Memorandum from the people of the world towards Indian Government

Dr. Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister of India,
New Delhi.

Respected Sir,

In the last two months over 50 people have been killed by the Indian armed forces in Kashmir in the massive riots that have taken place. This brutal murder of ordinary people must stop immediately. The armed forces have been silencing innocent Kashmiris from expressing their opposition to India's occupation of Kashmir. More than four hundred political activists and entire leadership including Mian Abdul Qayyum and Shabbir Shah have been imprisoned in contravention of Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Hundreds have been detained or arrested including Naeem Ahmed Khan and Mohammad Yasin Malik, and inculding many other who have been imprisoment since decades like Dr.Mohammad Qasim, who is a religious scholar and a honorable leader. In such an atrocious atmosphere of trauma, horror and chaos, your government officials must not be delusional in vehemently declaring that everything is under control.

We demand that your Government stop the killings and agree to an impartial investigation into the recent killings, and into the human rights violations ongoing in Kashmir for the longest time. To resolve this outstanding dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, the international community in general, and the United States in particular and the full leadership of the people of Jammu & Kashmir must be involved for lasting peace in South Asia.

The Kashmir question is one of the oldest unresolved international problems in the world. The experience of nearly six decades has shown that it will not go away and that an effort is urgently required to resolve it on a durable basis. ‘Durable’, in this context is synonymous with ‘equitable’. It is imperative, whatever be the rights and wrongs in the equation as far as arguments go, real populations with a pronounced sense of identity of their own, with their suffering and their aspirations rather than just legal title and merit are involved.

There are certain characteristics of the situation in Kashmir, which distinguish it from all other deplorable human rights situations around the world.

It prevails in what is recognized - under international law as a disputed territory. According to the international agreements between India and Pakistan, negotiated by the United Nations (through a commission set up for the purpose) and endorsed by the Security Council, the territory's status is to be determined by the free vote of its people under U.N. supervision. The unresolved dispute caused two wars in the not-so-remote past between India and Pakistan.

It represents a Government's repression not of a secessionist or separatist movement but of an uprising against foreign occupation, an occupation that was expected to end under determinations made by the United Nations. The Kashmiris are not and cannot be called separatists because they cannot secede from a country to which they have never acceded to in the first place.

We, in the diaspora and the international community demand that India act as a democratic nation and respect the rule of law. We in the diaspora and the international community demand that Kashmir's right to self-determination be honored as an inalienable right.

If a response to the gravity of the situation is intended, we firmly believe that the following measures are essential:

1. There must be an immediate and complete cessation of military and paramilitary action by Indian forces against the people of Jammu & Kashmir;

2. All bunkers, watch towers and barricades set up by the Indian military and paramilitary forces in towns and villages must be immediately dismantled;

3. All those imprisoned in connection with resistance to the Indian occupation must be unconditionally released;

4. The draconian laws must be repealed immediately;

5. The right of peaceful association, assembly and demonstration must be restored to the people.

With profound regards,

Yours Sincerely,

Syed Musaib
Road-map For Kashmir Issue