MUZAFFARABAD: Activists of three Kashmiri organisations will stage a peaceful sit-in near the Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday (October 15) to protest against New Delhi’s ‘inhuman treatment’ of flood survivors in held Kashmir and its refusal to accept relief goods for them from international aid agencies.

The sit-in will be held in the town of Chakothi under the aegis of Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), a charity linked with Jamaatud Dawa (JuD), Pasban-i-Hurriyat Jammu Kashmir (PHJK), an organisation of Kashmiri refugees, and International Forum for Justice and Human Rights (IFJHR), a Srinagar-based rights group, their representatives announced at a press conference here on Sunday.

Also read: Hundreds of thousands marooned by floods in India-held Kashmir

Prior to the press conference, Mohammad Ahsan Untoo, chairman IFJHR, also briefly spoke to journalists by telephone from Srinagar about the condition of flood survivors in the India-held territory.

“The catastrophic floods, worst in over a century, have left behind a trail of death and destruction, causing unprecedented loss to lives, livelihood, infrastructure and property, affecting millions of people,” he said.

“As I talk to you, hundreds and thousands of survivors are still living in makeshift places, left by the authorities to fend for themselves, without any warm clothing and blankets amid rapidly approaching harsh winter,” he added.

The FIF, PHJK and IFJHR representatives said they wanted to draw the attention of the international community towards the plight of flood survivors and also get the trade routes (along the LoC) converted into “aid routes”.

“The flood survivors are in dire need of help, but India has locked the occupied territory for the outside world and thus left them at the mercy of circumstances,” said Maulana Abdul Aziz Alvi, patron of FIF.

On October 5, the FIF sent 12 truckloads of relief goods towards Chakothi-Uri crossing point at the LoC.

However, deputy commissioner Tehzeebun Nisa returned the vehicles from Chakothi, saying there was no instruction by the foreign affairs ministry.

“India wants to break the will of Kashmiris and force them to give up their demand for right to self determination by denying them the much needed aid and assistance. However, it will have to cut a sorry figure,” Mr Alvi said.

Uzair Ahmed Ghazali of PHJK said the United Nations, European Union, OIC and other international organisations should use their good offices in letting international aid agencies carry out relief and rescue operations in the affected region.

He pointed out that the extent of destruction and losses was so huge that it could hardly be compensated without the help and assistance from the international community.

“We also call upon the government of Pakistan to play a proactive role at the international level to convert the trade routes into aid routes until the situation returns to normalcy,” he said.

Mr Ghazali stressed that the shelling at the LoC and Working Boundary should not backburner the plight of marooned Kashmiris.

“They need succour more than what we needed after the devastating October 2005 earthquake,” he said.

IFJHR representative Mushtaqul Islam pointed out that held Kashmir was at the brink of chilling cold and if the much-needed assistance was not immediately extended to the victims, another human tragedy could not be ruled out.

He also urged the print and electronic media of Pakistan to highlight the actual condition of flood survivors in held Kashmir as India was trying to hoodwink the outside world through a false propaganda about its relief work in the affected region.

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2014