Srinagar: Joint Resistance Leadership on Monday said that the protest strike against Shopian massacre and bloodbath will continue tomorrow across Kashmir Valley.
The per the program, chairman Hurriyat Conference (M) and member of the JRL, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq defied his house detention and tried to proceed towards the Civil Secretariat to stage a peaceful sit-in against the continued “massacre of Kashmiri youth by government forces.” However, he was detained outside his residence and lodged in police station Nigeen.
After the killing of five armed youth at Imam Sahib Shopian, as many protesting youth were killed in force’s alleged firing yesterday while more than 50 were seriously wounded in the South Kashmir districts. JRL had called for a peaceful march and sit in at the civil secretariat where the Darbar of the rulers was to open to convey to the “perpetrators to put an end to the systematic genocide of Kashmiris”.
Another senior JRL leader and chairman Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani was also stopped from proceeding towards the Secretariat while Muhammad Yasin Malik has been lodged in Central Jail.
Talking to media outside his Nigeen residence prior to arrest, Mirwaiz said that Kashmir was witnessing the height of repression as all limits of atrocities have been crossed. He said people are craving for justice but all doors of justice stand closed to them. Mirwaiz said that Kashmiris especially youth who are future are being targeted in fact they are being hounded by the government forces who armed with unbridled powers like AFSPA, DAA bear no accountability for killing them. He said since Indian forces launched operation all out it has been a declaration of war against people of Kashmir and South Kashmir is bearing the brunt of it where almost each day youth are being brazenly killed and critically injured and there seems to be no end to it. He said in yesterday’s massacre at Shopian all those killed and injured have been hit by live ammunition above waist in head throat and even eyes with the intention to kill.
Mirwaiz said that every claim of the ruling dispensation especially the PDP has fallen flat. There is only one policy visible on ground and that is “shoot to kill”, silence every voice protesting oppression and the endless miseries inflicted by the forces. Mirwaiz said that South Kashmir has been handed over to forces and people there left at forces mercy who are killing them with absolute impunity and resistance leadership can’t remain mute spectator. He said in this grave situation JRL had appealed to people especially traders, lawyers, intellectuals, civil society members and others to march towards civil secretariat as it is the seat of governance and hold a peaceful sit-in there to convey to these people presiding over our killings to put an end to it. But the authoritarian regime resorted to its standard approach of caging and arresting leadership and activists and all those who tried to peacefully march including the traders lawyers and turning most of Srinagar and other districts into military fortresses , blocking all roads with rolls of concertina wires snapping rail and road links and blocking the internet to foil the protest.
Referring to the practice of Darbar Move Mirwaiz said that it is the “Darbaar of Killers” that has moved to Kashmir.
He said that apparently Mehbooba Mufti is the CM of Kashmir but the fact was that she and her entire team are “pawns, mere rubber stamp in the hands of New Delhi working on their directions and looking helpless before the dictations of Delhi which is to kill Kashmiris one by one.” He said to stay in the chair these people have pawned their conscience to their masters in New Delhi. In fact they have killed their conscience for the chair as they are watching like deaf and dumb spectators the dance of death witnessed in Kashmiri villages every day. Mirwaiz said recently Mehbooba Mufti brother admitted to being “partners in crime” but let them know that they are not simply partners in crime but partners in genocide of Kashmiris. They are presiding over the genocide of Kashmiris. “What more can be a matter of grief for us and of shame for them that being Kashmiris they are partners in killing Kashmiris,” he asked.
Mirwaiz said that GoI by its policy of extreme repression and atrocities was pushing next generation to the wall , forcing them to pick up arms and our intellectuals and scholars like Dr Muhammad Rafiq feel forced to take this path. “It seems GOI wants to convert Kashmir into Afghanistan where children and youth from each home take to arms. Where educated youth and students take to arms.He said Hurriyat leadership believes that it is a well thought out and plan to force Kashmiris to resort to armed and violent means of resistance so that by labeling them as terrorist government of Indias forces can commit huge massacres.”
Mirwaiz questioned where are the champions of human rights, the intellectuals, civil society activists of India who once lobbied and convinced Kashmiri that they should keep their struggle for their basic right non-violent? Why have they adopted silence now?
Mirwaiz said Kashmir issue was never about roads, development and jobs but it is a human and political issue that needs to be resolved as per the wishes of people by implementing right to self-determination.
Meanwhile, strongly condemning the government’s decision of foiling the protest marches of lawyers, traders, and employees towards civil secretariat, the JRL said imposition of curfew in entire downtown and caging the entire resistance leadership reflects frustration and acceptance of defeat by the government.
