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Murder of Arif Shahid - Siyasat with Shamas www.jammukashmir.tv Siyasat in Pahari with Shams Rehman guests include ali adalat Nadeem Aslam and Sardar Aftab discussing the murder of Arif Shahid, chairperson of All Parties National Alliance in Rawalpindi by un identified gunmen on 13th May 2013 http://www.jammukashmir.tv/player/Siyasat/Murder-of-Arif-Shahid-Siyasat-with-Shamas-.html

PAKISTAN: Another human rights defender was allegedly extrajudicially killed by the state intelligence agency AHRC-UAC-073-2013-01.jpg Mr. Sardar Arif Shahid Urgent Appeal Case : The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a human rights defender and writer from the Pakistani part of Kashmir, Sardar Arif Shahid, was gunned down in front of his house in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Before his murder he has been arrested and then released at his native town when he visited the area along with some Kashmiri non Muslim visitors from the Jammu part of Indian Kashmir. His passport was confiscated and his name was put on the exit control list in 2009. The High Court has gave him relief in December 2012. CASE NARRATIVE: Mr. Sardar Arif Shahid, Chairman of the National Liberation Conference (NLC) and the Chairman of the All Parties National Alliance (APNA), was assassinated by unknown persons in the late evening of May 13, when he approached his house. According to his driver, Rizwan Khan, when they reached Sardar's home the driver went to open the gate of the house and suddenly he heard the sound of gun shots. As he turned towards the sound he saw Sardar had fallen in a pool of blood. Sardar was quickly taken to the military hospital in Rawalpindi where he succumbed to wounds. Sardar was assassinated on the same day as another human rights defender, Mr. Abdul Waheed Khan, who was assassinated in Karachi. These murders occurred exactly two months after the killing of Ms. Perveen Rehman in Karachi. Sardar was a prominent writer and human rights activist and had written two books on the peoples' struggle of the Kashmiris of both sides -- India and Pakistan. The APNA of which he was chairman has links in both Kashmirs. The APNA was a campaigner for the independence of Kashmir from India and Pakistan. This organization was developed in parallel with the All Parties Hurriayat Conference of Indian Jammu and Kashmir which was patronised by the Pakistan government. It is believed that he was assassinated by the agents of the notorious intelligence agency of Pakistan, the ISI, as he was always receiving threats from the ISI not only in Pakistan but also in Kashmir. Mr Sardar was a vocal critic of Pakistan's alleged role in sending militants to fight a "proxy war" against India in Indian-administered Kashmir. He also criticised Pakistan's policy of treating Kashmir as its "colony" and was opposing the occupation of Pakistan in Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The Pakistani government banned him from travelling abroad in 2009, and later confiscated his passport and other identification documents. The Ministry of the Interior told a court in December 2012 that his documents had been confiscated due to his "anti-state activities and on the recommendation of the director-general of the ISI intelligence service". Three months ago, police in Rawalpindi registered a case against him for publishing a monthly magazine which is alleged to have contained anti-Pakistan material. He was given pre-arrest bail by the court in that case. Some months ago a delegation of non Muslim leaders of Indian held Jammu, came to visit Pakistani Kashmir (Azad Kashmir). Sardar received the delegation at Mirpur, his native place in Pakistani Kashmir, where he was arrested by the ISI and held in jail. After he was released he went back to Rawalpindi, Punjab, where an Anti-Pakistan case was lodged against him. His activities were not liked by the state intelligence agencies as he was opposing the policies of Pakistani establishment against Kashmir. After his assassination protests against his killing was observed in both the parts of Kashmir and other parts of the world where Kashmiris are residing. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Human rights defenders have also been subjected to targeted killings by non-state actors, groups and individuals who opposed their work. While these are crimes in domestic law, under international human rights law the state also bears responsibility if it does not exercise due diligence, that is, if it fails to prevent such abuses or to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. Human rights defenders -- be they journalists investigating and documenting wrongdoings of state agents, lawyers representing victims of human rights abuses in court or human rights activists campaigning to end human rights violations -- have been subjected to a range of human rights violations themselves. They have been harassed, arbitrarily arrested and detained, subjected to enforced disappearance, torture and extrajudicial killings. Contrary to the spirit of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, state agents have committed such violations at a recently increased rate, and with impunity. This crackdown on human rights defenders has happened at a time when human rights violations are reported from Balochistan at an ever increasing rate, making the role of human rights defenders in supporting victims, campaigning for legal redress for abuses and working to end abuses more essential than ever. The violence against human rights defenders and civil society organizations is rising by the state and Muslim groups which indicates a failure on the part of the government to provide protection to human rights defenders. Journalists who work on human rights issues remain the prey of state and both state actors and Muslim extremist groups including the Taliban. So far 87 journalists had been killed in Pakistan since 2000. In the year 2012, eight journalists were killed while performing their official duty. During the first two months of this year alone, three journalist has been killed. SUGGESTED ACTION: Please write the letters to the following authorities calling on them to initiate a high powered inquiry into the murder of Sardar Arif Shahid which was allegedly done by the state intelligence agencies. Please urge them to take strong action against the state intelligence agencies particularly the ISI who is the main source of abduction, torture and extrajudicial killings of the Kashmiri people. Please also urge them to arrest and punish all those involved with the conspiracy and murder of Arif Shahid, stop the policy of harassment and intimidation in Pakistani Administered Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan and urge the government to allow the people of Pakistani Administered Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan to enjoy their fundamental human rights; the government must immediately pay compensation to his family members. The AHRC is writing separate letters to the UN Special Rapporteurs on the Extra-judicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions and on the situation of human rights defenders calling for their intervention into this matter. To support this appeal, please click here:

