The incarceration chairman of Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) Shabir Ahmad Shah on Sunday stressed on people to aware the Amarnath Yatris about the reality of the freedom struggle of Jammu Kashmir while continuing with the age-old tradition of providing best hospitality to pilgrims.In a statement issued to KNS, Shah said, “Amarnath Yatris are our guests who are unaware of the reality of this disputed territory and are fed with misinformation by the propaganda of Indian media against Kashmir.”Shah stressed on the trade bodies, tourist industry, and hoteliers of south Kashmir to continue to continue with their age-old tradition of providing the best hospitality to Yatris and also aware them about the reality of Kashmir dispute and what the peace-loving people of this disputed territory demand from India.“The Yatris need to be taken well care of and be told that the people of Jammu Kashmir have no enmity with the people of India but they only want their birth right of freedom like India demanded from British,” he said.
Shah said the people of Kashmir should tell Yatris how India and its local collaborators are killing innocents and destroying properties here. “We should tell them that we are subjected to such atrocities and oppression which even British didn’t unleash against the people of India. We should tell them that Kashmiris have witnessed hundreds of massacres like Jalianwala Bagh. We should tell them that thousands of our youth are picked up away in broad day light and subjected to enforced disappearance and also how hundreds of our youth including innocent children were killed, blinded, and maimed in 2016,” he said.The DFP chairman asked people to tell Amarnath Yatris that if the people of India had the right of freedom during British rule, how is it a crime for the people of Jammu Kashmir.Shah said the need to aware Yatris felt as they have been misinformed about the reality of Kashmir and its freedom struggle by Indian agencies, Saffron brigade and its biased media. “So it is our job to present the real picture of our struggle before them and aware them of the historical background of this dispute,” he said.“We also need to tell them about the mistreatment and harassment meted out to our students studying in various parts of India. We have to narrate our ordeals to the Yatris but should bear in mind that the pilgrims shouldn’t face any kind of hardship throughout the course,” Shah added. (KNS)