Powerful Speech by Shri Lakshmi Kaul on Kashmiri Pundit’s Human Rights at United Nations Council of Human Rights
Hundreds of thousands of children are used as soldiers in armed conflicts around the world. Many children are abducted and beaten into submission, others join military groups to escape poverty, to defend their communities, out of a feeling of revenge or for other reasons.
There is an established case of religious indoctrination at many Madrasas in Kashmir that follow hardliner view of Jihad similar to what is followed in Syria, Iraq and other conflict zones. The use of kids and susceptible families in Jihad follows the global pattern of recruitment of kids as Jihadi volunteers at paltry sums, using them as scape goats in front of the security personnel.
Mr Chairman, I would like to ask what these 8, 9 and 10 year old paid children were doing throwing (not stones) but rocks at armed police pickets?
The human rights violations of those kids and youngsters who are indoctrinated to jihadi ideology is not questioned? Burhan Wani is a case in point. Those kids who should be spending their growing up years to educate themselves are brain washed to pick up guns at early ages and taught to spread fear and hatred.
The youth who have taken to stone pelting and other forms of violence due to misguidance and because of this idea of extreme religious doctrine being imbibed in them is only harming them and future generations.
The fine crafts of Papier Mache, Handicrafts, Art, Music, Literature and the regions history and heritage is disappearing slowly ? the only mark of recognition of the region has unfortunately become conflict and terrorism! The once booming tourism has come to a grinding halt. How can a religious doctrine bring peace and tranquility to a region when the day to day lives of the people are held ransom to this idea? All of this because of the state sponsorship of terrorism from across the border ? the UN, the world remains silent? Why?
The human rights violations of religious minorities of the region are never raised. The half a million KP’s who were exterminated overnight from their centuries old habitat is a non-issue. Every time efforts are made to try and do justice to their cause, all the jihadi groups get up in arms in unison to resist any attempts from the KP’s safe and sustained return to their homeland, Kashmir.
The call of Kashmiri Pandits to be recognised as Internally Displaced Person has fallen on deaf years, thus far!
