After 240 years the last remaining 28 Shops of Debenhams a British retail brand started in 1778 and owned by Boohoo closed down this week. It ends an era of British business brand. The business instinct of Prime Minister Boris Johnson to give business a priority over British lives and fail to ban flights from India in equity with Pakistan and Bangladesh, has hit the North West England with Indian Variant of Covid. Army has been called in to help to test people in NW England for Indian variant of Covid.
North-West England, that is, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire have turned into hot spots of the Indian virus variant. Prime Minister has said that the Indian virus variant could pose “serious disruption” to lockdown easing in England on 21 June. It seems that it would be “impossible” to go ahead with step four of England’s roadmap to ease coronavirus restrictions. North West is the third most populated region in the UK, after South East and Greater London. Indian variant of the virus is likely to disrupt life in the country as a whole. Prime Minister would be remembered for giving business with India a priority over the British lives. The greed and bad judgement has its consequences.
Britain has started coming under the microscopic examination of the growing social movement of a responsibility towards each other. It is seen as having wronged the people of Palestine in 1948 and the people of Kashmir in 1947 and the two habitats. Palestinians have observed the 73rd year of “Nakba” when Israel was created on their land and the Kashmiris have been through the 74th year of Indian occupation. Indian military entered into Kashmir in 1947 and has placed Kashmir under a military curfew from 5 August 2019.
British business interests in India and in Israel continue at the cost of human rights, humanitarian law and the rule of law. The death and destruction poured down on Palestinians living in Gaza represent a challenge to the US and UK, which have been covering up Israeli war crimes in Gaza and in occupied East Jerusalem
The worldwide social movement is watching British business interests in India and in Israel at the cost of human rights, humanitarian law and the rule of law. The death and destruction poured down on Palestinians living in Gaza, shredding children into pieces, blowing up civilians, attack on Muslim worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramzan (just before Eid), asking people to vacate their homes so that Israel could destroy them, the blowing up of Al Jazeera and AP offices and the private homes are a challenge to US and UK, which have been covering up Israeli war crimes in Gaza and in occupied East Jerusalem.
It is unfortunate that US blocked the Friday 14 May meeting and a joint statement of 14 other members in the Security Council. Although US has agreed to a meeting on Sunday 16 May yet it remains to be seen whether it would hold out as the lone protector of Israel as it did during the Human Rights Council Special Session in July 2014, which paved the way for a probe into the alleged “war crimes” committed by Israeli war machinery on the streets and soil of Gaza.
Israel has been using its fire power and controlling the life and death of Palestinians living in Gaza and in occupied East Jerusalem. It is sickening that Israeli ‘war crimes’ should be justified as a right to self-defence. Israelis have taken the Palestinian land in 1948 and the radical Jews continue to enter the homes of Palestinians and demand a vacation of their homes. Life of a Palestinian in Gaza or in occupied East Jerusalem could shame any human being. The blockade and siege of Gaza for the last 14 years is a sin against humanity. The Arabs for their petty interests and in particular to keep their kingdoms and dictatorships secure have facilitated the inhumane treatment of Palestinians.
In July 2014 Israel attacked the Care Home for Orphans and Handicapped in Northern Gaza and killed disabled children. It razed to a debris the infra structure in Gaza. Israel has repeated the sin of blowing up the life and infrastructure in Gaza again in May 2021. Unfortunately, it started its sinister designs by attacking the worshippers in Al Aqsa Mosque.
We live in a very unreal and selfish world. All the Arab countries have an interest in the agony and defeat of Palestinians. Arabs should not forget that until very recent they were as poor as Somalia of today. The Haj economy kept them going and the prayers of Muslims caused them to find the oil wealth. They failed to turn into a quality influence for Muslim causes like Palestine and Kashmir. In fact they have betrayed both people. It is a shame.
Winds of change blowing in the region could not be intercepted for long and no power on earth could stand guard for Arab dictators. There is a divine force that overlooks the mankind. Israel is a racist state. It discriminates against Mizrachi Jews – that is against Jews whose families originate in Arab countries. Jewish mothers all over the world should move forward to defend life of a mother and life of a child in Gaza.
Israel is already a subject of ‘war crimes’ probe since 2014. The new spell of war crimes which has started from the last week of Ramzan, does not need any further probe. Every eye around the world and the social media has documented the death of two mothers and their eight children.
The five month old surviving girl of a family would one day stand as a witness against the State of Israel and the military leadership that has authored this unending war against a people, dispossessed of their homes as well. UK based Kashmiri civil society organisation JKCHR has also contributed a document A/HRC/27/NGO/42 dated 27 August 2014 on Israeli war crimes in “Occupied Palestinian territories” at the 27th Special Session of UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Britain has to discharge its sense of honour and duty to the People of Palestine and Kashmir. It is overdue and is hurting the two people and the two habitats. India has placed the people of Kashmir under a military curfew from 5 August 2019. India may have been a lucrative market for US and Britain but the failure of Indian State to its people the in health sector has surprised not only its business partners abroad but even the Indians living in Delhi feel a sense of shame. They have betrayed the common masses.
The Arab friends of Modi Government need to know that Srajan Barkati a Kashmiri religious preacher has been arrested from his home at Reban, Shopian in South Kashmir on Saturday 15 May for making a speech on Eid. He had talked about the situation in Palestine and had denounced the Israeli regime for its crimes against innocent people. Thousands of People came out on the streets of London on Saturday and have denounced the Israeli war against Palestinian people.
The Police in Kashmir have arrested a 30 year old artist Mudasir Gul for drawing on a platform an image of a sobbing woman with her head covered with Palestinian flag and for writing “We Are Palestine”, next to the image of the woman. Police took the artist to the platform and directed him to deface the graffiti and he remains lodged in the police station.
India and Israel are at war with two defenceless people. They are busy to steal their land, their dignity and violate their right to life. The member nations of UN in general and the US and UK in particular have to discharge a sense of honour and sense of responsibility in Palestine and in Kashmir.
The author is President of London based Jammu and Kashmir Council for Human Rights – NGO in Special Consultative Status with the
United Nations