Srinagar, July 3: The Government on Tuesday disclosed that number of unidentified militants killed in Poonch and Rajouri was 2080 and it was ready to probe specific cases of enforced disappearances.
 “As many as 2134 militants have been killed in Poonch and 1297 in Rajouri. Among the 2134 militants killed in Poonch, 648 have been identified while as 1486 have not been identified. Among the 1297 militants killed in Rajouri, 703 have been identified while as 594 have not been unidentified,” said Home department in its reply to the State Human Rights Commission.
 SHRC fixed August 7 as next date for hearing in the case of unmarked graves in Poonch and Rajouri and also directed Police and Deputy Commissioner Rajouri to submit their reports on next date.
 While hearing the case, the double bench of SHRC comprising Javaid Ahmad Kawoos and Rafiq Ahmed Fida directed the Chief Prosecuting Officer to ensure the submission of the report from the DGP by or before the next date.
 During the hearing, the Commission said Secretary SHRC will address a D.O. to DC Rajouri impressing upon him to submit the report positively before the next date considering the gravity and seriousness of the matter.
 The DC Poonch and Under Secretary to the Government Home Department have submitted their replies to the Commission.

Home Department reply
 “The Government is willing to enquire into any complaint of enforced disappearance about which any human rights group may have any specific information,” the reply says
 “The apprehension   that some of the dead bodies which are unidentified may be of the enforced disappearances is only based on the statements of some persons and not on the facts,” it reads.
 Castigating human rights activists, the report says that they are raising the bogey of human rights violations at the behest of forces inimically disposed towards the country.
 “It needs to be noted that while hundreds of such youth are still in Pakistan their mentors are crying hoarse and deliberately accusing the state security apparatus for their forcible disappearance,” it added.
 The J&K Government has also said that all necessary steps have been taken to ascertain the identity of dead bodies for their proper disposal. “However, identity of foreign militants and those not belonging to the areas where these engagements with security forces took place but were operating elsewhere under disguise (using code names) have always remained a problem hence they were categorized as unidentified persons,” it said.
 The government has said that the dead bodies of all the local militants were handed over to their heirs for final rites. “However, in case of militants who were not identified their bodies were handed over to the local Auqaf who had been carrying the burial as per religious rites,” it stated.
 “An impression is generated that unidentified bodies have been buried in unmarked graves ignoring the fact that police hands over the dead bodies of militants to the legal heirs for their last rites or local Auqaf Committee.”
 Talking to Greater Kashmir, coordinator of Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society (JKCCS) Khurram Parvez said that they had submitted the prima-facie evidence about existence of 3844 unmarked graves in Poonch and Rajouri.
 “The Home Department conveniently in their report has chosen to not respond on the number of unmarked graves and the details of graveyards submitted by us. The figure which they have produced in the report appears to be yet obfuscation,” Khurram said.
 He also said that government has, so far, been claiming that 6000 foreign militants were killed in Jammu and Kashmir in last two decades.
 “So far we have produced the evidence of more than 6217 unmarked graves across five districts of Jammu and Kashmir out of 20 districts. The total number of unmarked graves in Jammu and Kashmir is far more than the total number of foreign militants killed. Government needs to answer this,” he added.

Lastupdate on : Tue, 3 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Tue, 3 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Wed, 4 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST