Sedition charges against Kashmiri women have no merit: JKCHR

Islamabad: President of Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights (JKCHR) Dr. Syed Nazir Gilani currently visiting Pakistan has condemned the arrest and transfer of Asiya Andrabi, chief of the women’s pro-freedom group Dukhtaran-e-Milat and two other female activists Nahida Nasreen and Fehmeeda Sofi to New Delhi, says a press release. He said that registering a case of sedition against the three by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India has no merit because the three Muslim women are not Indian nationals. They are State Subjects under State Subject Law of 20 April 1927, when there was only British India.

JKCHR president said that the FIR filed by NIA for allegedly “advocating secession of Jammu and Kashmir from the Union of India and calling for Jihad and for the use of violence against the country” is a misdirected wisdom. Jammu and Kashmir is currently distributed into three administrations and the area occupied by Indian forces, does not constitute part of Indian union.

Nazir Gilani has said that Kashmiris have a right to challenge the continued presence of India in a part of Kashmir. India has surrendered its provisional arrangement of 27 October 1947 at the UN Security Council on 15 January 1948, for a UN supervised referendum. India does not have any reason to be in a part of Kashmir and its noncompliance to carry out the UN outsourced duty in the arrangement of holding a referendum, makes India an erring State.

JKCHR president reminded India that Dukhtaran-e-Milat and Hizbul Mujahideen are covered under the six interest groups recognised by the United Nations in the resolution of Kashmir dispute. These groups are currently frozen under UN Security Council Resolutions on Kashmir. If India continues to refuse to carry out the obligations under UN Resolutions, the five out of the six interest groups could re-group to fight the Indian occupation.

JKCHR president asked the Indian government to refrain from violating the liberty, dignity and honour of the citizens of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. He has said that the arrest of Kashmiri women and their transfer to Delhi, is highly condemnable action. Government of India should not go blind on gender sensitivity and other sensitivities of faith.