Justice Kaul further emphasized that the men, women and children of the region had suffered a lot, and that in order to move on, the wounds need healing.
“What is at stake is not simply preventing the recurrence of injustice but the burden of restoring the region’s social fabric to what it’s historically has been based – coexistence, tolerance and mutual respect,” he said.
The first step towards this restoration, according to Justice Kaul, is to achieve a collective understanding of the human rights violations perpetuated both by state and non-state actors against the people of this region.
“There have been numerous reports documenting these incidents over the years. Yet, what is lacking is a commonly accepted narrative of what has happened or, in other words, a collective telling of the truth,” Justice Kaul emphasized.
He added that truth-telling provides an opportunity for the victims to narrate their stories, and facilitates acknowledgment from those responsible for perpetuating the wrong and from the society as a whole, which paves way for reconciliation.
Source: Barandbench
