Kashmir is slowly limping backto normalcy. For the first timeafter the uprising broke out in July2016 the separatists have relaxedtheir weekly protest calendars byfive days a week. The scars that theValley suffered in form of humancausalities during this summeruprising won’t go easily for a longtime. At least 96 civilians werekilled and over 15000 were injuredin action by security forces onprotesting youth across Kashmirduring the five month long uprising.These killing, like the ones in thepast, have as of now got reducedto mere addition to the conflictstatistics in Jammu and Kashmir.While chief minister MehboobaMufti had promised to orderprobe in all the killings to punishthe culprits, the Government hadordered magisterial inquiries intoonly five such killings. However, nota single probe has been completedtill date, raising questions on theGovernment’s seriousness to knowthe truth about these killings andsubsequently punish the forcesinvolved in using disproportionateand unwarranted force on theprotesters.
Not only in these fivekillings, the government as perthe promises made by it shouldorder speedy investigation into allkillings and it should be followedby prompt action to provide justiceto the victim’s families. Kashmirhas a bitter experience of theprobes ordered by the governmentinto the killings in the past. Be itthe investigations into the killingduring 2010 summer uprising orthe killing of five civilians by policeand army in Handwara earlier thisyear following protests over thealleged molestation of a youngschool girl by an army man, therehas been no progress in eitherof the cases. Mehbooba Muftiwho rose to become the firstfemale chief minister of Jammuand Kashmir this year could setan example by ordering timebound probes into each case. Inan interview in December to aNew Delhi based newspaper thechief minister asserted that shewould order the probe wherethere been allegations of excessiveuse of force by security personnel.Sooner her government takes thedecision in this regard the betterfor her government as well as herparty, Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) which has come under severecriticism by people over the civiliankilling.
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