ISLAMABAD: Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir is observing the 32nd anniversary of the Pir Dastgeer massacre, a tragic incident in which 18 innocent civilians, including a father and his infant, lost their lives at the hands of Indian occupation forces in 1991.
Personnel from Indian paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) opened fire on thousands of people who had assembled in Pir Dastgeer, Khanyar, locality of downtown Srinagar, on 8th May 1991 to bury some martyred Kashmiris, killing 18 civilians on spot. One infant and his father were also killed in the firing.
Dastgeer Khanka Sahib is a 200-year-old shrine situated in Khanyar, Srinagar. The shrine is famous for a copy of old Quran written by Ali Ibn Abi Talib (R.A), and the relic which is locally called Mouia Pak, a hair strand of Abdul Qadir Gilani.
The incident is a grim reminder of India’s perpetual human rights violations in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian forces have been operating with impunity, empowered by draconian laws like AFSPA and PSA, which have been criticized by international human rights organizations. The Indian state’s patronage of human rights violations has made it an apartheid state, where equality and human rights are distant ideals.
The international community, particularly western powers, have failed to hold India accountable due to vested interests, despite claims of championing human rights. The Pir Dastgeer massacre serves as a stark reminder of India’s brutalities in Kashmir.
India has become an apartheid state where human rights and equality have become a distant idea. The western powers, often claim to be the champions of human rights, have failed to hold India accountable for its bad human right record because of their vested interests.
