Kashmir trust asks government 'not to play politics' over Amnesty

Chairman of the Trust said that those who shouted anti-national slogans should be identified and booked under the law

The Kashmiri Hindu Cultural Welfare Trust on Sunday asked the Karnataka government "not to play politics" over the incident in which anti-India and anti-Army slogans were raised at an event organised by Amnesty International.

Chairman of the Trust R K Mattoo said those who shouted 'Azadi' and anti-national slogans should be identified and booked under the law to prevent such incidents in future.

"I appeal to government of Karnataka not to play politics in this as the whole incident is of national security and anti-national forces raising their heads. Nip the evil in the bud please and do not allow this to spread to other parts of our dear nation ...Have a Heart and do not play politics," he said.

 

"Interestingly, the Karnataka government has chosen to give a clean chit to Amnesty International even as a probe into the sedition charges (following an FIR by the ABVP) is underway," he added.

On Saturday, the state Home Minister G Parameshwara had said Amnesty International India has never involved itself in any kind of anti-national activities. "... I have not heard of Amnesty International being involved in any seditious activity so far," he had said.

Mattoo said Amnesty International should come out openly and condemn the "slogan shouting at the function organised by them and own the responsibility for the same... It (Amnesty) cannot take shelter under freedom of speech and at the same time ignore the responsibilities under the Constitution."

Mattoo, a Kashmiri Pandit, accused Amnesty International of being selective in its protest against human rights violation and urged the NGO to publish a report on the "human rights violations and atrocities perpetrated by Lashkar-e- Taiba, Hijbul Mujahideen and its followers like Burhan Wani."

"Their reports should focus on the Sikhs under threat by separatists in the Valley and the victims in Shopian incident, where more than 2,000 Kashmiri Pandit employees were tortured and forced to flee and their reports should reflect on the bloodbath and terror unleashed by separatists in the Valley," he said.

He also demanded "imposition of ban on Amnesty International in India which has till date focused only on so called human rights violations by armed forces in Kashmir and totally ignoring killings of Kashmiri Pandits, security forces and role of terrorists in the valley.