Members of European Parliament call for ban on use of Pellet Gun in Indian-controlled Kashmir

BRUSSELS , March 28 (NsNewsWire) — Over fifty Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have called for ban on the use of pellet gun in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOK).
MEPs have made the call  in a letter addressed to the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi .
The letter sent to PM Modi on March 25 also demands to end the human rights violations in the IOK.
The parliamentarians have also highlighted the rampant immunity to the Indian military in IOK in carrying out brutalities on the innocent Kashmiris.
This letter is first of its kind that has been signed by more than 50 members in the European Parliament hailing from various European Member States.
Pointing to the fact that the use of pellet gun in IOK was against prevailing international human rights laws, the Members of the European Parliament have condemned the Indian atrocities on innocent Kashmiris.
The following is the full and unedited text of the letter of MEPs:
“European Parliament
Rue Wiertz 60
Brussels, B-1047, Belgium
Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India
South Block, Raisina Hill
New Delhi-110011
India
Brussels, 25th March 2019

Dear Prime Minister Modi,
We, the undersigned, in our capacity as elected Members of the European Parliament, are
writing to you to express our grave concern about the past and ongoing human rights violations
against people in Kashmir, as reported in a recent OHCHR1 report.
We are particularly concerned about the usage of pellet shotguns, responsible for blinding,
killing and traumatizing hundreds of people in Kashmir. We particularly note the tragic case of
19-month old child who was gravely injured by a pellet gun (BBC report). We are concerned
that The Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act 1990 (AFSPA) and the Jammu
and Kashmir Public Safety Act 1978 (PSA) give security forces virtual immunity against
prosecution for any human rights violation.
Therefore, we, the undersigned MEPs, urge the Indian government to:
 immediately end the use of pellet-firing shotguns in Jammu and Kashmir and bring all
relevant Indian laws into compliance with international human rights standards;
 urgently repeal the Armed Forces (Jammu and Kashmir) Special Powers Act, 1990 and
amend the Jammu and Kashmir Public Safety Act, 1978 to ensure its compliance with
international human rights law;
 provide full and effective reparation and rehabilitation to those who have been injured
by pellet-firing shotguns, and to the families of those killed;
 establish independent and impartial investigations into all accidents where the use of
pellet-firing shotguns led to deaths or serious injuries.
1 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights – Report on the Situation of Human Rights in
Kashmir: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/IN/DevelopmentsInKashmirJune2016ToApril2018.pdf
www.ohchr.org
ohchr.org
Yours sincerely,
Wajid Khan MEP Alex Mayer MEP Amjad Bashir MEP Sajjad Karim MEP Julie Ward MEP Jonathan Arnott MEP Theresa Griffin MEP Helga Stevens MEP Jean Lambert MEP John Howarth MEP Derek Vaughan MEP David Martin MEP Margrete Auken MEP Baroness Nosheena Mobarik MEP Liliana Rodrigues MEP Rory Palmer MEP Anthea McIntyre MEP Maria Arena MEP Arndt Kohn MEP Ana Gomes MEP Siôn Simon MEP Bart Staes MEP Soraya Post MEP Ilhan Kyuchyuk MEP Elena Valenciano MEP Julie Girling MEP Tunne Kelam MEP Jose Inacio Faria MEP Lucy Anderson MEP Richard Corbett MEP Jude Kirton-Darling MEP Maria Gabriela Zoană MEP Barbara Lochbihler MEP Mary Honeyball MEP Csaba Sógor MEP Momchil Nekov MEP Linda McAvan MEP Jakop Dalunde MEP Klaus Buchner MEP Edouard Martin MEP Josef Weidenholzer MEP Eva Kaili MEP Eugen Freund MEP Brando Benifei MEP Paul Brannen MEP Fabio Massimo Castaldo MEP Jordi Solé MEP Andrejs Mamikins MEP Claude Moraes MEP Caroline Nagtegaal ME
CC: Ms Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / Vice-President of the Commission.”

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0512/2013
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