Srinagar: Joint Resistance leaders, Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik on Wednesday announced to court arrest before National Investigation Agency at its New Delhi headquarters on weekend.
The announcement was made by the trio during a press conference at historic Jamia Masjid here this afternoon.
“We have decided to go to New Delhi on Saturday and tell NIA people at their headquarters to arrest us,” said Malik who was flanked by Mirwaiz. “We have already booked the tickets.”
Syed Ali Geelani addressed the presser over phone as he could not “dodge” security people placed at his Hyderpora resistance where he’s under house arrest.
“Government of India is following a policy of coercion , defamation and intimidation in Kashmir as it does not want to address the actual issue. It wants to change the whole narrative through diversionary tactics and propaganda as a part of multi pronged approach to defame and malign the leadership, through personal attack on their integrity, by spreading vicious lies about them and distorting and manipulating facts in order to create disillusionment among the masses regarding them and hence demoralize the Kashmiri masses from their just political struggle recognized by the world,” they said.
They said that vicious and consistent propaganda through electronic and social media was being carried out each day, especially on prime time on television to “ridicule Kashmiri movement ridiculed, abuse leadership and humiliated Kashmiris.”
“People of India are being fed lies and propaganda. Intimidation and harassment of our family members, associates, friends, acquaintances, party cadres and organizations associated with us, or any and everyone is done through sending of so-called notices of NIA. Using fear as a tool of intimidation against these people and psychologically tormenting them to put pressure on us.”
They said that even social, educational and legal institutions be it Anjuman Nustarulislam, Auqaf Jama Masjid or Bar Association are being targeted and those working there harassed by sending them the notices.
“Members of Business community and now press and media fraternity and youth are also being targeted, harassed and jailed while writers, intellectuals, artists and respected members of civil society or anyone who raises a voice against oppression and for resolution of Kashmir dispute is intimidated by sending of the notices.”
They said the narrative of the Kashmir and struggle for right to self determination was being deliberately distorted and it projected as a sponsored movement from across the border where money was the motivation and the end.
“700,000 armed forces that are stationed here, making Kashmir the world’s most militarized zone is not explained. Did the more than one lakh people who were killed mercilessly by forces in the past 27 years die for money? Were the thousands of Kashmiris enforced into disappearances at the hands of forces for money? Thousands of people were blinded and maimed by pellets and handicapped for life. Was it done for money? Thousands of Kashmiris are languishing in jails under draconian laws like PSA..for money? The students across institutions come out to agitate and protest. Now authorities repeatedly are shutting down educational institutions. They are doing it to get money? Are traders and shopkeepers who bring down their shutters to protest oppression and killings doing so for money?” they said, adding, “These ridiculous arguments hold no ground.”
While killings, oppression and harassment continues, they said, the judicial route is now also being used to launch another offensive against the people of JK through ways to abrogate Article 35 A and 370.
“The move is aimed at settling outsiders in J&K in order to change the demography of the state and render Kashmiris powerless and irrelevant and hence dilute the disputed nature of Kashmir,” they said, adding that this move has a direct bearing on “right to self determination guaranteed by the Indian state at the UN and ratified by the world body itself.”
They said that firstly the leadership was labelled as anti-national, then separatist and now terrorists for demanding the honouring of the commitments made by GoI at the UN and resolution of the dispute.
They said that it was extremely sad that their family members and relatives are being harassed and vilified by virtue of their relationship to them and those associated with them based on principles of political ideology.
“Our activists, aides, workers and others are being targeted for their association with us. If the whole drama is being enacted to get to us we are ready to go to jail anytime but there is no question that we can be pressurized to move away from the path of seeking justice and resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the people’s aspirations and wishes,” they said and announced to court arrest before NIA on September 9.
“Seventy years of people’s movement to self determination has been nourished by the blood and supreme sacrifices of life and honour of lakhs of people of Jammu and Kashmir and now our younger generation keenly, conscious of this, are also struggling to seek this fundamental right. And Like every political movement of this nature, it is vibrant and dynamic, constantly adapting to changing times with the values of justice and right to sovereignty at its core. And as long as these values are dear to us we can never be defeated,” they said.
They said that both India and Pakistan are a party to the dispute but the primary party remain the people of J&K. “Unless the dispute is resolved in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of the people of J&K, our just struggle will continue,” they added.
