Human rights violated for 20 yrs in J&K: Mirwaiz

Moderate Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Thursday claimed that human rights were being violated in Jammu and Kashmir for the last 20 years.

"Where the state is involved in rights violations for 20 years, in such circumstances to even think about justice is a big thing," Mirwaiz said, adding that State Human Rights Commission was a "toothless organisation" that has no power to work for human rights.

Speaking at a seminar on 'Respect for human rights guarantees global peace', he also appealed to the civil society to "raise its voice on such violations in Jammu and Kashmir".

He also appealed the separatist groups and leaders to forge unity among themselves. "Time demands something from us that we have to sit together, we have to talk and discuss with each other. Individually no one can deliver, that times is over when one man or one party would deliver things," he said.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik launched a scathing attack on the human rights groups in Kashmir and blamed them for getting involved in politics.

"The human rights groups and civil society which were established here have become shops. They are more involved in politics than in their own work," Malik, who stepped into Hurriyat office for the first time in seven years, said.