Military

Kashmir clashes claim 14,000 lives since 2002

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Srinagar, India, Feb 25, IRNA -- Putting the number of lives lost in Kashmir from 2002 to 2009 at 14,000, the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Societies (JKCCS), said that New Delhi had disregarded the transition to non-violence by Kashmiris and met it with brute forces.

Its report “Peace and Processes of Violence: An Observation on Situation in Jammu and Kashmir from 2002 to 2009” released here today says that the thousands of killings during the period depicted Kashmir as a war zone, and belied the media-driven claims of normalcy.

“From January 2002 to December 2009 around 14,033 people lost their lives which depict Jammu and Kashmir more as a war zone. These people include militants, troopers, civilians, political activists and others,” the report says.

According to the report, 3404 civilians, 7504 militants (claimed by government), 2451 troopers and 674 others were killed in Kashmir from 2002 to 2009.

“According to media reports there were 225 custodial killings and 360 persons were subjected to enforced disappearances from 2002 to 2009,” the report says.

The report also says that government ordered 140 probes on different cases of human rights abuses from 2002 to 2009.

“Out of which only 16 enquiries have been concluded. In just one case an army personnel who was accused of rape has been punished for misbehavior and sent to one year rigorous imprisonment,” it says.

“From 2004 to 2009, 157 troopers committed suicide while 55 personnel were killed in fratricidal incidents”, the report says, adding that from the available data for the year 2008 and 2009, mysterious killings by unidentified gunmen had resulted in the killings of 47 persons in 2008 and 26 people in 2009.

“Since January 2002 to December 2009, the conflict has consumed the lives of 258 children (under the age of 18). In the first two months of 2010, 3 boys, Inayat Khan of Dalgate, Wamiq Farooq of Rainawari and Zahid Farooq of Brein Nishat have become prey to the indiscriminate use of violence,” it says.

The report which deplores the want of any impact of the peace process between India and Pakistan on the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir says that Kashmir residents looked continuously besieged within the uncertainties of long-drawn conflict.

“The situation on ground presents an image that runs contrary to impressions of normalcy created by the superficial discourses of peace,” it says.

“The initiation of the peace process should have with time factored in the ground itself with the cessation of hostilities from all sides coupled with respectful and meaningful engagement with the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” it says.

The report says that instead of being people-centric, the peace process had remained state-centric.

“The process itself was privileged over the peace which clearly reveals its outlook as state-centric rather than people-centric in its intent and approach,” it says.

“Unfortunately, 6588 people were killed from January 2004 to November 2008 (till the attacks in Mumbai), the period during which both the states trumpeted peace process”, the report reads.

The report which presents the data collected by the JKCCS from 2002 to 2009 is based on the daily reportage in newspapers published from Jammu and Kashmir.

The report apprehends that there might be killings which were not reported.

“All these newspapers are primarily fed by the reports of daily killing by the Jammu and Kashmir police department,” the report says.

“There might be killings which are not shared with journalists in official records and may have remained unreported.”

The report hints that a false impression of normalcy was created by media hype to cover the unabated conflict.

“Just a cursory glance at the graph of killings demonstrates a real quantitative decline that registers the fact that an attempt at creating an enabling atmosphere was made that could have carried forward the media-hyped processes of peace,” it says.

The 27 page report also censures India for not responding appropriately to Kashmir’s transition from violence to non-violence.

“Transition to non-violence, as the data of civilian killings (and bullet injuries) of the last two years suggest, has been disregarded by the Indian state and met with brutal response, which is also reflective of the state’s approach towards conflict transformation,” it says.

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End News / IRNA / News Code 980010