Activists of the Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and human rights activists were barred from entering Kashmir today to observe International Human Rights Day in Srinagar. While India talks of normalcy in Kashmir, clearly India has lots to hide. There are no rights for the people of Kashmir and no rights for other peoples to protest for rights of the people of Kashmir.

WHILE THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY has been making some muted noises from time to time and civil liberties activists have come out with devastating reports of human rights violations, India is steadfast in maintaining the iron curtain separating Kashmir from the rest of the world.

Acting upon the orders of the magistrate of Kathua, citing law and order problems, the Kathua police stopped activists of Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) at the Madhopur-Kathua interstate border, stopping them from going to Srinagar to observe International Human Rights Day there tomorrow. The sub-divisional magistrate Khalil Kant Khajuria issued written orders prohibiting the march to enter into the state.

The Dal Khalsa statement issued by party president Harpal Singh Cheema here today exposed the fact that since the last eighteen weeks, the historic Jama Masjid in Srinagar -the worship centre for the hundreds of thousands of Muslims there is locked. Addressing the gathering party chief and advocate Cheema said, “Such a dastardly violation of religious rights of people to pray and worship is unprecedented and the rulers of the Indian state are answerable for this to the people of Kashmir, human rights defenders, the international community, the United Nations and even to God.”

“We will not stay silent and continue to expose the lies of the Indian state and stand for the rights of the people of Kashmir who are facing the worst persecution in the present times,” read the joint-statement issued by the Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) who had ventured to go to Kashmir in an unprecedented program of its kind to once again focus the attention of the people of the world to the plight of the suffering Kashmiris.

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Expressing shock at the move of the government, party leader Harcharanjit Singh Dhami argued with Mr. Kapil -the magistrate on duty, that while the Indian Home Minister Amit Shah is saying that everything is normal in Kashmir, then why we’re not being allowed to go there, prompting the protesters to say that, ‘there is no normalcy in Kashmir and Union government are telling gross lies to hoodwink the world community.”

Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh, while speaking at the sit-in protest at the border said, ‘It is ironical that even on the occasion of Human Rights Day, we are not allowed to talk and uphold human rights. The stoppage of Sikh leaders and human rights activists by the government from entering Jammu and Kashmir is a loud declaration by the Indian state that just as there are no rights of the people of Kashmir. Not only that, even those who want to observe Rights Day for the people of Kashmir have no right to do so.”

“We will apprise the United Nations Human Rights Council of this abuse of our fundamental rights and violation of the UN Human Rights Charter by India through the Dal Khalsa representative in Geneva Pritpal Singh,” declared party President Harpal Singh Cheema. He said the UN and the Security council permanent members have failed the Kashmiri people who are reeling under state repression since the Aug 5 lockdown. The protesters were carrying placards to convey their message and sought the release of political prisoners both in Kashmir and Punjab.