Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, wondered how separatists can be of help to authorities to restore normalcy when they are labelled as a “threat to peace” and blamed the ruling dispensation for the fresh cycle of violence.
His remarks came hours after the government appealed separatists, besides mainstream parties, to assist in its efforts towards restoring normalcy in the state, which has been rocked by protests following the killing of young militant commander Burhan Wani.
“What do they want us to do? They label us as a threat to peace and cage, confine and gag us. We are not even allowed to offer Eid prayers! so how can we be of help?,” said the Mirwaiz when asked about Hurriyat’s response to the appeal.
“You see the statement of this gentleman (Akhtar) is ludicrous. In Kashmiri there is a saying “naar viz kyur” (dig a well when there is fire). This is what the policy of central govt has always been. When Kashmir burns they come running asking for help and when they contain killings, they are back to labeling us as traitors. The reality is that no military solution can be thrust on the people. All along Hurriyat Conference has maintained the Kashmir issue is a political issue with regard to the political dispensation of the people of the state. It has to be resolved politically. It’s time for New Delhi to give up its hard and aggressive posturing on Kashmir and address the ground realities on its merit,” said Mirwaiz, who is under house arrest.
He strongly condemned the unbridled use of brutal force against the protesters.
Mirwaiz posed a question as to whether the Government of India (GoI) knows the reason as to why a 21-year-old Burhan Wani chose the gun over books.
Stressing that the way forces were executing their ‘Shoot to Kill’ policy, he said it was clear and evident that India had declared a war against Kashmir.
Terming the thrashing of injured civilians admitted at SMHS Hospital and their women attendants by government forces as the worst example of state terrorism, Mirwaiz, who is under house arrest for the past several days, said Police and government forces in Jammu Kashmir had been let loose and the way they were trampling all human rights should serve as an eye opener for all international human rights organizations and friends of humanity.
Stressing that the public uprising and display of resistance by the people following the killing of Burhan should serve as a lesson to New Delhi, he said GoI can’t continue to deal with Kashmir with a clampdown and that Kashmiris would never accept their politics of oppression and suppression.
He said the public uprising had once more proved that Kashmir issue was not an administrative issue or an issue of change in governance but was connected to the wishes and aspirations of the people and that no solution to the issue could be arrived at by ignoring them.
