Taking up guns an option for youth: Bar president
‘It is no offence under the UN charter’
India using every tactic to suppress voice of people: Ronga
Terming taking up arms as an option for Kashmiri youth, Kashmir High Court Bar Association (KHCBA) President, Mian Abdul Qayoom Thursday said it is no offence under the UN Charter.
Addressing a seminar on Human Rights Day, Qayoom said gun is the last resort for the people and it is protected by the UN Charter.“We can use gun also as a last resort and it is no offence under UN charter,” he said.
Quoting the UN charter, Bar President said it says if a man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected
by the rule of law.
He read the preamble of the United Nations charter and said if human rights of the people are not respected, then as a last resort they are entitled to go for rebellion.
His statement came a week after Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani acknowledged that gun was an alternative to fight oppression.
In an interview, he had stated that it is good if youth are picking guns as according to him Kashmiri youth do not have any option but to pick up guns. “We cannot call it violence as these youth are fighting for their rights with different means”.
Qayoom said India-Pakistan talks will not yield anything because of the stubborn attitude of India.
“The former Indian Foreign Minister Swarn Singh had disclosed that India agrees to hold talks with Pakistan only when International pressure mounts on it but the country has no desire to settle the Kashmir issue and wants to gain time under the slogan of holding talks with Pakistan”.
The Bar president said the only solution to the Kashmir issue is to hold plebiscite in the state.
“UN resolutions form the bedrock of the Kashmir issue but it is our failure that we have not been able to get the Security Council resolutions implemented. We have a strong case but we have failed to project it properly,” he said while responding to some of the speakers who said they should no more ask for help from UN as it has failed to deliver justice.
Earlier, former Bar president, Nazir Ahmad Ronga, said India is using every tactic to suppress the voice of the people.
He called for a joint strategy to fight oppression. “We have to be one and there should be one modus operandi to fight oppression. We have regard for all leaders but request them to unite by leaving their egos”.
Terming the Kashmir as a “disputed territory”, Ronga said the Kashmir has lost everything in status quo. “We lost our culture, economy and social setup”.
Referring to Kashmir, he said unfortunate is the nation where youth, who are the real asset of the nation, are not safe.
Ronga said dialogue in the only way to resolve the Kashmir issue. “Even after war, issues are settled on table”.
He said the first and foremost violation of human rights in Kashmir is denial of right of self-determination to the people. “India tries to project the Kashmir movement as a terrorist movement
and when they failed in that, they started saying that it is a communal movement”.
Bashir Sidiq, General Secretary of the Bar Association gave a brief account of ‘Declaration on Human Rights’ and expressed concern over arrest of juveniles in the state.
He said recently a group of Juveniles were brought to the court after they had been kept in wrongful confinement for 13 days. “A juvenile had during this period complained of pain in his stomach. He was taken to hospital on the condition that he will not disclose his identity but will get his name recorded as an SPO”.
Sidiq said all juveniles were brought handcuffed to the court, which is contrary to the directions of Supreme Court. “Their remand was opposed/resisted by the lawyers and the court directed that they
be taken to Juvenile/ home and next day surprisingly, they were remanded by the court to the police custody.”
He said all the human rights organizations have failed to project the human rights violations taking place in Kashmir. “As such, we should raise it, wherever possible”.
