Srinagar: Separatist leaders in Kashmir
on Saturday demanded an investigaton by influential world bodies
into alleged violation of human rights in the Valley in the
wake of a WikiLeaks` expose.
"We appeal to the Amnesty International, the Asia Watch
and other influential bodies to send a team to Kashmir to
investigate all reports of torture in jails," Hurriyat hawk
Syed Ali Shah Geelani said in a statement here.
The chairman of the hardline faction of the Hurriyat
Conference also expressed surprise over what he said "years of
silence" maintained by the world community over the issue.
WikiLeaks, a whistle blower website, made public a US
official cable this week in which the International Committee
for Red Cross reportedly told American diplomats in 2005 about
"torture" in jails in Kashmir.
Geelani alleged even today, arrested youths were being
subjected to physical torture in jails in the Valley.
The hardline separatist leader also lashed at Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah saying his reaction to the expose was
a "white lie".
"During Omar Abdullah`s tenure not only there have
been thousands of cases of torture, but also there have deaths
due to torture," Geelani said.
Yesterday, Omar had tried to distance himself from the
US document saying "I am not getting into anything more than
the fact that these transcripts or leaks pertain to 2005. You
can do your own maths as to what regime was in power at that
time."
"As far as this government is concerned we do not
condone torture. We never have, we never will," the Chief
Minister had said.
Reacting to the document released by WikiLeaks,
moderate separatist leader Mirwaiz Umer Farooq said "torture
is being endorsed as a state policy here."
"We have been saying this all along that human rights
situation in Kashmir is extremely bad," the chairman of the
moderate faction of the Hurriyat told PTI.
He said the document revealed the "doublespeak of the
US government which knew about the torture and preferred to
remain silent".
The Hurriyat dove flayed successive governments in
Jammu and Kashmir saying there was no accountability in the
state.
JKLF chairman Yasin Malik said the torture was an "old
method" used in Kashmir.
PTI
