Daily Times

All Parties Hurriyat Conference senior leader, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that through the use of extreme force and intimidation, the Indian authorities have implemented a complete ban on any form of individual or collective expression by people or the leadership, giving no space and no scope for it. According to Kashmir Media Service, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is under house detention for the last almost three years now, since august 2019, in a statement issued in Srinagar said while leadership is jailed confined and incarcerated, repression on one side and dis empowerment and marginalization of people of IIOJK on the other, simultaneously continue unabated.

He said, the recent brazen recommendations of the Indian government’s delimitation commission is another step towards implementing demographic change by way of reducing Muslim representation in occupied territory and gradually changing its Muslim majority character. He deplored that vengeful termination from service of Muslim employees in government service, the main source of employment for locals goes on, arrests of youth or any ‘so-called anti-India Kashmiri ‘now even including women, happens on a daily basis. The APHC leader said, “Killing of civilians during military operations has again surfaced as 22-year Shoaib Ahmed was killed in cold blood while local media censorship, harassment and intimidation of journalists and writers gets firmer, the list is endless.” He said the situation on ground, bad enough, seems only to worsen, adding that people have been forced to silence by intimidation, and its result cannot be peace. “At this time as we pay tribute to our beloved leaders Shaheed-e-Millat Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Farooq and Shaheed-e-Hurriyat Khawaja Abdul Lone, on their approaching martyrdom anniversary on 21st May. We believe that their path of seeking peaceful resolution of the Kashmir conflict in keeping with the wishes of its people, while considering the interests of both India and Pakistan as parties to the conflict, is the way out of this, and the way forward. It is also the way to peace and prosperity for the region. Hegemonic authority, use of force or intimidation of people, only complicate the conflict further,” he added. The Mirwaiz said the sufferings of the people and the sacrifices rendered by them in quest of the resolution, constantly remind us that the Kashmir dispute has to be resolved and the Kashmiris’ sentiment honored. “Imprisonment and incarceration cannot change that reality. We will continue to pursue that goal and the path shown by our dear leaders,” he maintained.

The APHC leader said, to pay tribute to our beloved leaders on their martyrdom anniversary and to the martyrs of Hawal and to all the martyrs of Jammu and Kashmir, a complete strike will be observed on 21st May, Saturday. People should visit Eidgah and offer fateha prayers. A collective commemorative rally would have been organized to pay glorious tributes to the beloved leaders and the martyrs of Hawal and to all martyrs on that day, but that has never been allowed by any rulers in past and looks very unlikely that the present ones will allow it,” he said.