MAPIM condemns occupied Kashmir carnage by Indian troops

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Consultation Council of Islamic Organisation (MAPIM), a conglomeration of 200 organisations, has condemned in the "strongest terms" the recent martyrdom of 10 Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) by the Indian troops.

"We regret the deafening silence of the world community over the Indian forces atrocities in occupied Kashmir," MAPIM said in a statement, adding that the detention of Chairman Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Yasin Malik, to curtail the rightful movement to self-determination for Kashmir, is "unacceptable".

"Yasin Malik is a legitimate leader of the Kashmiris' struggle for independence from India."

It termed the martyrdom of Kashmiri youth in recent attacks by Indian forces "state-sponsored killings".

"It is most regretful that the UN has stood action-less to stop the human violations in the Indian-occupied Kashmir," the organisation said.

"We believe the atrocities inflicted on the Kashmiris by the Indian troops will not break the spirit of the Kashmiris for their struggle for independence and for self-determination," MAPIM said.

"We salute their persistence to stand their ground for justice and freedom."

It also said the brutal treatment of Yasin Malik, who was kept in jail and not provided basic treatment in view of his deteriorating health, was a criminal act according to international law.

"We are shocked by the barbaric act of the Indian forces last Saturday, slaughtering three youth in Kharpora Sirnoo and seven more youth, and injuring dozens others when the people were demonstrating against the killing of the youth," the organisation said.

"On record, we received reports, up until November 2018, Indian forces in their barbaric acts, martyred 48 people, besides arresting 169 and torturing 196."

In the decades of occupation and aggression, MAPIM said it was informed, the Indian forces have martyred 95,234 people since January 1989, in which the custodial killings were 7120.

"We demand for a world response to the inhuman and injustice act[s] of Indian forces. They must be dragged to the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity," it demanded.

"The world community needs to halt the ongoing and escalating violence by India without delay."

The organisation said the UN Security Council must intervene immediately, lest this world agency is regarded as a complicit to war crimes by India.

"The long-pending Kashmir conflict with India cannot be a protracted conflict as it will escalate into regional instability," it said.

"India has been bragging about itself as the biggest democracy on earth, yet it applies a brutal force to crush the majority voice of the Kashmiris for self-determination and their right to independence."

MAPIM called on the OIC Chairman to voice the group's concern and to send a strong message to India against its decades of barbaric acts against the people of occupied Kashmir.

"We conclude that the Indian forces' brutalities on Kashmiris are even worse than Israel's occupation of Palestine," the statement read.

"We urge the Malaysian government to take steps and initiatives to registers its protest against Indian atrocities in occupied Kashmir."