Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq strongly criticized the ruling regime for enacting a drama of releasing him from house arrest for two hours on Friday while imposing severe restrictions around Jamia Masjid to discourage people from going there in order to avoid the stigma of curbing people's religious rights and give an impression of so called "normalcy".Condemning the authorities for their “hypocrisy” Mirwaiz said such deceptive tactics to hoodwink people and avoid international censure further expose the bankruptcy of the regime and its scant respect for people's rights and liberties as it treats Kashmiris as subjects under its yoke.Speaking to a small audience at Jamia Masjid as people were disallowed by force from reaching the Masjid, Mirwaiz said while our rights and liberties as individuals and as a nation cease to exist, we are being held captive in our own homeland which has been converted into a vast prison by the will of a mighty military power which rules over us.Referring to the Arwani incident Mirwaiz said that what is most worrying and painful is that our young generation is systematically and in a planned manner being eliminated either in so called "encounters "or in so called "violent protests" and the grief this inflicts upon us is beyond words.
“That the oppression of this mighty military power with local collaborators has pushed us to the wall and forced some among our sensitive and valiant youth to take to the path of military retaliation as a means of resisting subjugation,” he said.The Mirwaiz said for the people of the valley especially the youth who are facing extreme suppression it is a choice between the devil and deep sea, either they get killed as protests or they are killed as armed fighters by the armed forces and either we are losing our future generation.Mirwaiz said despite being a small nation people of Kashmir have shown to the world that even in the face of extreme adversity they have taken a stand for their fundamental right of self determination and their faith in the justness of this fundamental principle gives them the courage to fight their oppressor.
Mirwaiz said it is now for the world community to stand up to the people of Kashmir and prove to them that the world community does not just verbally endorse principles of justice ,human rights, self determination but in practice ensures their implementation world over and for all equally.Mirwaiz said on the occasion of UN human rights declaration day for the people of Kashmir these declarations sound hollow and meaningless as they continue to suffer unabated human right abuses with no world power or group or individuals challenging them. Mirwaiz said while in the world laws are enacted to protect and defend people, in Kashmir laws give a legal cover to authorities to attack and harm people. Lawless laws like the AFSPA the PSA Disturbed areas act and what not are in place to ensure that those persecuting people are legally protected. Mirwaiz said that each day the number of dead and injured rise each day there is an addition to those blinded by the pellets and maimed by the bullets each day scores of young and old are arrested and each day homes and hearths ransacked, people beaten bruised and harassed.
Giving details about the Joint Resistance programme on December 10, The Mirwaiz said they have prepared a memorandum regarding the human rights situation in Kashmir which will be presented to UN office in Srinagar.He asked people to offer afternoon prayers at Jamia Masjid following which the people will move in congregation towards UN office to register protest and present a memorandum.Meanwhile Hurriyat (M) spokesman has strongly condemned the continue house detention of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, Advocate Shahid ul Islam, Engineer Hilal Ahmad War and other resistance leaders. The spokesman also condemned the arrest spree of youth in the length and breadth of Kashmir particularly at Bandipora, Tral, Sopore, and Arwani. He said such aggressive tactics will never ever cow-down the sentiment of the people of Kashmir. (KNS)