Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) on Monday said that the party chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik was arrested by police along with two others at Saria Bala , Hari Singh high-street when he was leading a peaceful march towards Lal Chowk.According to the statement issued to KNS, the spokesman said that Yasin along with hundreds of people who managed to reach Sarai Bala despite heavy restrictions and curfew marched towards Lal Chowk from Buqa aaliya Sarai Bala and when this procession reached near Hari Singh High Street Chowk, police and forces cordoned it from all sides and arrested Malik along with senior leaders Zahoor Ahmad Butt, Sheikh Abdul Rashid and senior activist Imtiyaz Ahmad.In a pursuit to arrest JKLF chairman and foil Lal Chowk march called by the joint resistance leadership, who to evade arrest had gone into hiding from last evening, police and forces breaking all previous records of highhandedness raided various houses at Saraibala and Magermal Bagh including that of Shaheed I Kashmir Ishfaq Majeed Wani and in-laws of Yasin’s nephew Ishfaq Ahmad at Magermal bagh. Police also arrested Yasin’s nephew Suhaib Ahmad along with senior resistance members Muhammad Amin Magloo and Shabir Ahmad Dabla from Amira Kadal. “Trio have been incarcerated at police station Shaheed Gunj. Police and forces from early morning today had laid razor-wire and erected barricades at various places in Lal Chowk, Jahangeer Chowk, Hari-Sing high street, Sarai Bala, Maharaji Bazaar and all roads leading towards Maisuma, Lal Chowk and Saraibala were virtually sealed. Even people intending to reach Dastgeer sahib Masjid for prayers were not allowed to enter Saraibala,” the statement reads.
The spokesman said that despite all these harsh oppressive measures by rulers and their police, Yasin who had gone into hiding from last evening managed to reach Buqa Aaliya Dastigeer sahib and after Zuhr prayers led a peaceful rally towards Lal Chowk. Prior to his arrest, Malik addressed people inside Buqa Aaliya and also talked to media outside the Masjid.
In his address and media talk, the spokesman while quoting Yasin as saying said that “oppressive measures and suppression has not and will never succeed in breaking the will and valor of a people who have decided to strive against illegal military occupation.” He said that India and its ‘Kashmiri stooges’ day in and out propagate democracy and freedom of choice and speech but when it comes to Kashmiris they trample all democratic norms and ethics by police and military might.JKLF chief said that crackdown by police to foil today’s peaceful Lal Chowk march, curfew, arrests, raids, restrictions and barricades and other oppressive measures have again exposed the hollowness of these tall claims of India and its stooges. He asked that “if India and its stooges really believe in democracy and battle of ideas why they are afraid of our peaceful programs.
” JKLF chairman said that Kashmir police has transgressed every established principle, ethics and morality and is behaving more loyal than the king and has crossed every limit while terrorizing people of Kashmir. He said that rulers and their civil and military authorities should remember that oppression and tyranny have and can never succeed in defeating the people’s valor and passion for freedom and even if they terrorize people and manage to keep them away from the resistance leadership, “we as soldiers will carry forward the mission of martyrs to success at every cost.” He said that today thousands of young and old are languishing in different jails and police stations that have been turned into Abu Gareeb are facing hardships during incarceration. “We stand by these innocent victims of state sponsored terrorism and express our solidarity with them,” he said. Emphasizing the need to stand united and firm, JKLF chairman said that to strive for freedom and to stand against oppression, leadership is standing united and as many enemies are up against this exemplary unity, “we as a nation need to strengthen and safeguard it at every cost.” (KNS)