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| India-Pakistan | |||
| Two bakers and how human rights went wrong in Kashmir | |||
| 2007-12-27 | |||
As Kashmiri leaders across the political spectrum vociferously condemned - and rightly so - last week's killing of a baker allegedly by the Indian Army,
For the past 18 years, there has been a death dance in Kashmir, but these two killings have unravelled the reality about the politicisation of human rights in Kashmir.
Riyaz Ahmed Sofi was the baker allegedly killed by the troops of 9 Rashtriya Rifles in Kulgam district of south Kashmir Nov 17, while Manzoor Ahmad Wani was the baker found shot Nov 21 in the same district. Suspected militants had kidnapped Wani from his home two days before his blood-ridden body was discovered in an orchard. Riyaz's killing sparked mass protests and the government ordered a probe into the incident after a case was registered against the army. Politicians, separatists as well as nationalists, decried the 'cold blooded murder'. But the political spectrum remained absolutely quiet about Wani's murder. There was no statement from the Mirwaizs or Geelanis, Muftis or Abdullahs. Wani's killing could have hardly provided spice to their speeches. It was a non-issue for all of them because militants were suspected to be behind the killing. This phenomenon is not new but has been in vogue since violence got mingled with politics in Kashmir. Human rights groups and political parties have always been very choosy about protesting killings. People like Wani die without attracting any attention. And this compartmentalisation of human rights has raised the question of relevance and credibility of rights groups .
The contrasting ways in which politicians and people have responded to the two tragedies reveal one of the biggest ironies of Kashmir - that it is a land where the identity of the killer makes the deceased a 'martyr' or an 'unsung' victim. | |||
| Posted by:john frum |