Especially Neglected

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News Kashmir Exclusive

Global Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3) is an international observance promoted by the United Nations since 1992. It has been celebrated with varying degrees of success around the world . The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life. It was originally called “International Day of Disabled Persons” until 2007. Each year the day focuses on a diverse issue related to the Specially-abled humans.

 

 

According to rough estimates there are about 4.5 lakh specially-abled persons in Jammu and Kashmir.  According to activist and opinions expressed by specially- abled in the state they suffer a lot   due to government apathy  .Specially- abled   humans are facing a large number of  problems as there are very few facilities for them and thus their families are suffering every sort of trouble.

Sameer Ahmad, an specially – abled person states  – “It is quiet heartbreaking to point out that the overall condition of specially-abled  persons and other handicaps is quiet troublesome in our state. Successive governments have failed us so the  state Government especially the state social welfare department should wake up and gear up its efforts to improve the conditioning  with reference to it . We also need  a comprehensive proposal and roadmap formulated by the State Government and supported by  the Government of India for securing necessary funding for undertaking a survey of all physically challenged persons in the State so that targeted intervention programmes could be planned and implemented  and we also should have at authority level the concern about sensitivities of Specially abled persons taken into consideration while developing infrastructure . Our buildings especially the many government institutes lag the infrastructure that can cater to the needs of the specially- abled persons especially like building friendly ramps.”

On the otherhand of the spectrum, the association  of specially-abled have also stated that they be provided the  financial assistance  that is upto the mark with the needs of time and  relaxation should be granted when it comes to recruitment or promotion. Activists and associations also demand that  specially-abled  in Government service may kindly be posted under five kilometer parameters and while granting ration cards, instead the income of the family, the income of the Disabled persons should be taken into consideration.

In nutshell, we need to go a long way in proving the best atmosphere to persons with disabilities .

Dual Pain

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Farzana Mumtaz/Rameez Makhdoomi

The painful saga of disappeared persons families in the valley of Kashmir is quite heartrending  and disturbing reality of our society. The families of Muhammad Shafi Rah and Mushtaq Ahmad Rah of Maharjganj Srinagar , who were doing  leather business  in Nepal bear testimony to this grim reality.  Pertinently,  the two brothers shifted to Kathmandu, Nepal in 1995 from Srinagar to earn a living. But fate wrecked miseries on them . On September 5, 2000 the two brothers were arrested by a joint team of police from Nepal and New Delhi never to be seen again. They were enforced to disappearance in custody.

As News Kashmir Team visited the families of victims, the parents of these disappeared brothers are still in shock as if the episode has taken place yesterday. Abdul Ahad Rah, the ailing 80-year-old father of Shafi and Mushtaq in painful tone narrates his woeful story – “ These 17 years have been total nightmare for our family . I have run from pillar to post with no success in finding my sons. I  rushed to Jodhpur jail  when we were told by authorities  here that they are lodged there  , initially the authorities there at Jodhpur jail acknowledged that my  sons were detained in the jail and told us to get documents done from kashmir , but then we went back with documents they said that they were not there . Some CID officials told us at Jodhpur they have been whisked away by the intelligence men from Jodhpur jail. We searched for them even in Tihar jail but could not trace them. Despite long drawn legal battles and virtually begging to the state institutions nothing substantial has come out yet. We were fleeced by lawyers, jail authorities and even at one instance a private channel in Delhi took money to highlight our plight. The relative of late Sheikh Aziz Hurriyat leader told us that he had told them that the both were lodged there in Jodhpur jail . The elder one  was though involved in minor resistance as was case with every second youth in 90s but younger knew nothing about politics. ”

As a matter of fact,  Kathmandu Post, which is the largest selling newspaper in Nepal, published the news about the arrest of Kashmiris in Nepal in 2000. The news item mentioned the names of Mushtaq and Shafi among the 27 arrested. Even the Indian embassy had given the two brothers  letter that they are working in Nepal.

