Srinagar, Thu, 28 March 2013 : In Srinagar, the Civil society on Wednesday debated the draft of the ‘Police Bill 2013’ and most of them agreed that the bill if passed was aimed at giving arbitrary power to the police for legalising authoritie’s suppression on the people of Kashmir.
A seminar, ‘Martyr Jalil Andrabi, A victim of human rights violation’ and ‘Police Bill 2013, was held at the lower Court complex in which eminent lawyers, civil society members, writers and leader spoke on these topics.
Chairman Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani, who addressed the seminar via telephone, asked the people to take the mission of ‘martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the Kashmir cause to the logical end’.Geelani said that Kashmir is not an integral part of India and asked the government to hold plebiscite inJammu and Kashmir and implementation of the UN resolutions.
“This law will be worst than other draconian laws existing in the Kashmir and is aimed to suppress the voices of people. Jammu and Kashmir is no less than a police state where cutting of forests, molestation of women, and killing of civilians have been perpetrating by the forces,” Geelani said.
Former President of HCBA, Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom said the many things have been included in the drafted bill, which are contrary and in violation of Indian Supreme Court judgements.“The Bill is aimed at empowering the police men and to give them arbitrary powers for harassment of the Kashmiris. This Bill will give more powers to Police, which are prevalent in the AFSPA,” he claimed.
Another former President of HCBA and Senior Advocate Zaffar Ahmad Shah argued that this Bill was the outcome of the stand taken by the mainstream politicians. “This bill has been drafted by those who don’t accept Kashmir as dispute,” Shah asserted.He said the Kashmiris should reject the bill as the people were fighting for a larger cause and don’t consider mainstream politicians as the representatives.
Senior High Court lawyer and the former president of the Bar Association Zaffar Shah called for outright rejection of the bill. “There is no point even discussing this bill and I endorse the views of Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman and JKLF Chief Yasin Malik that it should be straightaway rejected,” he said, adding, “we should give clear message to those who have formulated this bill that look whether you make it better, milder one or you do not change it at all, it does not bother use and we reject it.”
Senior lawyer and brother of late Jaleel Andrabi, Advocate Arshid Andrabi narrated the woeful tale of what their family has gone through over these years to seek justice. “The forces have been committing rape, torture, killings, that too under the garb of the democracy. Actually, there is no democracy here and the intention of government is just to suppress the people,” Andrabi said.
He slammed the Indian media for being biased and misrepresenting the facts about the Kashmir situation.“Martyrs lay their lives for the Kashmir cause because they don’t bow, nor they compromise and surrender,” he said.
The incumbent Bar Association president Z A Quershi said that this bill aims to perpetuate the human rights violations on those called for Right to Self Determination which has been recognized by highest forum in the world, UN.” He also paid tributes to Andrabi on his martyrdom.
Former KHCBA president N A Ronga also called for outright rejection of the police bill.
Ex Bar Secretary said by introducing the Police Bill, the government of India and its regime wants to justify its ‘illegal actions through police.’ He said the proposed Bill aims at empowering the police to such an extent that they would perpetuate any atrocity and go scot free. He said the DGP has been given sweeping powers in the Bill.
Former General Secretary of the KHCBA, G N Shaheen said that bill was aimed to legitimize police action and termed as attempt to replace AFSPA as and when later is withdrawn and former implemented.
Another Former General Secretary Bashir Sidiq also endorsed Shaheen’s views on the topic, underlining that debate was inevitable on the bill. Arshid Andrabi, brother of Jaleel Andrabi, called upon lawyers to rise on the occasion and fight against oppression.
Mir Hafizullah, who fought the case of Jaleel Andrabi before various courts here, accused government of India of defending Avtar Singh in Canada and USA.
Prof Hameeda Nayeem in her address said though the aim of the Bill was to make police more humane, but the Bill proposes to militarize and colonize Kashmir. “All the visible freedoms that we have, apart from the main freedom, will be snatched from us. The Bill will give a legal sanction to police for their wrong actions,” she cautioned.
Columnist Abdul Majeed Zargar said the Bill aims to perpetuate occupation of the state “We should go through the Bill thoroughly and find out how we can react to it,” he said.
Neelofar Masood, General Secretary Bar Association Baramulla, read out various sections of the proposed Bill aiming at empowering the police. She said the Bill would snatch the powers of civil administration.
Others who spoke on the occasion include, Nahida Nasreen of DeM, Shabir Ahmad Dar, Zamruda Habib, , Altaf Ahmaf of JKLF, Shakeel Qalandar, Javid Iqbal also spoke on the occasion and shared their apprehensions over implementing the ‘Police Bill 2013’.