JOINT STATEMENT BY
CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISTS ON SECTARIAN CLASHES IN BUDGAM PUBLISHED BY KHURRAM
PARVEZ:
POSTED BY HABIB YOUSAFZAI, KASHMIR DIASPORA ALLIANCE
ASSALAM-O-ALAIKUM!
At the time of the
partition of the Indian subcontinent, India was able to convince Sheikh
Abdullah into nationalist sentiments. This division ultimately prevented the
state from acceding to Pakistan.As a result, the slavery
which was being resisted from 1931 was reinstated. The Kashmiris have been in a
state of war with occupational forces for more than eight decades. Just as the
Indian state initially weakened Pakistan in order to establish its hegemony in
the region, once again it is strategically doing the same. In an attempt to weaken
the liberation movement, it is utilizing a host of strategies in order to keep
those that are rightfully opposing it divided. Most recently, it is attempting
to divide those which are struggling for freedom on any basis including caste,
color, creed, sect and nationality. This is the exact same strategy which was
utilized initially with Sheikh Abdullah which created division by
disassociating his allegiance to Pakistan and what is the cause of the
situation which the Kashmiri people are facing today. As such, all those which
are resisting Indian occupation must not fall in to foolish and baseless
quarrels based on sects such as Sunni or Shiite. We must always remember that
we are brothers in Islam and that Prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) warned
of the creation of sects and the social and societal destruction which it
causes. Furthermore, and more importantly, we must realize that we are all brothers
in humanity. It is pertinent than for all those which are occupied and being
oppressed by the Indian state to band together in order to resist and put an
end to decades of systematic oppression, adds Habib Yousafzai.
25th July
2013
By; Khurram Parvez
For the last few days
some villages of Budgam district are witnessing unfortunate incidents of
sectarian clashes. Many villages continue to be under curfew but without
cessation of violence.
It is reported that two
youth groups entered into a brawl near Khomeni Chowk, Bemina on the Thursday
evening, 18th July. As the rival groups belonged to Sunni and
Shia sects, this minor tussle was manipulated by vested interests into a
Shia-Sunni clash. Next day, on 19th July, the clashes spread to
many other adjoining villages, despite the fact that entire valley was under
strict curfew and at various places there were protests being carried out
against the desecration of Holy Quran, sacrilege of the mosque and unprovoked
extra-judicial killings of 4 unarmed persons in cold blood at Gool, Ramban by
Border Security Force and Police.
So far many houses, shops
and vehicles of both the communities have been damaged. According to the locals
from these villages the Police intervention instead of addressing the clashes
further enraged the people. Despite curfew and deployment of police and CRPF,
it is baffling how properties continue to be damaged. For example, on 23rd July
at Suhipora, Wadwan around 40 houses were torched, out of which 30 belong to
one community and 10 houses of other sect. According to the villagers of Suhipora,
unidentified people who attacked the village in the midnight had come
from some other areas.
The pattern of these
riots is very suspicious and it appears there exist some ulterior motives
behind the current flare up. Having said that it would be naïve and
inappropriate to be in denial and not acknowledge the increasing hostility in
the discourses of some sections of Sunni and Shia communities. However we
will also be amiss if we fail to take note that some vested interest groups are
hell bent in hyping the differences amongst the two sects and inciting violence
between the two communities who despite their well known theological
view-points have never been involved in violence against each other in Kashmir and have always
lived in comparative harmony with each other.
As expected, the district
administration and the police have played anything but a conciliatory role.
Also the curfew around and in these villages has crucially restricted the
possibility of civil society initiatives for reconciliation. People in Laribal
and Hakermula villages claim that the police despite knowing the volatility in
the area reached their villages on Saturday only after four houses
and one shop had already been looted and damaged. In fact, we have been
informed by some people of Laribal village that some villagers were asked by
police to come forward for inter community dialogue and on 23rd July,
around 12 midday, at least 9 persons were taken along by the police from
Laribal and almost the same number of persons from Dandoosa. Since then they
have been detained by police.
People across the
affected villages of Budgam also state that the criminal and rogue elements in
the villages who few years back were part of Ikhwan network (government
militants) were seen actively involved in rioting and looting. Moreover the
cadres of pro-India parties instead of restraining and counseling people to
desist from rioting were seen actively involved in rioting.
We the concerned civil
society actors of Kashmir, urge the people at large and the religious leaders
from all sections of the society to play a positive role in ending sectarian
clashes in Budgam forthwith. Also we urge the religious leaders, particularly
of Sunni majority community to urgently attend to the need of de-escalating the
anti-Shia discourse amongst all sections of our society. Unfortunately from
various areas in Jammu and Kashmir it has been reported that some religious
leaders have unintentionally or intentionally encouraged via blaming the Shia
community for being anti-movement. It is a blatant lie and those encouraging
this discourse should stop forthwith, feel ashamed of vitiating our precious
atmosphere of life-long amity, willy-nilly acting as tools of those who want to
divide us.
We urge all sections of
Kashmiri society to come forward for helping the affected families, defeating
the machinations of anti-people forces and ensuring that this kind of madness
is not accepted, ever again.
1. Dr.
Altaf Hussain – Author and Civil Society Activist
2. Adv. Parvez
Imroz – Human Rights Lawyer and President, J&K Coalition of Civil Society
3. Abdul
Majid Zargar – Columnist and Chattered Accountant
4. Z. G.
Mohammad – Author and Columnist
5. Zahir
ud Din – Journalist and Author
6. Munshi
Ghulam Hassan – Ex-Chairman J&K Bank
7. Shujaat
Bukhari – Editor in Chief, Rising Kashmir
8. Dr.
Zaffar Mehdi – Social Activist
9. Dr.
Mubeen Shah – President, Joint Chamber of Commerce
10. Shakeel Qalander – Social
Activist, member KCSDS
11. Sajjad Hussain – Social
Activist
12. Najeeb Mubarki –
Journalist
13. Gowhar Geelani –
Journalist, Writer
14. Abir Bazaz – Academician
15. Mirza Waheed – Author
16. Adv. Syed Manzoor –
Senior Advocate
17. Dr. Rafi Punjabi – Poet
and Writer
18. Huma Dar – Academician
19. Dr. Javid Iqbal –
Columnist and Physician
20. Anwar Ashai – Social
Activist
21. Zareef Ahmed Zareef –
Poet and Social Activist
22. Ifrah Butt – Social
Activist
23. Samreen Mushtaq – Social
Activist
24. Uzma Qureshi – Social
Activist
25. Uzaifa Basu – Social
Activist
26. Khurram Parvez – Human
Rights Activist
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