Condemning the slapping of Public Safety Act (PSA) against Muslim League chairman and senior Hurriyat leader Masarat Alam Bhat, Hurriyat (G) chairman Wednesday said that the authorities intentionally slapped PSA on him to block his release from the jail.While addressing a press conference at his Hyderpora residence, Geelani said from 1991-2015, it is the 31st PSA against Masrat, which “exposes the state terrorism in the Valley”.“In last 6 years, 14000 Kashmiri’s mostly teenagers and political workers have been booked under different cases,” Geelani said.Terming slapping of PSA on Masarat Alam as “worst state terrorism”, Geelani said that most of the people in the Kashmir Valley are being arrested without committing any offence, which is condemnable.“The government has started an arrest spree across the Valley by detaining political workers as well as the youth. Almost 72 PSA’s have been slapped on the workers of Hurriyat and other youth since Mufti took over as the puppet CM of the state,” he said, adding that in one month, 12 leaders and political activists have been detained under PSA.He said that government should release the arrested leaders including the youth at earliest. “We appeal the human rights organization to come forward and look into the issue,” Geelani said.
Pertinently, Alam was released in the month of March after four and a half years of imprisonment and soon after his release and after passing one month, he was arrested in Srinagar and is imprisoned in Kot Balwal jail.Geelani said that the state is being run on the “barrel of the gun”.Taking a dig on the Mufti’s “Battle of Ideas”, Geelani said that Mufti has unleashed terror in every nook and corner of the Valley. “Being a power hungry man, Mufti has left no stone unturned to save his chair,” he said.“The promises about providing political space to all shades of opinion made by Mufti during the elections proved hoax on the ground as after he took over as CM, he is using his forces to suppress the voices of people including the Hurriyat leaders,” he said.Reacting upon their proposed seminar, which was banned by police on Sunday, Geelani said Mufti led government is even reluctant to permit us to organize seminar on Islam. “Hurriyat had proposed a seminar on Islam, ‘Denouncing Terrorism’, but the preachers of ‘battle of ideas’ didn’t allow it to take place and even detained dozens of Hurriyat activists to foil the seminar. Such kind of actions is worth condemnable,” he said.
Over dialogue between India and Pakistan, Hurriyat (G) chairman said that the dialogue between and Pakistan will be a futile exercise until and unless India won’t consider Kashmir as disputed territory. “In past years, such kind of dialogues has also proved futile,” he added.“Almost 18 resolutions have been passed in the UN so far, which have been signed by the India. India needs to follow on that, and then only the dialogue between the two neighboring countries can prove productive,” he said, adding that almost 150 rounds of talks have been held but they didn’t yield anything because India is not ready to accept Kashmir as a dispute.”Condemning the France attacks in which 130 people were killed, Geelani said that Islam doesn’t support terrorism.“The killing of innocents in France is called terrorism. The situation which is currently in Palestine, Iraq and Syria are worst forms of terrorism,” Geelani said. (KNS)