Mohamed Ameen Dabhelia – 2016-07-26

A Social Activist says India cannot ignore the fact that Kashmiri people are firstly human before worrying about their political or religious views they follow and believe in.

The India Can’t See Campaign launched by #NeverForgetPakistan showcases the ‘pellet guns hit’ images of Indian celebrities, politicians and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg with the letters of Kashmiri people who have been targeted for the last 16 days in Kashmir.

Speaking to Radio Islam this morning, Muhammad Jibran Nasir said the aim of campaign is to highlight the atrocities and abuses carried out by the Indian Armed forces and Police who enjoy complete immunity under the Armed Forced Special Powers Act which has made a mockery of India’s claim to be a secular democracy.

“In the past few weeks, scores have been blinded, several killed and hundreds injured by what India describes as a “non-lethal” weapon and we realised that it’s not making news around the world, so we had to step in.”

He says the campaign is also aimed to create empathy.

“We live in a sad world where we have to present genuine tragedies in a creative way just to make people pause and think for a moment.”

Nasir posted to Facebook: “You know these faces. Does that make the tragedies more important? The stories in the letters are real. The names signed under the letter are real. Just the victim you see in the picture is not real. But do you care what is the profile of the victim for you to sympathise and empathise with them? For you to speak for them. Why do we need to glamorize a tragedy in order for people to pay attention? Have we all become that numb?”

Nasir believes that Kashmir should be independent from India and Pakistan and have the right to determine its own identity and future.

Kashmir, a predominantly Muslim region, is divided evenly between India and Pakistan, but both claim it in its entirety.

(Edited by Faizel Patel)