Concerned Citizens Group Appeals Indian and Pakistani Governments to Revive Cease-Fire

With the escalation in cross-border firing between India and Pakistan, thousands of civilians had been evacuated in the areas adjoining the Line of Control (LOC) and International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir, finds the Concerned Citizens Group (CCG) led by former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha. CCG visited various sensitive areas in the state between 23- 27 February (fourth such visit) and came up with certain conclusions.

The report stated that with increase in cross-border firing, the death tolls in January 2018 alone equalled the figure of entire 2017. Whereas ceasefire violations in 2017 represented a six-fold increase compared to 2015.

The report further stated that communalism is on rise in Jammu region and the issue of brutal rape and murder of an 8-year-old Muslim Bakkarwal girl in Kathua allegedly by a Hindu has been politicised by various groups. “The attempt apparently was to frighten and evict the nomadic Bakkarwals from the land they occupied”, the report said.

The CCG stated that the increased frequency of cross-border shelling has caused devastation across villages. In Jeora Farm, predominantly Muslim village, more than 200 cattle have been killed in the cross-border shelling over four days from 19 to 23 January 2018. In addition, 24 thatched houses have been destroyed. In Nowshera sub-division adjoining the LOC in the Jammu region, the situation is much worse. Since 2016, across 12 villages in Nowshera, there have been four deaths, eight villagers have been injured, 124 houses damaged, 189 livestock lost and 189 injured, three school buildings destroyed, one panchayat ghar and one cattle shed destroyed due to shelling from Pakistan.

Among the several demands of the villagers in the border, the primary one is that India and Pakistan should resolve this issue through an immediate dialogue.

After the terrorist attack on the Sunjuwan army camp, the report stated that even the state legislative assembly has been polarized while many citizens are with belief that the PDP-BJP government thrives on communal divisions by promoting polarising voices to represent the sentiment in Jammu and in the Valley. “Increasingly the perception is that there is a ‘Hindu Jammu’ ruled by the BJP and then there is ‘Muslim Kashmir’ ruled by the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP)”.

“The hopes of the Kashmiris in Prime Minister Narendra Modi seemed to have been dashed”, as most of the Kashmiris felt that he had brought nothing but “despair and disappointment in Kashmir”, the report stated.

“The specific issues concerning the displaced community of Kashmiri Pandits as well as the refugees from West Pakistan who came to Jammu in 1947 were not being addressed adequately”, the report added.