Srinagar, Dec 21: Rebuffing General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the 16 Corps, J P Nehra’s claim that the Army had “zero tolerance” for rights violations, Hurriyat (G) Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani on Tuesday said his party would provide “documentary evidence” to  Amnesty International if it sends a team to probe “custodial torture and other rights abuses” committed by Army men in Kashmir.
 Alleging that New Delhi had discreetly handed over more special powers to the Army, Geelani said Nehra’s zero tolerance claim was a “blatant lie.”
 “The army ‘s real face has been exposed by several fake encounters. The recent example of Army killing innocent Kashmiris for medals and money lies before all in the form of Machil fake killings. In fact, the Army has been given a more active role on the pattern of 1990s, and is treating both political activists and ordinary citizens like militants,” Geelani said in a statement.
 He rejected Nehra’s claim that the Army orders probes into rights violation allegations against its men and takes prompt action against the guilty. “Have the killers of Jaleel Andrabi been punished?  Has the army prosecuted any of its men responsible for killing or disappearing thousands of innocent civilians in custody?” Geelani said, alleging that the Army continued to give third degree “torture” to Kashmiri youth.(PBI)

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