The confirmation by the Jammu Kashmir State Human Rights Commission in August 2011 regarding the discovery of unmarked mass graves carrying thousands of bullet-riddled bodies, in Indian-held Kashmir has, once again, exposed the gross human rights abuses committed by Indian security forces over the years. The Indians have killed hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri youth since 1989 whereas many of them are still missing or are believed to have been killed. This is, indeed, one of the worst examples of genocides in the modern world.
India claims to be the biggest secular democracy in the world. Such human rights atrocities taking place under its watch put paid to it claims of being a secular democracy. It should live up to its democratic credentials by providing protections to its many sizable minorities and take note of the human rights violation taking place in its own backyard.
ASIF JEHANGIR
Lahore
