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ISLAMABAD MEDICS STAND FOR KASHMIR

Islamabad, 5 October 2019: Doctors and Health Care Professionals in Islamabad held a demonstration titled; Medics for Kashmir, against the Indian Atrocities in Kashmir on Friday, 6th September 2019. The rally was organized by Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA), attended by large number of male and female doctors, senior physicians as well as medical students from different institution. They carried placards, banners and raised slogans of condemnation. The rally was started from Kalsomm Plaza, Blue area and ended at D-Chowk, led by Prof Muhammad Umer; VC Rawalpindi Medical University, Prof Muhammad Iqbal Khan; VC Shifa Tameer e Millat University, Prof Anis Ahmad; VC Riphah International University, Prof Hafeez ur Rehman; Vice Dean Peshawar Medical College, Dr Syyeda Farzana; president PIMA Women Branch and other senior physicians.

Speakers expressed their deep concern over the human misery that has been created by the occupying Indian forces since PM Modi’s announcement of annexation of the Jammu and Kashmir on 5th August 2019. Reportedly thousands of Kashmiris have been arrested, hundreds wounded in battle with security forces and an unknown number martyred in the last few weeks. This non ending curfew is a cowardly act explaining in itself that the vast majority of citizens of Kashmir are against it.

Speakers from various organizations said that as health care workers, they are deeply concerned on the rapidly deteriorating health care condition in the valley. Reportedly there are: serious shortages of medicines; lack of life saving services like dialysis, chemotherapy, ambulances and hospitals’ access; lack of communication of patients with their care givers and doctors; unfortunately most serious sufferers are children, women, including pregnant, elderly and the very sick who cannot make extra efforts in such situation. What is the most condemning act is arrest of doctors who raise voice against such issues. And this conflict, a one sided battle, has seen horrible, painful pellet gun injuries and likely to follow post traumatic stress disorder victims.

The representatives of the doctors’ bodies criticized the world powerful countries, the UNO, WHO and others who are watching it silently while a major human catastrophe is taking place. They also asked the govt of Pakistan to exert pressure on the Indian govt to end the Kashmiri siege and repeal the objectionable amendment.

The doctors demanded the following:

1) Immediate restoration of all civil rights in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir. Unless the right of the Kashmiri people to determine their own political future is not given, no peace and hence no solution to the plight of common man can be expected.

2) Open all basic civic amenities to common man: food, water, electricity, health care needs (clinics, hospitals etc), make medicines and lifesaving services open and easily accessible.

3) Pay immediate attention to those deprived of life saving medical care, the very serious patients, awaiting surgeries, dialysis, chemotherapy and the like.

4) In case of shortage of health care professionals and/or medicines, allow Pakistani doctors and anyone in the world, to go and help them on purely humanitarian grounds.

5) The international community, the influential states, the UNO, Security Council, the WHO, UNICEF, Red Cross and similar, should take urgent action against the Indian government; anything that puts immediate and meaningful pressure so that it end the Kashmiri clampdown and human right violation.

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