Your Excellency,

 

 

I represent the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly (HCA) in Vanadzor. The HCA Vanadzor works amongst others on problems of missing persons of the Karabakh war in cooperation with Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly partners in Azerbaijan. Our organization is a partner organization of the Intercurch Peace Council (IKV, the Netherlands).

 

We were informed about the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society. On April 21, 2005 the association of Parents of Disappeared Persons, one of the constituents of JKCCS, intends to lay the foundation stone of a monument in the memory of disappeared persons of Kashmir.

 

According to the official figures, since May 1990 to May 31, 2003, 34 709 persons were killed in the area; about 20 000 women have been widowed and according to officials 3 931 are missing. More than 25 000 children have been orphaned. Unofficial sources even quote higher numbers of casualties.

 

Peace building activities are always very difficult to realize and unfortunately, sometimes the activists are killed. One of the cases is when on April 20, 2004, Aasia Jeelani, a JKCCS activist got killed by a landmine while performing her duties as an observer during the Indian parliament election of 2004 in Lolab Valley. In memory of this a memorial meeting will be organized in Srinagar for Kashmir Solidarity Day.

 

With this letter we express our solidarity to the JKCCS and the Association of Disappeared Persons. We think that all the events that are organized on the Kashmir Solidarity Days from 19 to 21 April, will promote the formation of dialogue between the conflicting sides, as well as the effectiveness of civil initiatives and peace-building in a conflict area like Kashmir. At the same time, we think that the authorities of India bear responsibility to take measures for the formation of dialogue with civil societies and for peace-building. We expect that a country having one of the most ancient civilizations like India would be an example in human rights protection. We consider that a individual like Mahatma Gandhi who showed the power of non-violent problem solving will be an example for the authorities of India for peace-building in the regions of Jammu and Kashmir.

 

By once more expressing my concern and interest over the peace building activities in the Jammu/Kashmir Region, I remain,

 

Yours sincerely  

,

 

Arthur Sakunts