Resolution on internal displacement

SURAT, Feb 7: Responding to two presentations made by Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, president, Panun Kashmir Movement and J Stanny, Director, o...

SURAT, Feb 7: Responding to two presentations made by Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, president, Panun Kashmir Movement and J Stanny, Director, of Surat-based Legal Aid and Human Rights Centre, the Asia amp; Pacific Regional Conference on Education for Human Rights8217;, jointly organised by the UNESCO, World Peace Centre and National Human Rights Commission, which concluded in Pune on Saturday, adopted a resolution expressing concern over government apathy towards internally displaced8217; people in the country.

The four day meet criticised the government, National Human Rights Commission and international Human Right bodies for not taking steps to protect internally displaced people.

8220;It is unfortunate to note that Kashmiri Pandits have been internally displaced because of religious fanaticism and no serious steps have been taken either by the government of India or any international Human Right body which needs to condemned the action,8221; the resolution, moved by Stanny said.

It further stated that 8220;It is also sad to note that religious fanaticism is spreading in other parts of the country, causing internal displacement. The Dangs district of Gujarat is a case in point wherein a couple of villages Christians have been force to flee8221;.

Stanny, who has just returned from Pune, said displacement 8220;is taking place in the name of development, big dams and mega projects in tribal areas for which there is no proper rehabilitation policy8221;.

Stanny did not agree with one one of the issues discusses at the meet that was relating to primary education. Delegates felt that once primary education was made compulsory, people would be aware of the human right mechanism and defend their own rights. According to Stanny, to attain human rights education, people need to be stable, they need to have their basic amenities. Panun Kashmir Movement president, Chrungoo, while highlighting the suffering of the Kashmiri Pandits, suggested a full-fledged authority at the UNESCO level be established to save the culture, language, education and religion of the Kashmiri Pandit.