Civil Society Shots a letter to Assembly members urging them to take up issue in Assebbly
Srinagar, Sept. 26 : In an important development, human rights activists and civil society member Parvaiz Khuram has shot letters to Legislative members including Chief Minster Omar Abdullah, Leader of the opposition Mehbooba Mufti and CPIM leader M.Y Tarigami urging them to take up the issue of mass graves during the current session of the assembly. According to KNS, Khuram has appealed assembly members to pres for independent and impartial inquiry into mass graves besides urging government to allow United Nations Special Reporter to visit Jammu and Kashmir. In his letter, Khuram wrote,
‘We appeal to the Members of the Jammu and Kashmir State Legislative Assembly to address the following urgent issues in light of the findings put forward by the State Human Rights Commission of Jammu and Kashmir (SHRC) pertaining to unknown and unmarked graves. He further added,
’’We ask that the matter of unknown, unmarked, and mass graves be subjected to a rigorous, independent, and impartial investigation. We ask that the story of these graves, and the legal and institutional histories of the graveyards, be investigated in their entirety to hold particular officers and offices that acted in violation of the law actionable. ’ Advocating for a three-tier process for Investigation, Prosecution, and Reparation, Khuram Parvaiz urged that an Independent Commission of Inquiry be constituted to oversee the process of investigations into unknown and unmarked graves in Kashmir. This commission should be co-chaired by two credible retired justices of the Supreme Court of India. Further, recognizing the urgent need for such a body, a timeframe must be set for its constitution. Besides an Independent Commission of Inquiry be assisted by a relevant panel of international experts on unknown and mass graves, including those with backgrounds in forensic and cultural anthropology and human rights law. Further, the Commission of Inquiry should appointment independent observers to the process and draw on the local knowledge of impacted communities. Khuram has made a strong appeal to legislative members to press govt to grant permission to UN special Reporters in jammu and Kashmir. “We ask that the following United Nations Special Reporters be permitted and invited to visit Jammu and Kashmir: (1) Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, (2) Arbitrary Detentions, (3) Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, (4) Violence Against Women, Its Causes and Consequences, and (5) Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions.”Khuram wrote in his letter. Meanwhile Khuram Parvaiz has also asked government to hold an independent inquiry into the mass grave expose.
-KNS
