DNA

ISLAMABAD – Today, we sadly remember the assassination, three years ago, of noted Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari in Srinagar in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). To this day, the perpetrators of the crime are at large and the family of the victim is still awaiting justice.

We salute and honour the courage and professionalism of the journalists in IIOJK who continue to face a relentless campaign of harassment and intimidation by the Indian occupation forces. The situation has further worsened in the wake of India’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019.

The continued systematic intimidation of the Kashmiri journalists has been enabled by the grant of impunity to the Indian occupation forces under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA), Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

We once again call upon India to immediately lift all the restrictions on communication and media in IIOJK, withdraw frivolous cases filed against the Kashmiri journalists, and restore the fundamental freedoms of the Kashmiri people.

We also urge the international community to take cognizance of India’s grave human rights violations in IIOJK which warrant an investigation under international scrutiny. Such demands have also been made by the  Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in its two Reports on Kashmir of 2018 and 2019.