The incarcerated chairman of Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) Shabir Ahmad Shah on Saturday slammed Indian media for its “biased” reporting on Kashmir while urging the international media and leaders to take serious notice of the Indian army’s ‘excesses in the disputed territory’.In a statement issued to KNS, Shah said a couple of days ago, a youth was tied in an unconscious state to the bonnet of an army jeep as a human shield but the “bigoted” Indian media kept mum over the incident while as the same media raised hue and cry over some youth “manhandling” the paramilitary troopers.“This shows the rotten mentality of Indian media. Why didn’t it report the two CRPF troopers shooting from point-blank range at a youth and killing of eight youth on April 9?” he said.“What else is this Delhi-based media doing than orchestrating the media trial? It should bear in mind that the freedom (of even thought) is dearer to us and that we can’t be slaves to materialism,” Shah added.Shah asked the international media and leaders to take serious notice of the excesses committed by the Indian occupational forces in held-Kashmir. He said people by boycotting elections gave their verdict and now people’s aspirations need to be respected.“India should understand that Kashmiri youth have now awakened and that all its machinations are bound to fail,” he said.The DFP chairman hailed the role of resistance camp, youth, intellectuals, and mosque clerics in puncturing the balloon of the election drama of New Delhi and its collaborators.
Terming the election boycott as ‘referendum of freedom from India’, Shabir Ahmad Shah said if New Delhi and its local partners have any doubt about it, they should agree to go for referendum in the state and the results would be acceptable for us.Meanwhile, Shah strongly condemned the use of excessive force against the students of Degree College, Pulwama saying forces have been given a free hand to unleash a reign of terror wherever they wish. Dozens of students have been injured in teargas shelling by forces.“Students are our future and we won’t tolerate such attacks on our children,” Shah said.Meanwhile, DFP secretary general Moulana Abdullah Tari and Molvi Bashir Ahmad led a delegation to Baramulla to express condolence with the family of Mohammad Ashraf Chalkoo on the demise of his brother.Tari paid tributes to the deceased for his contribution to the freedom movement.The delegation also visited the residence of DFP district president Kupwara, Peer Inayatullah, and expressed condolence with him on the demise of his elder brother. The delegation hailed the contribution of the family towards the freedom struggle. (KNS)