Hundreds of Kashmiris protested outside the White House on Sunday evening against the brutal rape and murder of the eight year old minor girl of Kathua.
“The murder of the 8 year old angel from Kathua, Jammu & Kashmir has shaken the conscience of the leaders not only in South Asia but also all over the world. She was abducted, drugged, gang raped and finally murdered simply because she was a Muslim in the so-called largest democracy of India. Rape is a crime against humanity. The killers of the girl used rape as a weapon of terror and fear to force not only her but her whole community out of Kathua,” said Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum while addressing the rally in front of the White House.
The rally’s participants were waving placards and chanting slogans like: “Justice for Asifa”, “No Justice No Peace”, “Kathua Rape: Stain on Indian Democracy”, “Wake Up Wake Up: UN Wake Up”.
Fai demanded an impartial investigation into Asifa’s case by a neutral agency like the United Nations and urged the UN Secretary General to ensure that those guilty of this crime were brought to justice. He also called upon the Secretary General to send a clear message to the Indian government that such brutality cannot be tolerated.
Professor Imtiaz Khan, president of the Kashmiri American Council, said that the Kathua rape and murder case was not an isolated incident as more than 10,000 have so far been raped by Indian forces in Indian Administered Kashmir.
“All those cases need to be reopened and investigated by an international neutral agency, he added.
Sardar Sawar Khan, former Advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Administered Kashmir said that the incident should be an eye opener for the world powers that their silence has given a sense of immunity to the Indian army as well as to the ruling party, Bahartiya Janata Party.
Khan called upon the US Administration to play an active role in bringing the governments of India and Pakistan to the negotiating table along with the leadership of the people of Kashmir so that a durable and lasting solution is found to the 70 years old conflict.
Dr. Zulfiqar Kazmi, Director, Common Ground USA said that the denial of Right to Self Determination to the people of Kashmir has brought the two neighboring countries to the brink of a nuclear disaster.
“There is no freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in Kashmir. Peaceful protests are responded to by brute force, ” he said.
Kazmi demanded a peaceful environment where people can express their political opinions freely without any external coercion and intimidation.
