State repression wouldn’t suppress resistance movement: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq
5 Dariya News
Srinagar 02-May-2016
Terming the government action of placing curbs to stop the resistance leadership from participating in political and religious programmes as a “worst-form of state-sponsored terrorism”, All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) faction chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Monday said such curbs would not suppress the struggle for legitimate rights of the people of Jammu Kashmir. Addressing a press conference here at APHC headquarters at Rajbagh after chairing an Executive Council meeting of the conglomerate, the APHC Chairman said every pro-India political party when in opposition talks in a pro-people tone but soon after coming to power, they change their colour like chameleons and start undemocratic means and force to crush the rights of the people.
He said the APHC represents the sentiments of the people of Jammu Kashmir and the ongoing resistance movement is not a movement of any leader or any political party but the movement of the people which could neither be crushed in the past nor brushed aside. Alleging that the activists of the resistance groups including the Hurriyat, pro-freedom people including youth were being forced to make their attendance at police stations on a routine basis where their pictures are pasted along with criminals, the Mirwaiz said: “A list of pro-freedom people and youth in different districts was being prepared so that they are tortured mentally which could leave the path of violence.”He said “under a well-planned conspiracy different means were being adopted to demoralize the resistance leadership and the freedom-loving people of Jammu Kashmir particularly the youth”. Miwaiz said with its nefarious designs, the government was targeting and trying to harm the historic value and centrality of the Jamia Masjid.
The Mirwaiz said by deliberately keeping a massive presence of police and other government forces every Friday, people were being harassed so that they do not come to offer prayers at the historic Masjid but if the government thinks they would be successful in sidelining Jamia Masjid, they were wrong.“People who had been talking about providing right to freedom of expression, providing an environment for the battle of ideas, and giving a healing touch was dealing with the people with a killing touch,” he said. On the occasion, the Mirwaiz displayed the pictures of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti who had taken out several anti-AFSPA rallies while being in opposition.Mirwaiz alleged that Kashmir had literally been converted into a Police State. “By placing him, the veteran resistance leader, Syed Ali Geelani, Muhammad Yasin Malik or other resistance leaders under house arrest and stopping them from carrying their activities, the struggle based on just rights cannot be suppressed and the sentiments of the resistance leadership and freedom-loving people of Kashmir cannot be changed with these pressure tactics,” he said.
He said in a situation where unarmed people were being killed mercilessly on a routine basis under the cover of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and other black draconian laws and where human rights violations like Handwara killings were a daily basis events, the statement of the Chief Minister that Kashmir was peaceful and ready to host tourists was highly misleading for the people not only in Kashmir but outside world too.Warning of street-agitation, the Mirwaiz said that if oppressive policy of government doesn’t end then they would be forced to ask people to come on streets.
The Mirwaiz said APHC was not against the coming of tourists to Kashmir but the way Kashmiris were being harassed, victimized and brutalized, it was the duty of international community to take note of the situation and play their role in addressing it.
Calling people to stay guarded from the attempts to divide the people of Kashmir, he said Kashmiris resistance struggle cannot be weakened by sowing the seeding of communal and sectarian discord and highlighted the fact that various agencies were working overtime to promote the so-called organizations and so-called Ulemas to create chaos and confusion in this regard.Later replying to a question, Mirwaiz welcome the statement of India’s MoS for External Affairs, VK Singh, wherein he had stated that the Hurriyat leaders can meet Pakistan. The APHC chairman said that it is a welcome statement and expressed hope that current dispensation at Centre would revisit the policy of former PM Vajpayee. Mirwaiz on the occasion said that the Kashmiri leadership should be involved in any talks between India and Pakistan. (GNS)