JKLF STAGE PROTEST DEMONSTRATION ON MAQBOOL BUTT ANNIVERSARY
LONDON, 12 February, 98
Kashmiri activists and members of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) on Wednesday staged a protest demonstration outside the Indian High Commission in Central London to condemn the atrocities being committed by the Indian forces against the innocent civilians and demanding their inherent right to self-determination. Holding placards inscribed with various slogans, demanding foreign forces to quit Kashmir. Over 200 demonstrators gathered from London, Luton, Watford, Birmingham, Bradford, Accrington, Nelson and other places, displaying banners and posters of JKLF martyrs Maqbool Butt, Ishfaq Wani and Hameed Shiekh Shaeed shouted anti-India and pro-independence slogans for 3 hours and distributed leaflets to thousands of on lookers.
The JKLF (UK & Europe Chapter) had organised the demonstration to commemorate the 14th death anniversary of their leader Maqbool Butt who was hanged by India on Feb 11, 1984. At the end of the protest, two members of the JKLF were allowed to enter the building to hand over their memorandum to an Indian official. The memorandum condemned the presence of 600,000 Indian troops in the Valley and demanded their immediate withdrawal. It also condemned the massacre of 23 Kashmiri pundits in Ganderbal on Jan 26 and killing of nine Muslims who were murdered on Eid-ul-Fitr day in the occupied Kashmir.
The Following memorandum was handed in to the Indian High Commissioner in London.
On the occasion of the 14th anniversary of Maqbool Butt Shaheed, we are demonstrating to condemn the continued occupation of our motherland by your 600,000 armed troops who have been engaged in killing and suppressing innocent Kashmiris who demand their inherent right to self-determination.
While we condemn the recent massacre of 23 Kashmiri Pandits in Ganderbal on 26th January and the killing of 9 Muslims murdered on Eid-ul-Fitre on 30th January when at least 19 other were seriously injured, we hold your government and armed forces responsible for the gruesome murders of Kashmiri civilians in the occupied areas.
We fail to see why world’s poorest country which cannot afford to feed million of its citizens must spend billions of dollars to maintain a huge force in a place where they are not welcomed or wanted. We think it is time that your government was made to realise the futility of the war it is fighting in Kashmir and see sense in withdrawing its troops to leave the Kashmiris in peace as promised by your founding father Mr Nehru.
We would like to reiterate that people of Jammu-Kashmir are the prime and sole arbitrators of their political destiny and that since India has not been able to win the will of Kashmiris for half a century, it is time that your government found the courage to talk to Kashmiri national representatives in a tri-lateral dialogue to resolve the long-standing issue in accordance with the popular aspirations of our people for an independent homeland. We emphasise that the artificial boundaries created in Jammu Kashmir by India and Pakistan are not acceptable and our people will continue their struggle to demolish such artificial walls of division between our people as did Maqbool Butt Shaheed.
We are here to demand an end to all human rights violations in Kashmr and access for international human rights organisations to visit the occupied areas to independently investigate the most recent massacres mentioned above. We are also concerned about the continued mental and physical torture of Kashmiri prisoners in Indian jails and demand that they be released immediately as many of them have been locked up for over 5 years without any kind of trial.
As the world opinion continues to grow in our favour we believe both India and Pakistan will have to accept demilitarisation of the state of Jammu Kashmir and any agreement reached between the two governments through bilateral talks would not be binding for the 13 million people of Jammu Kashmir who will except nothing less than complete evacuation of all foreign troops with re-unified independent Jammu-Kashmir as a final settlement.
We believe it is about time both governments of India and Pakistan allowed Kashmiri national leaders to freely travel to and from both sides of Kashmir to meet together to discuss possible solution to the issue amongst themselves and with the international community. We reject the notion of ‘elections’ in presence of your armed forces and under Indian constitution as Kashmiri leaders have already denounced them and cannot emphasise greatly that until India is prepared to accept an internationally recognised method of determining the will of the people on the status of Kashmir the fight shall continue to achieve our birthright.
The hanging of Maqbool Butt in Delhi, on 11 February 1984, not only outraged the whole of the Kashmiri nation but compelled our youth to follow the footsteps of their martyred leader and the world has witnessed the resolve of our people strengthened over the last 14 years which shall continue to grow as state repression and suppression grows in Kashmir and India will continue to earn nothing but international condemnation for the brutalities and reign of terror which it has unleashed against the Kashmiri population - both Muslim and non-Muslims. Despite the continued barbarism, molestation, torture and extra judicial killing the brave men, women and children of Kashmir, on both sides, show no signs of giving into evil designs to permanently divide our motherland by outside forces. Kashmiri expatriates shall continue to expose to the international community the true ugly face of 'democratic and secular' India, which it displays in Kashmir.
Members of Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) will continue their struggle to fulfil Maqbool Butt Shaheed's sacred mission to liberate and reunite our motherland and our struggle shall be carried forward by our next generations come what may. Ours is not a sectarian or communal movement but one of national liberation to achieve democratic rights and sovereignty in accordance with the international laws enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
SINGNED Mohammed Younis
President, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front - UK/Europe