The mother of these disappeared brothers Khadijah Rah states  –  “ These 17 years have inflicted seventeen million stabs on our heart . We did not get justice anywhere . Our pain is immeasurable as we don’t know what happened to our sons . Even a criminal is taken to jail and courts but not disappeared like this .I have not lost hope and think one day I will see the glimpse of my sons. I appeal to Government of India to disclose location of my sons and come clear on where the state agencies took them. ”

Rah family story is saga of million tears waiting for justice .

 

Mission interlocutor

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Farzana Mumtaz

 

 

In a major development, the Centre few  weeks back  appointed Shri Dineshwar Sharma, former Director of Intelligence Bureau, as the Representative of Government of India to initiate and carry forward a dialogue with the elected representatives, various organizations and concerned individuals in the State of Jammu and Kashmir. The development was seen as a deadlock breaking move with reference to painful situation of Kashmir prevailing since long.

 

When  Sharma was appointed as Interlocutor it was stated that he will initiate a sustained interaction and dialogue to understand the legitimate aspirations of the wide cross sections of society, particularly the youth in Jammu and Kashmir and communicate them to the State Government and the Centre.

 

 

I will try my best,” Sharma told reporters when asked if he would go an extra mile to meet the Hurriyat Conference leaders.

The Joint Resistance Forum, a conglomerate of three prominent profreedom  organisations—the hardline and moderate factions of the Hurriyat Conference and the JKLF—had announced that they would not meet with the interlocutor  and termed  his appointment a “time-buying tactic” of the Centre.

CPI-M MLA Yusuf Tarigami   told the central government’s special representative Dineshwar Sharma that peace in Jammu and Kashmir can only result out of “genuine and meaningful parleys”. Pertinently, addressing a joint press conference with Hakim Yaseen, leader of the Peoples Democratic Front (PDF), and Ghulam Hassan Mir, leader of the Democratic Party Nationalist (DPN), after they met Sharma, Tarigami said peace cannot be made a pre-condition for a dialogue process.

 

 

 

Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had an advice to offer for interlocutor. We discussed the prevailing situation in the state as also steps that can be taken to make his visits to the state more meaningful,” Abdullah said in a post on microblogging site Twitter. He told media persons that he hoped that Sharma acts on his suggestions “as waiting for people to come and meet him won’t yield results”.

 

 

Bilal Bashir Bhat, member JKYJA and Editor in Chief Only Kashmir speaking on the development stated – “The interlocutor step was a step in right direction but the lack of homework from the government ruined the beginning of this otherwise good move. Giving confused signals and reducing the prestige of institution of interlocution forced many sane voices to stay away from the process and thus also desired results were not achieved .One hopes the next time interlocutor comes here it would bear fruits and a proper homework would be done .All parties of dialogue being serious in the process is the only way ahead to resolve Kashmir tragedy.”

The hopes are pinned that Mission interlocutor gains desired momentum.

Dark Ages

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News Kashmir Exclusive

The power crisis is back haunting the valley of Kashmir with long power cuts hitting the length and breadth of Kashmir valley. With winter about to dawn the situation is giving lot of worries to people of kashmir .

With Darbar moving to Winter capital Jammu the Power Department has issued an annoying curtailment schedule . According to this schedule, Kashmir will be facing twenty one- hour power cut in metered areas in a week and forty two- hour cut in non- metered areas, as per the curtailment schedule of Power Development Department.

Students facing different exams and industries, trade are usually the worst hit due to these power curtailments.

Manzoor Ahmad, a student states – “ Power crisis during winters is a reality of Kashmir . The load shedding in crippling manner is back and is causing worry among all the  Students who consider themselves the worst affected by this out uncontrolled load shedding,  as during evening time especially this brings all important exam preparations to a near standstill. The bad impacts of load shedding are beyond description – From Housewife to students, Professional to Labourer everyone seems to be badly hit by this recently spell of never ending load shedding. “

On its part, Power Department has maintained that  it can only effort 1200 MWs of power these days however the demand is 1600 MWs. So we have started the power curtailment from last few days and according to the schedule the metered areas are subjected to 21 hours of weekly cut and non- metered 42 hours.

