Amnesty International calls for removal of communications blackout in occupied Kashmir

Published September 15, 2019
Security personnel stand guard during a lockdown in Srinagar on August 14, 2019, after the Indian government stripped occupied Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy. — AFP
Security personnel stand guard during a lockdown in Srinagar on August 14, 2019, after the Indian government stripped occupied Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy. — AFP

Human rights group Amnesty International has launched a petition on its website, urging people to raise their voice against the government-imposed communications blackout in India-occupied Kashmir, that has been in place for over a month.

“Nearly 8 million people have been living through a communication shutdown since August 5,” the human rights organisation stated on its website.

“The world needs to know what’s happening,” it said and urged people to "take action and demand that the government let Kashmir speak.”

Occupied Kashmir has been under a strict lockdown and communications blackout since last month, before the Indian government repealed Article 370 of the constitution, stripping the region of its special status on August 5. The move has allowed citizens of India to acquire property in occupied Kashmir and settle there permanently.

The statement released by Amnesty International pointed out that there had been multiple reports of raids, arrests, clashes and detentions in occupied Kashmir, and said that the “world can only speculate on what grave human rights violations might be taking place [there] right now".

“There have been reports of political leaders being detained or being kept under house arrest,” the organisation said.

“Access to emergency services, education and health care is being affected.”

Amnesty International urged the Indian government to “put humanity first and let the people of Kashmir speak". It also demanded “unconditional and unconstrained access to news and information from the valley".

On Saturday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had also urged the international community to play their due role in resolving the Kashmir issue and warned them that the dispute — which he said has become a "flashpoint" between India and Pakistan — carries the potential of turning into a nuclear war and impacting the entire world.

Must Read

May 12, 2007 — the day Karachi went berserk

May 12, 2007 — the day Karachi went berserk

Retired SHC judge recalls the bloody Saturday when the city was under siege for nearly 24 hours and held hostage by forces in the face of whom even jurists and law enforcers were helpless.

Opinion

Editorial

A turbulent 2023
Updated 12 May, 2024

A turbulent 2023

Govt must ensure judiciary's independence, respect for democratic processes, and protection for all citizens against abuse of power.
A moral victory
12 May, 2024

A moral victory

AS the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted on Friday in favour of granting Palestine greater rights at the...
Hope after defeat
12 May, 2024

Hope after defeat

ON Saturday, having fallen behind Japan in the first quarter of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup final, Pakistan showed...
Taxing pensions
Updated 11 May, 2024

Taxing pensions

Tax reforms have failed to deliver because of distortions created by the FBR bureaucracy through SROs, apparently for personal gains.
Orwellian slide
11 May, 2024

Orwellian slide

IN recent years, Pakistan has made several attempts at introducing an overarching mechanism through which to check...
Terror against girls
11 May, 2024

Terror against girls

ONCE again, the ogre of terrorism is seeking the sacrifice of schoolgirls. On Wednesday, just days after the...