Let Kashmir speak

For more than a month, the Kashmiri people have been under a complete lockdown, while the Indian government has had a blanket ban on communication of every sort, freedom of speech and association. The valley wears a deserted and jail-like look where around 30 million people have been incarcerated.

Given the draconian communication blackout in Indian-occupied Kashmir, Amnesty International India has launched a global campaign ‘Let Kashmir Speak’ to underscore the gross violation of civil liberties of the people of Kashmir. Aakar Patel, the head of Amnesty International India, said recently that the current blackout in Occupied Kashmir is against Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which India is a party. Gagging every voice, quashing every fundamental right of Kashmiri people won’t help the Indian government defeat the resolve of the Kashmiri people. It is time the Indian government let Kashmir speak out.

Riaz Ahmed Soomro

Shikarpur