As a matter of fact, the J&K State has the potential to generate around 20,000 MWs. of hydroelectric power, but it has largely remain untapped  and whatever it has  not been given due share in the various hydro-electric projects as  NHPC continues to mistreat the state, and electricity seems by and large a Delhi-controlled affair.

Importantly,  Dry weather for the past about six months has resulted in considerable drop in the water level, lowest in about two decades, in river Jhelum and its tributaries, and all this has adverse consequences on the generation of electricity as well.

Realities call upon the Government to take necessary all the necessary steps to curb load shedding before this problem goes out of hand and people are forced to protest. Sane voices are also urging upon the masses to use electricity judiciously so that the crisis does not worsen further.

Walk The Talk

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News Kashmir Desk

For some years , the strife-torn region of Kashmir had witnessed a period of relative calm, but a recent spate of violent protests since last year and continuous upsurge in violence  which have resulted in number of civilian, militant, soldier  fatalities is a bleak reminder of the ever worse situation   in Kashmir, which has been at the heart of enmity between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan. The every week upheavals have crippled the economy of Kashmir; tourism is in shambles; the academic calendar has been badly disturbed and above all the common man is hit hard both sentimentally as well as economically.

At this juncture of time, in the Valley of Kashmir, the urge for achieving honorable peace is even greater than it was ever before.. Every sagacious voice suggests that peace is important because we can enjoy the benefits of the latest economic schemes, technological and scientific advancements only in times of peace.

In a significant political development related to peace and prosperity in Kashmir , it is learnt that in a bid  to restart the political process in Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre is planning to invite “all shades of opinion” including the Hurriyat Conference. The Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government has announced appointment of Dineshwar Sharma, former Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), as interlocutor for Kashmir. Home Minister Rajnath Singh, while making the announcement on 23 October, stated that Sharma will initiate a sustained interaction and dialogue to understand legitimate aspirations of people in Jammu and Kashmir.

Bilal Bashir Bhat, a young Journalist and Editor-in-Chief Only Kashmir News Portal states – “ Kashmir is drenched in bloodshed and engulfed in tragedies and the  masses of Kashmir are calling on all the parties related to the institution of “Dialogue” to make any future talks process a result oriented as the experiences of past have simply been harsh and haunting. On a larger level peace in South Asia can be achieved when we also acknowledge  the importance of having  intra-regional dialogue,  tourism and increased exchanges, particularly among the youth and  civil society . The sane voices and commoners aptly suggest that peace is significant because we need a better world for our next generations”

After going through the bloody history of conflict, the realities call upon both Indian Government and separatist leaders to initiate a meaningful dialogue over the Kashmir so as to prevent further dance of death and destruction.

On the other hand of the spectrum, worsening scenarios urge upon the both governments of India and Pakistan and also the separatist leadership of Kashmir to walk the talk on the Kashmir issue in order to secure a affluent future for the region, as unsolved Kashmir continues to be a nuclear flashpoint and an paragon  of human tragedies.

Braid Chopping :Dignity Attacked

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News Kashmir Desk

Scores of braid chopping incidents across the length and the breadth of the Kashmir valley have send shock waves in entire valley and installed fear in the masses especially women .

 

In the past seven weeks, more than 200 “braid chopping” incidents have been reported in Kashmir , according to reports .All this has once again brought the issues of women safety concerns into limelight .

Pertinently, the monster of domestic violence had already been paining our women. It is worth mentioning here that  Domestic violence (also domestic abuse, spousal abuse, intimate partner violence, battering or family violence) is a pattern of behavior which involves violence or other abuse by one person in a domestic context against another, such as in marriage. Globally, a wife or female partner is more commonly the victim of acts of domestic violence.

In recent past, even the Urban Police Stations have registered hundreds of cases of domestic violence showing the grim nature of the issue. Sometime back the Data compiled by the Jammu & Kashmir Police Crime Branch reveals that in the past two years, it has registered over 4,000 cases of crimes against women.

Not Enough protests and Sit-ins have been witnessed with reference to burning issue of Domestic violence but the trend seems changing as against the menace of braid chopping several protests, anger and rage has been witnessed.

