ISLAMABAD: The research also underlined how critical it is to back the Palestinian administration right away in its attempts to avert a more widespread collapse, pointing out that foreign aid fell from $2 billion, or 27% of GDP, in 2008 to $550 million, or less than 3% of GDP, in 2022.
UNCTAD emphasized further that in order to achieve a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians, the military operation in Gaza had to end and the blockade had to be lifted.
Residents of the area are distressed over the lack of openness in the campaign’s launch, which occurred without an official statement from the authorities. These people were already dealing with increased anxiety and unease as a result of the Modi administration’s bold decision to abolish the region’s special status, which was obviously against UNSC resolutions.”
He claimed that private information, such as the ages and contact details of family members who live outside the area and the head of the household, was being collected from locals under the pretense of a census.
He drew attention to the fact that the “census forms” that were given out to the inhabitants also collected personal information about them, such as their Aadhar numbers, vehicle registration numbers, information on CCTV cameras that were erected, and questions about family members who were involved in the ongoing independence movement.
He claimed that people were being asked to submit pictures of their residences as well as the longitude and latitude coordinates (geo-tagging).
“The invasive questions and sensitive data collection by the police have left residents completely shell-shocked,” the letter stated, adding that “this insidious campaign, which lacks transparency, has raised serious concerns among the Kashmiri people who are already living in a state of excessive surveillance.”
The letter made reference to the increasing meddling of the Indian security forces in the private lives of the residents, pointing out that since 2019, Indian security agencies have been involved in compiling databases of notable citizens, particularly journalists, academics, members of civil society, and human rights activists who have been instrumental in exposing human rights breaches carried out by the Indian army and other security agencies.
He said that such surveys had previously been carried out by the Indian army. “In the 1990s, the Indian army and the Border Security Force conducted door-to-door surveys to maintain a database of all households and monitor the movements of residents to gather information on resistance groups” , he stated.
Wani declared that the campaign was unlawful, unconstitutional, and against international law, adding that “any agency, public or private, in India is strictly prohibited by law from carrying out such an exercise on its own,” including the police.
He mentioned the India Census Act, stating that only the offices of the Registrar General of India and Registrar of Census were permitted to carry out a census nationwide, in a specific state, or in an area.
“The Census Act 1948 not only guarantees the confidentiality of information provided by respondents during the census but specifically prohibits other agencies from conducting the census or population enumeration themselves” , he stated.
“Even the law does not allow this information to be provided as evidence in court” , he stated.
“Not only is the so-called census effort against Indian law, but it also flagrantly infringes upon people’s fundamental rights to privacy and dignity, allowing the government to compile a comprehensive profile of every individual.
He claimed that the action amounted to an unlawful extension of police authority and an attempt to establish a surveillance state on Jammu and Kashmir’s occupied territory.
He claimed that in addition to being a violation of people’s fundamental rights, the Indian security agencies’ creation of a database comprising the entire population would have a detrimental impact on citizens’ other human rights and fundamental freedoms. It would also pave the way for unwarranted intrusions into people’s private lives.
