Further Civilian Casualties In Kashmir Add To The Region’s Most Violent Year In A Decade

Last Saturday in the city of Pulwama in Kashmir, a firefight between Indian forces and rebels from the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen group resulted in the deaths of 7 civilians and 4 combatants. Dozens of civilians were also injured. The violence started after Indian forces undertook a search operation for rebels in the area. When the shooting started, civilians rushed to the scene to stop the rebels from being killed and to protest the violence.

Indian police stated that the deaths were a result of the crowds coming ‘dangerously close’ to the fighting. Ruby Hamid, a local resident said, ‘the soldiers fired bullets at unarmed civilians without a second thought’. Mohammad Ayuob, another eyewitness, claimed Indian troops fired at locals as they tried to recover the body of a rebel. Abdul Rasheed Para, a doctor who works at a local hospital, described the casualties saying that ‘all of them had firearm injuries in the head, abdomen, and neck’. Mirwaiz Omar Farooq, a senior rebel leader, claims this indicates that the shots of the soldiers were ‘shoot-to-kill, not to disperse’.

These deaths add to a total making 2018 the deadliest year in Kashmir for a decade. Numbers vary between sources, but a conservative estimate made by the Indian government is that 425 people have been killed in Kashmir this year, 101 of which have been civilians. Al Jazeera reports that this comes as India has further increased its already large military presence in the region as well as the number of operations against rebels.

There has been ongoing conflict in Kashmir since the Partition of India in 1947; CNN estimates that 47,000 people have been killed to date. Many Kashmiris do not want to be under Indian rule and wish either independence or to become part of Pakistan. Further incidents which result in civilian deaths are only going to further stir anti-Indian sentiment in the region and lead to more violence. This may also increase sympathy for the rebels. If the Indian government wants stability in the region, it must take responsibility for the disproportionate responses its security forces take against civilians. Use of lethal force against civilians must be universally condemned and steps taken to avoid civilian deaths in future confrontations. For example, if in a given situation avoiding civilian casualties becomes too difficult, combatants should disengage. Better yet, any situation that could risk involving civilians in violence should be avoided in the first place.

Last May, for the first time in nearly two decades, a ceasefire was called by India to enable the Kashmir Muslim majority to celebrate the month of Ramadan in peace. This is the kind of peacebuilding and relationship improving action that can help foster an environment where long-term peaceful solutions can be negotiated. Rather than increasing military presence and operations, further ceasefires on future Muslim holidays should be created. The more that can be done to limit violence and avoid civilian harm in the short-term, the more hope there is for long-term peace in the region.

Edmund Pollock

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