 

 

In a heartening development,  District administration Anantnag has constituted a Committee to investigate the braid chopping incidents reported in the district.  The district administration has sought cooperation of the general public to nab culprits and maintaining peace.

 

Meanwhile, the district administration thanked Village and Auqaf committees for being proactive in their approach and maintaining vigil. The administration appealed people not to pay heed to rumors and cooperate with the Committee so that a thorough investigation is carried out into these incidents.   In this regard, People have been urged to cooperate with district administration and for any assistance contact on 18001807054/ 01932222337/ 9419047052/ 9419367252.

Mushtaq ul Haq Sikander, Gender Justice Activist stated – “ The issue of braid chopping has once again brought to fore front how crimes against women are taking different forms, painfully enough the concerned authorities are having no clue about the evil forces behind these acts whileas people have complete distrust towards authorities. All these bleak realities have further worsened the situation with reference to serious issue of women safety in our part of the world .”

Nevertheless, braid chopping has instilled a wave of fear and uncertainty in Kashmir with respect to women safety.

 

 

Chaotic Kashmir

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News Kashmir Exclusive

Chaos, Panic has spread throughout in Kashmir in wake of braid chopping attacks being reported from length and breadth of the Kashmir Valley.

Scores of women in Kashmir have reported being attacked by masked assailants in the last two months. The women claimed the attackers sprayed chemicals on their faces and left them unconscious. Upon waking up, they found their hair had been chopped off.

Meanwhile, a PIL has also been filed by some lawyers in this regard .

 

Talking to our  correspondent , Advocate Masrat Kawsar  (who filed PIL) stated -”  Braid Chopping has assumed menacing form .We have in our PIL brought attention of honorable High court into the serious matter of braid Chopping and calling upon the Police to ensure nabbing the culprits and making the women folk feel secure .With intervention from Court we are hopeful that the process of acting swiftly in these ugly incidents of braid chopping will gain momentum. We are hopeful that it would be Soon listed for hearing.”

Uneasiness, hooligan approach at some instances has also crept in.

Narrating the ordeal of a mentally challenged person who was roughed up taken as braid chopper Javeed Ali, columnist wrote  “ A person was roughed up near our house. My all attempts to protect him from beating and listening to his version failed completely as he was badly overpowered by the huge group of people of our vicinity. In the meantime, police vehicles arrived and they asked to hand him over to them. The people declined to hand him over to police and started chanting slogans suspecting him as Army worker. They pelted stones on police vehicles but police burst tear smoke shells and took him forcibly in their vehicle. After that everyone started making bizarre stories surrounding the incident as is common in Kashmir.

The next day, respectable and trustworthy elders of our area went to the police station to enquire about the fate of the alleged braid chopper. They were shocked to know that the person whom they had beaten barbarously is a mentally retarded patient of our nearby locality. He was now admitted in a hospital. His family members were present there with the medical documents which confirmed that he is suffering from stress and depression since last 20 years. They were crying bitterly along with the mentally challenged person whom we had suspected as braid chopper.”

Without doubt the alleged braid-choppers have frightened locals across the valley of Kashmir and life has literally come to grinding halt , with growing suspicion and innocents also been targeted becoming the sad realities .

 

Braid Chopping : Unending Mystery

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Farzana Mumtaz/ Rameez Makhdoomi

The series of continuous braid chopping incidents in different areas of the Kashmir valley have given rise to panic and fear. According to Wikipedia, Mysterious hair chopping incidents and rumours of Indian females have erupted in India and Nepal from late June 2017 onwards when  a news channel reported on June 23 that a female from Bikaner, Rajasthan was chopped her hair by a suspect witch when she was sleeping in night, but only one such incident was reported in the entire state at that time. After the incident, many villagers were keeping a strong eye on the woman’s house but later no evidence of a witch or any other supernatural creature was found. As this incident went viral to almost every part of India, especially in the northern states like Delhi, Bihar, Haryana, Uttarakhandand Uttar Pradesh.

The Kashmir Valley reported its first braid chopping in September, about a month after Jammu had reported several similar incidents. In all, according to the police, 35 cases of braid chopping have been reported from Kashmir so far and 192 from Jammu division.

