AJK civil society protests against killing of Kashmiris by India

Civil society activists held a candle-light protest in Muzaffarabad on Friday evening against the killing of four residents of Neelum valley by the Indian army, and urged Islamabad to use its offices for the recovery of their bodies.

Four Neelum valley residents — Zaafran, son of Ghulam Sarwar, Shahzaman, son of Mohammad Younas, Wajid Akbar, son of Ali Akbar, and Faisal Iqbal, son of Sher Zaman — went missing on July 29.

It turned out later that they had been killed by the Indian army on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC).

According to their relatives, the victims were collecting a medicinal plant — Tripatra or Barseem (Red Clove) — along the unmarked dividing line when the Indian army “arrested and took them across”.

An Indian magazine, Firstpost, quoting an FIR registered in a police station in the India-held territory on July 30 on behalf of the 56-Rashtriya Rifles, disclosed that the four were killed by the army near Katwar Post late on the preceding night as “unidentified Pakistani intruders”.

The FIR recorded the army’s statement that it recovered one AK-56 assault rifle, three pistols and a 12-bore shotgun from the group.

However, even some Indian officials were skeptical about the claim. The FirstPost also quoted a senior Indian army officer, based in occupied Kashmir, as pointing out that "it was unusual for an infiltrating group of four terrorists to possess only one assault rifle, and no grenades or communication equipment."

The protest in Muzaffarabad was organised through the social networking site, Facebook, by members of a group, namely AJK Civil Society Forum.

It began at the Central Press Club and culminated on the main road outside, where the demonstrators lined up at the pavement and lighted candles.

They were holding placards seeking an end to killing of innocent Kashmiris by India.

"Stop genocide of Kashmiris," read one placard. 

“They were innocent citizens, but the Indian army arrested them from Pakistani territory and killed them in cold blood,” said Mir Adnan Rehman, one of the organisers of the protest.

He regretted that Islamabad was yet to highlight this violation of the LoC in a forceful manner.

Pakistan should take effective steps to get back the bodies of the victims to be buried by their relatives in their ancestral areas, he said.

Lawyer Raza Ali Khan said the Indian government and the media were launching an unending offensive against Pakistan on flimsy grounds, while Pakistan government was unable to highlight the excesses by the Indian army within the held territory as well as in areas along the LoC.

The demonstrators also vented anger at mainstream Pakistani media for not "properly focusing attention on unrelenting ceasefire violations by the Indian army and its adverse effects on the lives of border area residents.” 

"Why Pakistani media is silent over the killings of Kashmiris," questioned another placard. 

It may be mentioned here that residents of border areas in AJK allege that Indian military often whisks away civilians as they herd cattle, cut fodder or pick fuel wood or medicinal plants along the LoC.

In June 2009, deputy commissioner Neelum Ahmed Attaullah had confirmed that a Valley resident, identified as Manzoor Ahmed, was “picked up and taken across by the Indian troops near Tejian village."

Prior to that, in September 2007, three men went missing from Dhakki and Chaknar hamlets of Neelum Valley and their relatives alleged they were kidnapped by the Indian troops from this side of the LoC... Tariq Naqash