By Afshain Afzal

Can genocide be legitimate? So far no one has been able to trace any such reference in International Law, Statues or Conventions that allow genocide to be legitimate and legal. But Indian Army has found a novel strategy that authorizes them under the law to carryout genocide of innocent Kashmiris without any restriction or accountability. Now it is an open secret that about 33 kilometers south of Srinagar, Awantipora is located, where the Headquarters of Victor Force is engaged in terrorist activities against the Kashmiri masses and neighbouring Pakistan. The former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 Corps, Lieutenant General BS Raju spent tenure here as commander of Victor Force that performs counter-terrorism operations in the area of responsibility. The strategy adopted is that anyone who talks about raising voice for the independence of Jammu and Kashmir on the basis of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution is operated upon; either eliminated or isolated through series of operations and if apprehended tortured to join Indian intelligence service as Special Police Officers (SPOs) and Under Ground Workers (UGW) for the Indian Army and Delta Company of Border Security Force (BSF). Otherwise he is killed in fake operations or declared dead as result of contracting COVID-19 and burried without letting the dead body handed over to the family.

Hundreds of innocent Kashmiris have been so far recruited and forced to join peaceful Kashmiri protesters in the guise of militant cadres to approach local populations to convince them to target Indian Army and security forces. In case any odd person joins them, an operation is launched to misguide international media about terrorist activities by Kashmiris. If we recall, Indian troops carried out state sponsored terrorism on 5 May this year and martyred three Kashmiri youth in Jan Mohalla area of Shopian district. The operation was jointly launched by the personnel of Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force and police. Indian intelligence agencies staged drama and showed that one of their agents namely Tausif Ahmad has surrendered before the Indian security forces. Tausif Ahmad was feed to share story that he is a newly recruited terrorist and was trained across Line of Control. The operation was aimed to target unarmed Kashmiri protesters and malign Pakistan in state sponsored terrorism. Through such methods, Indian security forces launch extensive house-to-house searches in the region and dozens of Kashmiri youth have been killed in such fake and self-engineered cordon and search operations.

In the latest act of state sponsored terrorism, Indian Army’s 17^th May planned-operation started at Khanmoh, on the outskirts of Srinagar on early morning, where a gunfight was initiated to show the Indian and foreign media that terrorists and security forces are exchanging fire at Khanmoh area. Indian military and Jammu and Kashmir Police sources confirmed joint operation against militants was in progress and four Mujahideen belonging to Al Badr outfit were trapped in the cordon. Early morning Indian authorities claimed that the firefight took place after a joint team of Indian Army and the police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation on the basis of specific intelligence input about the presence of four terrorists. Locals of the area claimed that four Kashmiri youth who were already in military custody were shown to have trapped within the cordon and later killed in the joint operation. To this regard, an officer of 50 Rashtriya Rifles confirmed, “at least one official of the battalion was fired upon during a cordon-and-search operation and injured who was executed to 192 Base Hospital Srinagar while one militant has been killed in the ongoing gunfight. However identity of the slain militant is yet to be ascertained.” Local witnesses confirmed that four Kashmiris were evacuated to unidentified location by Indian military personnel in military type ambulance.

After the operation, statement to the media said, “Today morning a gunfight broke out at village Khanmoh here in which two militants were killed. Gunfight in the area started after joint contingents of police, paramilitary and army cordoned off the area. No sooner they reached the suspected area, they came under heavy fire, thereby evoking a retaliation." The official statement by Inspector General Police Vijay Kumar at 0650 hours revealed that four militants were hiding in Khanmoh area. A joint operation by troops of Rashtriya Rifles, Special Operation Group CPRF, Jammu and Kashmir Police killed all four of them. He added that slain Kashmiri youth belonged to Al Badr militant outfit. The evidence that the 17^th May operation was fake can also be judged the fact that Indian authorities confirmed the militant outfit they belonged, “Al Badr” but did not reveal the name of single militant killed in the encounter. Till next day neither Jammu and Kashmir Police could identify the dead bodies nor reveal their names. How it is possible then that Indian security agencies were so sure that they belonged to militant group “Al Badr but never knew their names.

A comparison between an official statement by Inspector General Police Vijay Kashmir at 0650 hours that four militants were hiding in Khanmoh area and killed in the operation and later official tweets by Jammu and Kashmir Police that only two were killed, speaks of fowl play. At 0700 hours the Jammu and Kashmir Police tweeted, “While a team of both the Army and the police collectively have secured the encounter site. And there was a tip-off about the presence of two or three militants hiding in the area” At 1100 hours, “One terrorist killed in ongoing encounter at Khanmoh area of Srinagar: Vijay Kumar, IGP Kashmir”. In another tweet at the same time “Two terrorists killed in the encounter were from Al-Badr terror outfit: IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar told ANI”. Another tweet said, “Police received info about 2 terrorists hiding in Khanmoh area last night. With Army & CRPF, they cordoned off the area. They appealed to terrorists to surrender but on failure, encounter started today. 2 terrorists associated with Al-Badr terror outfit were killed: IGP Kashmir.” One wonders how long international community and UNO will remain silent spectators to the genocide of pro-Independence Kashmiris in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir.