Advocate Ghulam
Nabi Hagroo Sahib
By Dr. Ghulam Nabi
Fai
Executive Director
Kashmiri American Council
US
And,
he has remained steadfast to his mission. That
characterization is a befitting tribute to Advocate
Ghulam Nabi Hagroo, a symbol of sacrifice, humbleness,
modesty and honesty, on his death. He remained
undoubtedly true to his word until the end of
his life. He was a known advocate, a human rights
defender, prolific writer, and above all, a kind
personal friend. I knew him for over three decades.
Alas, he left us on Friday, January 5, 2007 at
the age of 73.
Hagroo Sahib was imprisoned several times for
the sole "crime" of speaking the truth,
never compromising on his principles and calling
for implementation of the United Nations Security
Council resolutions vis-à-vis the Kashmir
dispute.
It was in 1993 that I invited him to Geneva, Switzerland
to attend the 45th Session of the United Nations
Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination
and Protection of Minorities. After the United
Nations Session he visited us in Washington, DC.
We stayed together for over two months. While
in Geneva, Hagroo Sahib, during his intervention
in the United Nations Sub-Commission under the
agenda item “Question of the violation of
human rights and fundamental freedoms,”
said that the denial of the right of self-determination
to the people of Jammu and Kashmir has brought
miseries and pain to the civilian population of
the State. He informed the members of the Sub-Commission
that the presence of 600,000 Indian military and
paramilitary forces has converted Kashmir into
a big prison camp. Hagroo Sahib urged the members
of the Sub-Commission to denounce India 's gruesome
human rights violation record in Kashmir and her
defiance of the Security Council's self-determination
resolutions. That, Hagroo Sahib emphasized, would
strengthen the moral suasion against India 's
intransigence. India should also be urged to open
Kashmir to the foreign media and human rights
organizations to paint an authoritative portrait
of the conditions obtaining there. Hagroo Sahib
emphatically asked the members of the Sub-Commission:
If you were a Kashmiri wouldn't you resist? Whoever
knew of a human being who wouldn't instinctively
rebel against subjugation and debasement? If the
Kashmir resistance were not primarily indigenous,
what could explain the 600,000 foreign military
and paramilitary forces stationed on the territory,
numbers vastly exceeding what is needed to conduct
a campaign against a few hundred militants? Indeed,
Kashmir is the most densely soldiered territory
on the planet.
Next, when he made the intervention under the
agenda item, “The administration of justice
and the human rights of detainees: question of
the human rights of persons subjected to any form
of detention or imprisonment,” he said that
torture, disappearances, and summary executions
deserved special abhorrence and deterrents. They
should all be made international crimes with no
immunity for any government official implicated
in the villainies, even heads of state. In his
unique style he surprised the members of the Sub-Commission
by asking who could defend torture, disappearances,
or summary executions in this day and age? The
genuine test of how much we care about such abuses
is what we do about them, not just what we say
about them. And the United Nations Sub-Commission
on Human Rights seemed an ideal place to begin
with a serious plan of action.
Hagroo Sahib was an exciting and fascinating personality
because of his long involvement in the Kashmir
freedom struggle. He was unswervingly devoted
to a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute
that has ensued when the problem has been perceived
as bilateral, to the exclusion of the 13 million
Kashmiri people whose sovereign destiny and fundamental
human rights are at stake.
While in Washington, Hagroo Sahib met with several
members of the Congress, representatives of major
think-tanks, and officials of the human rights
organizations to explore the support of the United
States to settle the long-standing issue that
has remained the underlying cause of all tensions
between India and Pakistan. I personally experienced
the good fortune of lengthy meetings with him
during his visit to Switzerland and the United
States. We explored a variety of issues of mutual
concern and focused on avenues for a just and
lasting peace in Kashmir. He was sleepless and
selfless in all his pursuits for the people of
Kashmir .
The moral high ground was everything to Hagroo
Sahib. We are honored to pay homage to a man who
gave that last full measure of devotion in his
unflagging pursuit of the just and noble cause
of Kashmir. We will never forget the selfless
contribution and the tireless efforts of Hagroo
Sahib. May Allah place his soul in paradise! Amen.
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