SRINAGAR: Separatist groups lashed out at the army and the government for closure of Pathribal case.
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Yasin Malik said the closure amounted to justifying genocide of Kashmiris, Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman, Syed Ali Geelani said it was live example of lawlessness and state-terrorism, while Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar described it a murder of justice by sword of AFSPA.
The closure of Pathribal fake encounter case by Indian army is a live example of lawlessness and state-terrorism through which shows that there is no worth or accountability for human lives in Jammu and Kashmir, Geelani said in a statement. Geelani said that it is army that rules the roost in Jammu and Kashmir.
They can kill anybody and there is law or court which can punish the killers or hold them accountable for murdering innocents, he said.
While reiterating the demand for probe by War Crimes Tribunal of United Nations into Pathribal fake encounter case and hundreds of similar incidents, to take the culprits to the justice, Geelani said Pathribal fake encounter is a serious bloody incident in which five innocents were murdered in broad day light.
By closing the case, the Indian army has slapped on the face of Kashmiri people that their lives have no worth and even if they kill all Kashmiris, there is none to hold them accountable, Geelani said.
Geelani said that the incident has exposed the real face of Indian army.
India sells its army before the world as the best disciplined force but the incident has proven that it has no accountability and no respect for human rights, Geelani added.
Geelani also lashed out at Kashmirs rulers for being civilian cover of martial law.
The decision of army is a challenge to Kashmirs civilian rulers that their position was not more than that of a puppet government and that Omar Abdullah was a mere show boy, Geelani said.
Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq described the closure of Pathribal fake encounter case as, murder of justice by the sword of AFSPA and added that the closure vindicated their stance that inquiry commissions were mere time buying exercises.
Armys decision has once again proved our stand that such type of inquiry commissions and court martials are created to buy time and to protect the culprits Mirwaiz said in a statement.
Mirwaiz said that until Army and government forces enjoys protection under black laws like AFSPA, Pathribal type of incidents cannot be stopped.
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Yasin Malik said that the clean chit given by Indian army to its officers was akin like justifying genocide of Kashmiris.
Killing civilians in the name of foreign militants and then giving killers clean chit is an ugly stain on the Indian democracy,
Malik said that even after the CBI had described the Pathirical killings as cold blooded murders and pleaded before the court no prior sanction was required for prosecuting the army officials, after 14 years we are being told that army has found no evidence of their involvement in the massacre.
Meanwhile, JKLF activists took out a protest march today Friday prayers to protest the closure of Pathribal case. Led by zonal president Noor Mohammad kalwal, JKLF marched towards Lal Chowk but were stopped by police near Budshah Chowk where the participants sat on a sit in.
Mirwaiz Umar further said that acts of killing innocent people in cold blood was being carried out in a systematic manner and the announced probes in such incidents have not only always proved to be an eyewash but have actually been used to protect the killers from the clutches of justice.
Armys decision which protect the Pathribal fake encounter accused army personnel should be an eye-opener for the United Nations Human Rights Council, International Human Rights Organizations and for the Civil Society and justice loving people of India as well and everybody should see how five innocent unarmed civilians, labelled as militants, were murdered in cold blood to cover up the Sikh massacre of Chatisinghpora first and thereafter how five officers of army who were indicted by the CBI, the reputed investigation agency of India, as accused in the fake encounter incident of Pathribal, were protected from punishment by using the cover of AFSPA.
He added that the Pathribal case decision has further strengthened our suspicion about the fate of Machil encounter case as well, in which Army has ordered a Court Martial.
Hurriyat Chairman said that the murder and killing of innocents can however, not be covered forever. The blood of the victims will keep on crying for justice.
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