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Join our hands here: https://www.facebook.com/Justice4Arifshahid (JKNIA) عارف شاہد شہید کے لئے انصاف کی عالمی تحریک میں شامل ہو کر عالمی ضمیر کو جھنجوڑیں

Justice for Arif Shahid Campaign (PROTEST PROTEST)

JKNIA PRESS RELEASE REGARDING MURDER OF ARIF SHAHID London ( JKNIA Press Release) 15/05/13 Jammu Kashmir National Independence Alliance (JKNIA) condemns in strongest terms the targeted killing of renowned Kashmiri nationalist leader and chairman of All Parties National Alliance (APNA) Sardar Arif Shahid. It is widely believed that he was murdered by elements of Pakistani security agencies who notoriously engaged in extra judicial killings, harassment, detentions and forced disappearance of civil and political activists in Azad Jammu Kashmir and Pakistan. JKNIA held an emergency meeting on 14th May 2013 in London attended by all the members of Alliance, JKLF, JKDFP and representative of civil society organizations where they expressed their shock and horror on behalf of the diaspora Kashmiri Community on the cold blooded murder of a great Kashmiri Leader and Activist Arif Shahid Central President of Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Council who was shot outside his house in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on 13 May 2013. Mehmood Kashmiri, Chairman JKNIA informed the participants of this meeting that in very recent past Sardar Arif Shahid has been detained in Mipur Jail for hosting two fellow non-Muslim civil society activists from Jammu. His name was on Exit Control List (ECL) under the pressure of Pakistan’s secret service agencies because of his active role and building networks among all sections of nationalist political groups within AJK, Gilgit Baltistan and in Indian administered Jammu Kashmir. His name recently removed from ECL on the orders of superior judiciary in Pakistan and he was currently under trail for publishing a monthly magazine “Naya Kashmir”. It has emerged that he has been continuously harassed, intimidated and constantly watched and followed by the secret service agencies of Pakistan. The Alliance urged Government of Azad Jammu Kashmir to formally ask Government of Punjab, Pakistan to constitute a judicial enquiry to look into all the aspects and connections leading up-to this cold blooded murder and to press upon local administration to take immediate and appropriate action to find and bring the killers of Arif Shahid to justice JKNIA resolved to write to the Government of Punjab and Azad Jammu Kashmir and give them 7 days’ notice to constitute an independent judicial enquiry and to find and bring the killrs to justice. If this is not done within seven days JKNIA will consider this yet another case of a deliberate extra judicial killing by secret service agencies of Pakistan and take launch Justice for Arif Shahid campaign at international level. The leaders of JKNIA,Mirza Siddique (JKPF), Nadeem Aslam (JKNAP), Ghulam Hussain (KFM), Najeeb Afsar (KLO), Safdar Mir (ABK) and Azmat Khan (JKLF), Ershad Malik (JKDFP), Civil Society activists Shams Rehman, Sardar Aftab Khan, Shafqat Raja, urged all the members of Kashmiri diaspora in UK, Europe and all parts of the world to stand united and join the Justice for Arif Shahid Campaign to help in putting an end to extra judicial killings, harassment, detentions and forced disappearance of civil and political activists in Azad Jammu Kashmir and Pakistan. Nadeem Aslam Secretary General – JKNIA Jammu Kashmir National Independence Alliance (JKNIA)

ARIF SHAHID KILLED BY UNIDENTIFIED SHARP SHOOTER IN RAWALPINDI PAKISTAN ================================================================================== A prominent Kashmiri leader President Jammu Kashmir National Liberation Conference (JKNLC) and Chairman All Parties National Alliance (APNA) Arif Shaid has been murdered by an unidentified sharp shooter in Rawalpindi Pakistan .He was faced numerous threats including forge cases from the Pakistani agencies in the past. After the post mortem his dead body handed over to his family. The Janaza prayer will be offer tomorrow in his home town Chotha Galla Rawlakot POK. The pro Kashmiri leadership shocked to hear the tragic and sad demise of Mr.Arif Shaid.The chairman JKNIA Mahmood Kashmiri , Nadeem Asalm Sec.Gen, Mirza Sadiq ,Najib Afsar ,Ghulam Hussain ,Safder Mir,Thair Bostan, condemn the target killing of the Kashmiri leader Arif Shaid. In a joint statement the JKNIA leaders said his only crime is his firm belief of united independent and prosperous Kashmir and for this reason he had been arrested by the Pakistani secret agencies (ISI & others) many times before and his name was submitted into exit control list (ECL) and banned to travel abroad .He has no personal e enmity with anyone apart from his consistent political work which challenge Pakistani occupation in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) and Pakistan occupied Gilgit Baltistan (POGB). The demand of liberation (AZADI) from Pakistan in peaceful political manners is not acceptable for Pakistan military establishment and their agencies .Because of only for that reason he face a blind death with the bullets of a sharp shooter which took his innocent life in a brutal way .This is a real face of Pakistani occupation which won`t allow indigenous people to work for their fundamental rights and liberation from their occupied areas. JKNIA demands an impartial transparent, independent judicial inquiry which holds the responsible and appeal to all human rights defenders to raise their voice to condemn this brutal killing of Arif Shaid .His work for unified independent Kashmir always be remembered. JKNIA will take every necessary step to raise the voice of occupied Kashmir people in POK and all around the world until the justice has been done. Long live united independent prosperous Kashmir. Jammu Kashmir National Independence Alliance (JKNIA)