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Panel needs to be set up to dig out truth behind unmarked graves: Omar Abdullah
Confirming the Mail Today expose on the existence of unmarked graves in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said a "truth and reconciliation commission" should be set up to unearth the facts. But he denied the presence of "mass graves" as reported in the September 26 edition of this publication.
"With only a few exceptions where two bodies were found, not more than one person has been buried in the individual graves," he said. Saying the issue should not be seen in black and white, he added: "Quite often, there are various shades of grey."
Referring to the article in Mail Today, Omar said: "A newspaper has carried a report about the presence of 2,500 graves in Poonch, including mass graves... The records reveal that 2,136 militants have been killed in Poonch since 1990, of which 2,090 were of foreign origin. The graves could be theirs, but to declare them 'mass graves of unidentified persons' cannot be the real reflection of facts."
Arguing for the commission while speaking on a motion moved by the National Conference legislators to discuss the issue of mass graves, the chief minister said: "This can be the biggest J&K-centric confidence-building mechanism (CBM) by India and Pakistan for the people of the state." He also requested the leadership of the two countries to hold a dialogue on the issue and come forward with a joint strategy.
He clarified that his government would not wait for the commission's formation. "The state human rights commission recommendations on the issue will be given due consideration and implemented," he promised.
Omar said the proposed panel would clear the air on how many people were from across the Line of Control (LoC), how many had died in militant training camps and how many had been killed by militants. "Should we not seek the answer to how many people were killed by militants? Have we no right to ask who killed our people and under what conditions were they killed?" he asked.
The chief minister told the House: "We are not here to hide the facts or conceal the truth...but our endeavour is to dig out the facts and bring these before the public. This cannot be done overnight but we have to make a start in this direction."
Read more at: Panel needs to be set up to dig out truth behind unmarked graves: Omar Abdullah : North: News India Today
West must not lecture us on human rights: Omar Abdullah
Srinagar: Apparently irked over the British Parliament's move to discuss alleged rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said some of the western countries were indulging in grave violations in Iraq, Afghanistan.
"Do not lecture us on human rights... We know how you exported people from Iraq and Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay and what kind of treatment was meted to them there," Omar said in the J&K Assembly.
The chief minister was apparently referring to the debate in the British Parliament on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month.
The rare outburst by the chief minister also came a day after Amnesty International wrote a letter to the members of the state assembly, urging them to take up human rights matter including the issue of unmarked graves.
Omar said the human rights record of the state government was good and it was a state organ which had brought the unmarked graves issue to light.
"It was the State Human Rights Commission which brought out the issue. It was the media that reported the matter, which indicates that there is freedom for all," he said.
West must not lecture us on human rights: Omar Abdullah - Politics - Politics News - ibnlive
Confirming the Mail Today expose on the existence of unmarked graves in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said a "truth and reconciliation commission" should be set up to unearth the facts. But he denied the presence of "mass graves" as reported in the September 26 edition of this publication.
"With only a few exceptions where two bodies were found, not more than one person has been buried in the individual graves," he said. Saying the issue should not be seen in black and white, he added: "Quite often, there are various shades of grey."
Referring to the article in Mail Today, Omar said: "A newspaper has carried a report about the presence of 2,500 graves in Poonch, including mass graves... The records reveal that 2,136 militants have been killed in Poonch since 1990, of which 2,090 were of foreign origin. The graves could be theirs, but to declare them 'mass graves of unidentified persons' cannot be the real reflection of facts."
Arguing for the commission while speaking on a motion moved by the National Conference legislators to discuss the issue of mass graves, the chief minister said: "This can be the biggest J&K-centric confidence-building mechanism (CBM) by India and Pakistan for the people of the state." He also requested the leadership of the two countries to hold a dialogue on the issue and come forward with a joint strategy.
He clarified that his government would not wait for the commission's formation. "The state human rights commission recommendations on the issue will be given due consideration and implemented," he promised.
Omar said the proposed panel would clear the air on how many people were from across the Line of Control (LoC), how many had died in militant training camps and how many had been killed by militants. "Should we not seek the answer to how many people were killed by militants? Have we no right to ask who killed our people and under what conditions were they killed?" he asked.
The chief minister told the House: "We are not here to hide the facts or conceal the truth...but our endeavour is to dig out the facts and bring these before the public. This cannot be done overnight but we have to make a start in this direction."
Read more at: Panel needs to be set up to dig out truth behind unmarked graves: Omar Abdullah : North: News India Today
West must not lecture us on human rights: Omar Abdullah
Srinagar: Apparently irked over the British Parliament's move to discuss alleged rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said some of the western countries were indulging in grave violations in Iraq, Afghanistan.
"Do not lecture us on human rights... We know how you exported people from Iraq and Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay and what kind of treatment was meted to them there," Omar said in the J&K Assembly.
The chief minister was apparently referring to the debate in the British Parliament on the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month.
The rare outburst by the chief minister also came a day after Amnesty International wrote a letter to the members of the state assembly, urging them to take up human rights matter including the issue of unmarked graves.
Omar said the human rights record of the state government was good and it was a state organ which had brought the unmarked graves issue to light.
"It was the State Human Rights Commission which brought out the issue. It was the media that reported the matter, which indicates that there is freedom for all," he said.
West must not lecture us on human rights: Omar Abdullah - Politics - Politics News - ibnlive
