A webinar “Digital Apartheid in Indian Occupied Kashmir” was organized by                  Kashmir    Institute of International Relations (KIIR) in the collaboration of World                Muslim Congress (WMC), dated September 25, 2020, constituted of the profound              panelists, i.e, H.E. Shadow  Minister Khalid Mahmood, Ms. Mariana Zucca, Muzamil                Ayub Thakur, H.E. Phil Bennion Former MP, Dr. Sania Muneer, H.E. Afzal Khan Shadow          Minister/ Deputy Leader HOC.

     The webinar was moderated by Altaf Hussain Wani Chairman KIIR. The discussion was   formally initiated by Dr. Sania Muneer. She explained how this digital apartheid is        evident to be the targeted denial of digital rights of people in Indian Occupied           Kashmir. She claimed it as systematic form of discrimination, digital repression and collective punishment of Kashmiris. She retrieved that since Kashmir is under                      double lockdown, there is a complete denial of their fundamental rights. Where the whole world is engaged with each other, studying through online classes entrepreneuring and connecting via the internet, the 12.5 million people of Kashmir are even deprived of making a video call via WhatsApp. She declared Digital apartheid as a tool of war causing a prolonged repression and systematic delay in a conflict region, bringing the socio economic crisis. She explained how highlighting the voices for Kashmir could indulge them into difficulty. Their accounts are consistently monitored by the surveillance teams under the orders of the government of India. She emphasized that we need to be very much active on social media to promulgate the narrative of           Kashmir
         Chairman KIIR Altaf Wani then welcomed H.E. Phil Bennion Former MP. Phil talked about the importance of digital rights. He stated that any human rights that are respected in real life, that should be respected in digital life too. He announced that he along with his team is going to launch a declaration constituted of ten principles of digital rights. He discussed that how Indian government regardless of their democratic status is lynching the minorities in mainland India and also how the freedom of expression, opinion, thoughts and information have been demolished in Indian occupied Kashmir. He further added that any legislation or amendment regarding imposing
   lockdown must be condemned and should not be acceptable. He said that India is acting upon the limited democratic formula by controlling the Freedom of speech and restricting internet freedom. Moreover, he said that Indian government has breached each and every fundamental right of Kashmiri people. He said that India has evidently been the far worst offender in the world. He said that this Digital apartheid is used as a tool to oppress their voices, they are using these tactics to boggle their minds, so they could not even imagine what is happening around them. He added that Human rights have been accepted long ago in real life, Digital rights must be accepted too. In Indian occupied Kashmir, online entrepreneurs, students, patients, are suffering from suppression. He said that the government had barred them down economically, morally and socially. He argued that we should raise our voice against these human rights violations. The privacy of each and every Kashmiri has been breached. He said that Indian government cannot put the whole region under surveillance.
      “UN reports refer to this internet siege as collective punishment”, Altaf Hussain Wani commented. He then welcomed H.E. Shadow Minister Khalid Mahmood. Mahmood threw light upon the biggest issue in IOK which is draconian lockdown since 5 august, 2019. He claimed that this lockdown is a complete abuse of Geneva Convention, International law and every fundamental right of human beings. He expressed that being the custodian of human rights, we should take this case to international criminal courts. He said that people in IOK are in complete horrendous condition, having no human rights and no civilian rights at all. Moreover he said that there has been an imposition of half million army since decades. There has been no right of life and dignity of woman being kept and secured in IOK. He also discussed how these culprits and violators of law are being immune to punishment by the draconian laws of AFSPA and PSA of Indian constitution. He finally emphasized that the Kashmir diaspora should push their governments to take action against Indian government because lives of Kashmiris also matter.
  H.E. Afzal Khan, Shadow Minister/ Deputy Leader HOC,encouraged the UK government which is committed to impose sanction on Modi’s government for committing human rights violations in IOK. He recounted how Kashmiri people got killed by these Indian barbarians for raising their voices against them. Indeed, digital lockdown post 2019 was not a new phenomena for Kashmiris as they were continuously watching the strangling of the Internet in IOK for decades. He said that where the world is advancing in telecommunication by using 5G, Kashmiris are using 2G internet sometimes no internet at all. He added that Kashmir has suffered 5.3 billion loss since August 2019 lockdown. He enlightened the situation in IOK as the moment you land in Kashmir, the IOK forces grab your phone, look at all of your social media accounts and inspect them and make sure that they are not posting anything against the Indian government. Then if they find something wrong, they give unpleasant threats to them. He gave examples of such journalists who got detained for publicizing truth via their social media accounts, such as Masrat Zahra, Qazi Shibli etc. He also discussed the aspect of Digital deaths that occurred when a person goes offline and inactive for a long period of time. Altaf Hussian Wani recalled that there are currently twenty two intelligence agencies, which are making sure the surveillance of people in IOK. He then welcomed Ms. Mariana Zucca to speak on the issue.
  Ms. Mariana Zucca talked about Digital apartheid as restriction on press rights and freedom of speech, opinion and thoughts. She referred to this apartheid as collective punishment for Kashmiris. She said that International community should recognize this genocide of Kashmiris happening in IOK by the Indian authorities. Altaf Hussain Wani concluded the webinar by commenting that for the last seventy years, India had been a party to the Kashmir issue, UN resolutions, and human rights convention. But now the arrogant fascist Hindutva regime is radicalizing the region by violating most basic rights of people in IOK. Thus, India is no more a secular and democratic state. He suggested that the international community should take action against India as witnessing the brutalities because these would be evident to create threat to regional, national and international security.

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