Different reasons are being attributed to it and aptly described by the sane voices . Doctor Yasir Wani on Social Networking Website Facebook wrote :

“Braid chopping :

1) Some doctors opine it is hysterical conversion reaction which is a functional disorder more common in adolescent girls than boys and adults.

2) Some people blame the agencies

3) Some people blame the local criminals who are taking advantage of the confusion and chaos.

4) others are of the opinion that braid choppers are a reality as an organisation with a purpose to cause fear psychosis among already anxious kashmiris.

I think all above opinions are partly right. The reality might lie in the mix of all the above opinions..!!

P:S : Rumours on the social media add fuel to the fire..!!”

In addition to the fear psychosis, the politics has also heated on the issue of braid Chopping in Kashmir and with it public anger is also growing. On October 2, Riyaz Naikoo, field operational commander of the militant group Hizbul Mujahedeen, released an audio statement saying the chopping of women’s braids was aimed at “weakening” the separatist movement.

On its part the Jammu and Kashmir Police  stated recently that it doubled the bounty to Rs 6 lakhs for providing any information about the mysterious braid chopping incidents that has gripped the Valley.

 

“Incidents of mysterious braid cutting occurred in south and central Kashmir. Police announced reward upto Rs 6 lakh for info on people behind incidents,” said SP Vaid, DIG Police,  Kashmir.

“ We hope the evil forces behind the ugly incidents of braid chopping would soon be identified and arrested so that the fear created by them is defeated .Currently these braid chopping incidents have given rise to panic and unease, stated Sameena, a house wife.

Undoubtedly, braid chopping has given rise to atmosphere of chaos and fear in Kashmir.

 

 

 

 

Bright Billa

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Nasir Khuehami

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised Bilal Dar, an 18-year-old ragpicker who earned his living by picking up waste from the Wular Lake in Bandipora district of north Kashmir.

 

In Mann Ki Baat, PM Modi congratulated the SMC Srinagar for their initiative for picking him as Brand Ambassador. PM Appreciated Bilal and said he Could serve as an inspiration for others.

Meanwhile Bilal said that I am very much happy that PM Modi Appreciated me and Praising my Work.

 

Bilals also known as Billa Journey From Ragpicker to Brand Ambassador:is mind blowing –

 

Up until recently, 15-year-old Bilal Ahmad Dar earned his living by collecting scraps and cleaning up toxic debris and dead animal carcasses from the famous Wular lake in Bandipora district of northern Kashmir.

 

However, in a remarkable twist of fortune, the teen was appointed as brand ambassador by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) who believed that Bilal could serve as an inspiration for others because even though he came from a disenfranchised background that did not stop him from caring for his environment.

 

“Bilal is an energetic boy and  inspiration for everyone. From a tender age, he earned a living by cleaning the Wular Lake by removing garbage, used bottles and shoes from it. But money wasn’t the only driving force behind his work, he genuinely cares for the environment. We are proud of overall efforts in this regard ,” said SMC Commissioner Shafqat Khan while talking to News Kashmir.

 

“Wular has been poisoned due to all the trash that floats around in it and tourists who visit this majestic lake felt dejected so I decided to help clean some of the filth from it,” Bilal said.

 

Bilal took up cleaning of Wular lake from 2012 and earned around Rs. 6000 monthly even though he says, that initially he received no help from the society of the administration in this noble endeavor but is very thankful of  Shafqat Khan SMC Commissioner efforts .

 

“I collected plastic and polythene trash from the lake and sold them. Off course it fetched me some money. But it also helped in cleaning up Wular. Water is life, it has to be clean.,” says the teen who had to forsake his dreams of pursuing an education because his family couldn’t afford the expenses.

 

“We couldn’t afford at one time Rs. 900,” said Bilal’s sister. Bilal who hails from Laharwarpora village in Bandipora, like so many others struggled for a livelihood in this conflict-ridden paradise and collected plastic trash from the lake which he then sold for Rs. 200 on an average day.

 

Wular has been poisoned due to all the trash that floats around in it and tourists who visit this majestic lake felt dejected so Bilal  decided to help clean some of the filth from it. He deeply cared for the lake and was saddened by all the trash floating in it.

