The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) strongly condemned the recent killing of seven pilgrims from Gujarat and Maharashtra near Anantnag on the Jammu-Srinagar highway by armed militants, who shot at the bus in which they were travelling.
The killings of unarmed civilianscan in no way be justified or accepted, PUCL said in an statement. “PUCL expresses its grief over the killings and extends its condolences to the families of those killed and wishes speedy recovery of those who were injured during the attack,” it said.
“What stands out is the timing and the fact that the targets were chosen so as to divide the communities further along communal lines, both in the valley and also in the rest of India. It is a tribute to the people of the Valley as also elsewhere in India, that the intention of the killers was not achieved,” the statement said.
The PUCL asserted that all counter-measures adopted by the government should adhere strictly to the rule of law, including the core principles of criminal and Constitutional law, and the specific standards and obligations of international human rights law, and, where applicable, humanitarian law.
“It should be noted that these principles, standards and obligations, as constantly affirmed by the Supreme Court, define the boundaries of permissible and legitimate State action against extremism and terrorism,” it said.
The problem of Jammu and Kashmir is a political problem and that any lasting solution can be reached only by finding political solutions agreeable to all concerned.
