Intl. community neglects India repression in Kashmir: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Mohammed Shafiq, with the Ramadan Foundation from Manchester, about recent clashes between the Kashmiri people and Indian security forces after a top pro-independence figure was killed in a shootout with Indian troops on July 8.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How do you view the current situation in Kashmir?

Shafiq: Well, it’s obviously very destabilizing for the people of Kashmir. They’ve suffered from decades of oppression, human rights abuses on the part of the Indian authorities was the world stood by and watched that happen. And we see a number of economic agreements that have been signed with India without looking at the human rights record. And I think it’s systematic of the international community’s inaction when it comes to Muslim issues and Muslim countries that suffer from violence and hatred on the part of state-sponsored terrorism that we’ve seen on the part of the Indians.

Press TV: Why it is that we’re not seeing much really coverage of this in the mainstream media?

Shafiq: Yeah, I mean that’s part of the problem because it’s been going on for so long and because the Western media and Western societies are interested in trade agreements and business deals than they are about human rights. We have seen so few people in Kashmir who had decades of being oppressed. And they will just stand and watch and I think it’s really sad and an indictment of biased foreign policies that exist in Western capitals.

Press TV: Many people, Mr. Shafiq, are very sensitive to saying that this is an India versus Pakistan issue, but where do you think the Kashmiri people lie when it comes to that, because certainly many people would just say that they want just independence, they just want a resolution to this, a peaceful resolution of course?

Shafiq: Yeah, as going to be as part of India and Pakistan, the Kashmiri people have the right to self-determination to determine their own future. What the future make-up should be, should they be part of India, should they be part of Pakistan or should they be independent. And that right has never been given to them. And all negotiations between India and Pakistan in regards to Kashmir disregards and ignores the Kashmiri people and until we actually listen to what the Kashmiri people want you won’t see a settlement.

Press TV: We’ve seen such violence take place on the part of Indian forces towards Kashmiris a number of times. In fact, l’ve lost count over the years. Is this the last of it? Is there a lot worse to come?

Shafiq: Yeah, I think that as you rightly said there’s been a number of these over the decades. There’s been a number of Security Council resolutions against the oppression of the Kashmiri people, which India has ignored. And the Security Council just stands by and watches. And so, we will see more of these cases and now in the age of social media we see more people more able to get that actual footage of what is going on in reality in Kashmir or Palestine or anywhere else out to the international media. And so, people would be able to know about the oppression.

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