Kashmir Public Safety Act must be abolished, Sherry Rehman
Islamabad: PPP Parliamentary Leader in Senate, Senator Sherry Rehman, voiced her concern over the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act (PSA), saying, “The atrocious human rights violations that the Indian government has perpetrated under this draconian law are extremely alarming. For four decades, this act has terrorized the people of Kashmir and subjected them to unthinkable abuse and degradation. It is appalling that this act has still not been repealed”.
Amnesty International recently released “Tyranny of a Lawless Law,” a report that focuses on the cases of torture, botched trials and detention in Kashmir. The report calls for the PSA to be repealed. In 2018, The United Nations also condemned the act.
“Over a thousand Kashmiris have been held in detention under the PSA. It is well-known that India does not follow standard operating procedures when it comes to arrests, detention and trials of the detainees. It is particularly alarming that even minors are reportedly booked even when the PSA itself prohibits it. On top of this, there is a considerable number of revolving-door detentions wherein new detention orders are made against detainees to keep them in jail and some detainees who are acquitted by court are not released. There is absolutely zero accountability. How does India, a nation that prides itself as the world’s largest democracy justify this?” asked Rehman.
“The PSA is also in violation of international human rights law. Under the PSA, detainees are not immediately told why they were arrested, there are no provisions for review or appeal, officials are protected even in cases where they abuse the law, and legal representation for people under administrative detention is not available. How many more reports need to be published before the world wakes up to the horrors in Kashmir? The way the situation is unfolding and the silence surrounding it is disturbing,” said the Senator.
Rehman added, “The human rights violations in Kashmir can no longer be ignored as India’s veneer of secular democracy continues to chip and crack. India’s absolute swing to the right with Modi’s second-term win gives us a bleak outlook for the faith of Kashmir and its people. Every state has the right to protect its people and its interest, that is not in question here. However, it should be done fairly and humanely, in accordance to the core principles of the justice system and international human rights law. The PSA circumvents that and it has been used as nothing more than a tool to silence Kashmiris. This pattern of abuse with absolute impunity has no place in the 21st century”.
The Vice-President of PPPP concluded, “The PPP continues to stand with our Kashmiri brothers. We maintain that we will use every platform, both diplomatic and political to advance their rights”.