Bar Council of Delhi questions 'Human rights champions' Amnesty International's silence on Pulwama Terror attack. Read statement

The Bar Council of Delhi has condemned the 'ghastly' terror attack in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were martyred and many others injured near the Jammu-Srinagar highway on Thursday. Furthermore, the council has also expressed anguish on Amnesty International for maintaining silence on the issue.

In a press release dated February 16, 2019, the council wrote:

"The Chairman of Bar Council of India, K.C. Mittal, along with other members observed two minutes of silence in memory of the army personnel martyred at Awantipora, Jammu and Kashmir, and to pay tribute to their supreme sacrifice for the nation."

The council further resolved to strongly condemn the ghastly and cowardice terror act by Pakistan on the CRPF convoy. 

"The perpetrators are well known and the involvement of Pakistan needs hardly any evidence, as an attack of this magnitude is not possible without the active involvement of expertise of ISI", the press release read.

Furthermore, questioning the silence of Amnesty International on the terror attack, the Bar Council of Delhi said:

"The Council expressed great anguish at the silence of Amnesty International, claiming themselves to be Champions of Human Rights. Their credibility is seriously questioned and conduct is highly deplorable". 

Read the full press release below: 

Read: Naseeruddin Shah Turns Ambassador For Amnesty International, Campaigns Over "country Being Awash With Horrific Hatred And Cruelty"

Earlier on January 4, 2019, the Amnesty India released a video starring veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah. Through the video, the rights group gave out a message to the Indian government that they 'must end its crackdown'.The tweet had Naseeruddin Shah talking about 'independent India'. He further talks about the 'voices of those trying to safeguard the country's constitution being suppressed' by the 'powerful' and at the end, asks 'Is this where our constitution is heading?'

At the end of the video a message appears which reads:

In 2018, India witnessed a massive crackdown on freedom of expression and human rights defenders. 
Let's stand up for our constitutional values this new year and tell the Indian government that its crackdown must end now.

Earlier, in a major crackdown on NGOs, Enforcement Directorate had confirmed that the Amnesty International headquarters in Bengaluru was raided. As per sources, the ED was looking at FCRA and other violations. Amnesty had condemned the presence of Enforcement Directorate (ED) on its premises in Bangalore. Amnesty had attacked the central government, accusing them of trying to silence organizations like them.

Read: Amnesty India Condemns ED Raids, Accuses Government Of 'trying To Instill Fear'