“There are dead animals floating in Wular. Our environment has degraded, there is every chance you will get sick if you drank water from the lake,” Bilal says.

“If I picked 100 plastic bottles it helps keep the water clean. I did earn some money but the Wular gets cleaned in the process.,”. Bilal says with a look of satisfaction, adding that he collects over 14,000 kilos of trash each year from the lake.

 

Bilal while recollecting hard days says while often collecting  trash from the lake from dusk till dawn, but on some days, he failed to sell it. “Somedays I didn’t earn and I had to bear it,”. Bilal’s father Mohammad Ramzan Dar, who also worked as a ragpicker died of cancer in 2003 when he was a studying in Class 6th , forcing the teen to abandon studies and earn a livelihood to support his mother and 14-year-old sister.

“He became breadwinner for us, since his (father’s) death. Bilal never lets me do any hard-work. He abandoned school so that we wouldn’t have to suffer,” Bilal’s mother Mughli Begum (60) said with tearful eyes.

 

Bilal’s “Wular-cleanup mission” finally caught the eye of authorities and the SMC appointed him as their brand ambassador.

Bilal’s remarkable story caught people’s attention after he was featured in a critically-acclaimed short documentary ‘Saving the Savior – Story of Kid and Wular Lake,” by a Kashmir-based filmmaker maker Jalal-u-Din Baba.

“Credit goes to Bilal in the way he inspired people to care and show concern about their environment. He’s a remarkable human being,” Baba said.

Baba added – “He doesn’t wish to live like dead weight on mother nature like most people do by trashing their environment. He has amazing compassion for nature,”.

Bilal’s story also proves the efficiency of SMC While proving how a Government Department  if it acts positively can change our society.

Pellet Pain

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News Kashmir Desk

 

Amnesty International’s report “Losing Sight in Kashmir: The Impact of Pellet-Firing Shotguns”- designed with photographs of blinded pellet victims was released few days back  . Pertinently, the report  presented the cases of 88 people whose eyesight has been damaged by pellets between 2014 and 2017.

The widespread use of the weapon was witnessed across length and breadth of Kashmir during the agitation in the Valley last year killed several people and blinded  scores  after violence broke out during protests sparked by the death of a Hizbul Mujahiddin militant, Burhan Wani.

Amnesty International report maintained that there is no proper way to use pellet-firing shotguns. It is irresponsible of the authorities to continue the use of the shotguns despite being aware of the damage they do.

After a spate of ghastly injuries last year the havoc caused by pellet gun in Kashmir  earned the title “epidemic of dead eyes”, Amnesty and other rights groups called for a complete ban on the use of the shotguns. As a matter of fact  single cartridge fired releases at least 500 high-speed metal pellets. These lodge in any available body part and are difficult to remove.

 

It is worth pointing out that In its report, Amnesty said it interviewed people aged from nine to 65.

“In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that change in Kashmir will not come from guns or abuses – na goli, na gali. If the government truly means this, they must end the use of pellet-firing shotguns, which have caused immense suffering in Kashmir,” Aakar Patel, executive director of Amnesty International India, said in a statement.

The report named 88 people, who were injured by pellets fired by security forces to quell protests in the Valley between 2014 and 2017. Of them, 31 suffered injuries to both the eyes, with two of them losing their vision completely, the report said. Speaking on the occasion, the executive director of Amnesty International India, Aakar Patel, demanded that the central and state governments ensure “the weapons are used in line with international human rights standards”.

“Pellet guns are only used in Jammu and Kashmir and not anywhere else in India. We have raised the issue with the government and it has assured us that they will be used only in extreme situations. We were told that the government understands that the damage caused by pellets is disproportionate,” he said.

Ajaz War , PRESIDENT JKYJA Stated – “ The report of Amnesty International is an eye-opener on the havoc caused by the pellets especially the loss of vision .It is high time that in the larger interest of humanity and peace the Government bans the pellet gun forever .”

 

Undoubtedly, Amnesty International report and voices of sanity clear call for blanket ban on this cruel weapon known as pellet gun.