Terming the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invoking of “Ekta and Mamata” in his message to the people of Kashmir in ‘Man Ki Baat’ as “play on words”, the incarcerated chairman of DFP Shabir Ahmad Shah today said to talk of peace and tranquility without addressing the “real issue” is “a folly”.
Modi had on Sunday said that “Ekta” (unity) and “Mamata” (love) are the basic mantras for addressing Kashmir problem. He also said “those pushing innocent children to violence will be held answerable”.
In a statement issued to press, Shabir Ahmad Shah said instead of addressing the actual demand of the people of the State, Modi has resorted to blame-game and tried to cover up the real issue.
“By doing so, Modi and his government will achieve nothing. It is beyond anyone’s comprehension as to why would anyone put his life at risk at someone’s instigation. Reality is that the present anti-India uprising in Jammu Kashmir is the outcome of the brutalities and oppression unleashed by Indian occupational forces on the people of the State,” he said.
“Of what ‘Ekta and Mamata’ is Narendra Modi talking about? How can he expect people of this State to maintain calm when Indian forces barge into the houses; harass, intimidate, terrorise the inmates, and arrest the youth? To talk about ‘Ekta and Mamata’ after blinding a five-year-old and beating to death a scholar is an insult to these terms,” Shah added.
Shabir Ahmad Shah said Indian forces are Modi’s own people and he is free to express his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ but isn’t ready to listen the ‘Mann Ki Baat’ of the people of Jammu Kashmir.
“Can Mr Modi tell where was the ‘Mamata’ when more than 5 lakh Kashmiri people were killed for the last 69 years and thousands subjected to enforced disappearance and for what crime were these people killed, tortured, or made disappear? All these injuries cannot be healed by ‘Mann Ki Baat. Modi must reply to these questions before invoking ‘Ekta and Mamata”,” he said.
Shah said it is Indian rulers and leaders who need to learn the lessons of “Ekta and Mamata” from the people of Kashmir. “Our hospitality and generosity is known the world over. Our Hindu brethren who have come for Amarnath Yatra may be aware of our trait; even during curfew, how we took utmost care of the food, safety and security of Yatris. In return, our traders and students are attacked in Indian states. Hundreds of Kashmiri youth continue to languish in Indian jails from last 20 to 25 years,” he said.
The DFP chairman said: “We don’t want to rob India of any State but demand our right to self-determination of which the first Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru has promised to us. The Kashmir is also an internationally accepted dispute regarding which several resolutions stand passed in the Security Council of the United Nations. If India is so sure of Kashmir being its integral part, what stops it from holding a referendum here.”
Meanwhile, Shabir Ahmad Shah has castigated authorities over arresting and booking under PSA advocate Babar Islam of Doda “who is not only a religious scholar but an active lawyer and a political activist”