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Dinesh Manhotra
Tribune News Service
Jammu, May 22
As killings of civilians are going on unabated on the International Border (IB) due to heavy shelling from the Pakistani side, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association on Tuesday suspended its work to express solidarity with the border inhabitants, who have been bearing the maximum brunt.
Work in all courts, tribunals and commissions remained suspended on Tuesday in protest against the killing of civilians, including that of an eight-month-old child, in unprovoked firing by Pakistan.
A meeting of the Association was held on Tuesday morning under the chairmanship of its vice president Sachin Gupta in which all participants condemned the unprovoked firing by Pakistan on civilians.
Speaking at the meeting, Gupta regretted that during the holy month of Ramzan when the Union Government had announced a unilateral ceasefire, the Pakistani side resorted to shelling and firing on our border villages in which civilian lives were lost and many others injured.
“Killing of a child in Monday’s firing incident is against humanity and such act of cowardice cannot be justified by Pakistan. The residents of border villages have to flee from their homes and find shelter in camps. The main livelihood of the residents of the border villages is agriculture and it is severely affected as the livestock is being slaughtered and humans cannot venture out of safe zones. The education of children is severely affected as schools remain closed and people live in fear of their lives,” he said.
The association expressed solidarity with the residents of border villages.
Prem Sadotra, general secretary of the association, while condemning the decision of the Central and state governments to declare a unilateral ceasefire, appealed to the state government and district administration to make necessary arrangements at the camps set up for lodging the residents of border villages and offered to provide whatever assistance would be required from their end.
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