APHC, others pay tributes to victims of Handwara, other January massacres
#HandwaraMassacre
Srinagar: The All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) has paid rich tributes to the martyrs of the Handwara massacre and other January massacres in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), highlighting the unending suffering of Kashmiris under Indian occupation.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the month of January is etched in the collective memory of Kashmiris as a time of brutal massacres perpetrated by Indian forces’ personnel. On January 6, 1993, over 60 civilians were martyred, and more than 350 shops and houses were burned to ashes when Indian troops set Sopore town ablaze. On January 21, 1990, at least 50 people were killed when men in uniform indiscriminately fired upon a peaceful procession at Basant Bagh, Srinagar.
Just four days later, on January 25, 1990, Handwara witnessed another tragedy when 17 innocent people were gunned down in cold blood by Indian Border Security Force (BSF) troops as they opened fire on peaceful protesters. The cycle of violence continued with the Kupwara massacre on January 27, 1994, in which 27 civilians were killed and 36 others injured during a similar indiscriminate shooting spree.
In a statement issued in Srinagar, APHC spokesman Abdul Rashid Minhas paid homage to the martyrs of the Handwara massacre on their 35th martyrdom anniversary. He condemned the Indian occupational troops for their barbarity and their indiscriminate use of force on peaceful demonstrators demanding their right to self-determination. “On this day in 1990, innocent men, women, and children were ruthlessly killed by Indian forces in Handwara for raising their voices against oppression,” he said. Minhas reaffirmed the Kashmiri people’s unwavering resolve to carry forward their struggle for freedom until it reaches its logical conclusion. “These massacres are a stark reminder of the atrocities committed by Indian forces and the sacrifices made by Kashmiris in their quest for justice and freedom,” he added.
The APHC urged global human rights organizations to hold India accountable for its crimes in IIOJK and to ensure justice for the victims of these massacres. “The silence of the international community emboldens the oppressor. It is time for the world to act decisively to end the long-standing sufferings of the people of Kashmir,” the APHC statement concluded.
Other Hurriyat leaders and organizations, in their separate statements in Srinagar, paid glowing tributes to the victims of the massacres and reiterated their commitment to the ongoing freedom struggle. They emphasized that the blood of innocent Kashmiris will not go in vain and that their sacrifices will be honored through the ultimate freedom of the territory from Indian occupation. They also appealed to the international community, particularly the United Nations, to take cognizance of these massacres and pressurize India to conduct impartial investigations into the killings.
