Anguished over the killing of seven civilians in southern Pulwama district, Kashmir’s apex business and commerce organisations Saturday urged the government to stop military operations in civilian areas and called upon the international community to take note of “recurring civilian killings by forces in Kashmir”.
“It is painful to witness our youth being killed. The government of India has to be accountable to this mindless violence,” said president of Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), Sheikh Ashiq.
“KCCI calls for cessation of hostile operations in civilian areas and demands resolution of the (Kashmir) dispute through a structured, meaningful and effective dialogue amongst stakeholders,” he said. “The policy of killing innocents with impunity needs to stop. We urge for accountability and demand exemplary punishment to those involved in the killings. The policy-makers need to realise that the use of brutal force against civilian population is yielding no results, except creating a situation of chaos and anarchy in the state. We see no end in sight to the bloodshed unless the international community which has so far chosen to watch silently intervenes and ensures that steps are taken for settlement of the dispute.”
Chairman of the Kashmir Economic Alliance Muhammad Yasin Khan also called for an end to “operations in civilian areas”, saying “such a dance of death otherwise cannot facilitate restoration of peace”.
“In the garb of armed forces special powers Act (AFSPA), the army and other forces have been unleashing terror on innocent Kashmiris and the human rights violations have reached the proportions of war crimes. The government should feel ashamed of its failure to safeguard precious human lives,” Khan said.
“This all suggests a strategic genocide. Kashmir dispute has historical background and context which can’t be ignored and dealing with it militarily and adopting a policy that includes killings will not work,” Khan said, adding: “The systematic killing of people of Kashmir needs an immediate end or this pre-programmed genocide will backlash in the form of a never-before agitation, the onus of which will lie on the government and its trigger-happy forces.”
Expressing sympathies with the bereaved families, Khan said such killings would only “aggravate Kashmir crisis rather than bringing any fruitful results”.
Khan urged the international community to “actively contribute towards the solution of Kashmir issue so that sustainable peace is restored in the sub-continent”.
President, Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Muhammad Ashraf Mir, strongly condemned the civilian killings.
“There is no justification for such killings. It is a genocide of Kashmiris,” he said.
General secretary of Chamber of Commerce and Industries Kashmir, Tariq Rashid Ghani, said civilian killings are “breaking the back of Kashmiris and there has to be an end to it. Business and killings cannot go hand-in-hand. If the government wants prosperity of Kashmir, it must take strict action against forces personnel involved in the killing of civilians in Pulwama today.”
Convener, JKSECC, Siraj Ahmad while condemning the civilian killings, said: “Government is responsible for unleashing terror on the civilian population. They should stop operations in civilian areas, knowing fully that it results in loss of lives and destruction to properties.”