"the right of self-determination ... the only way forward"

PRESS RELEASE

At a public meeting organized in Delhi by Janahastakshep, PUCL and
PUDR on 9th September, speakers stressed that respecting the right of
self-determination was the only way forward. It was the opinion of
the speakers at the meeting that the agreement reached between the
Jammu based agitation and the Indian government, through its
Governor, is an appeasement of the Hindutva forces and singularly
fails to follow the recommendations of the Nitish Sengupta Committee
(1996) which had proposed curtailment of the Amarnath Yatra to 30
days and restricting the number of yatris to one lakh. This
appeasement was compounded by the blood-letting in valley resulting
in death of 50 and injury to more than 2000 persons. Moreover,
repression is back in vogue with security forces singling out local
leaders in the villages with arrests, beating, booking some under
preventive detention act of J&K, Public Safety Act, and filing of
more than 250 cases. In contrast, as part of the agreement with the
agitators in Jammu persons charged with various violent acts have
been allowed to go scot free and may in fact, as part of the deal
struck, be provided with compensation. It was the considered
opinion of almost all speakers that there was no basis to support
Indian state's approach of military suppression accompanied by
politics of manipulation and empty promises or though an election
process which severely lacks credibility.

The meeting was held against the background of over two month long
agitation and counter agitation in Kashmir and Jammu which brought
home Indian state's precarious hold over J&K. In just four days on
August 11-14 Indian security forces shot dead thirty two people in
Kashmir valley. The Valley saw lakhs of people coming out to protest
against the blockade and for their inalienable right to exercise the
right of self-determination. The people of the state groan under
draconian laws like AFSPA, Disturbed Areas Act, PSA etc and unarmed
people are fired upon. Despite the unprecedented violence against the
protestors in Kashmir their quest for 'azadi' from Indian Union
remained non-violent.

In contrast the agitation in Jammu, spearheaded by BJP and Congress,
conducted what is essentially an anti-Muslim agitation. There was
competition between the two leading parties in harnessing majority
Hindu chauvinism. Their top leaders in Jammu participated in
blockade while the Congress led UPA went into a denial mode on the
fact of blockade despite extensive proof of the same. The economic
blockade which severely affected the life in the valley imperiled the
right to life of people in the valley. The message conveyed was that
Indian State was unmindful of even the physical well-being of the
people in Kashmir.

Speakers at the meeting stressed that erosion of Article 370 along
with India and Pakistan resiling from their commitment to refer the
matter to the people of J&K has been a major reason for the
irresolution of the dispute for over 61 years. They also opined that
massive and peaceful outpouring on the streets of Srinagar and
elsewhere in Kashmir ought to be met with meaningful political
dialogue. For this dialogue to be meaningful it ought to revolve
around the right of self-determination of the people of J&K.

The prominent speakers who spoke in the meeting were:
Arundhati Roy, Prem Shankar Jha, Javeed Naqvi, Sanjay Kak, Dr. Aparna
- CPI(ML) New Democracy, G.N. Saibaba - Revolutionary Democratic
Front, Retd. Juctice Rajinder Sachar - People's Union for Civil
Liberties, Gautam Navlakha - People's Union for Democratic Rights,
S.A.R. Geelani - Commitee for Release of Political Prisoners

Janahastakshep, PUCL and PUDR (Delhi)
9th September, 2008