countries.
The United Nations must implement self-determination in Kashmir which is the only option in sight. After all, it should be left to the Kashmir people to decide their future. And that is true democracy if India understands the definition.
Syed Rifaquat Ali is Sydney-based journalist.
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
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