Srinagar: On the eve of World Human Rights Day, the Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), Saturday held a silent protest against what it termed state and central governments disingenuous approach in tracing out their family members, subjected to enforced disappearance since 1989 across Jammu and Kashmir.
The family members of disappeared persons castigated the successive governments for being indifferent towards their pain and agony. Neither National Conference nor PDP did anything for them to trace their missing loved ones, said an elderly woman to CNS whose son according to her was picked up by Indian Border Security Forces during a crackdown 16 years ago and since then she doesnt know where he is.
Wearing white head bands with names of disappeared people written in black letters, the relatives participated in APDPs sit-in program to draw attention of the government and the media to seek information about their loved ones, who have vanished, presumed dead or imprisoned without trial or record.
The protesters mostly the mothers of the missing people alleged that their dear ones have been subjected to enforced disappearances by the Indian forces and their related agencies from their homes, streets and roads. The protesting women vowed to continue their struggle for truth, justice and accountability till both the state and central governments accept their demand of impartial probe into the enforced disappearances and custodial killings.
APDP Chairperson Parveena Ahangar said that the main aim of their protest is to make the world community aware of the plight of people of Kashmir. We want to draw the attention of international rights groups for intervening and mounting pressure on India to provide whereabouts of our missing family members, she said.
She said that despite being a signatory to the international conventions against human rights violations, India seems less bothered to deliver justice to those families whose loved ones were arrested and then subjected to enforced disappearances by security agencies here.
She said the state must consider the recommendations of Universal Periodic Review-2 (UPR-2) and ratify the International Convention for Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance, besides repealing Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).CNS
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