Srinagar, Sept 23: Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has called for a complete shutdown on 27th of this month, when the president, Pranab Mukherjee, arrives here on his first visit to the valley.
Mr Pranab Mukherjee is arriving in Kashmir at a time when no impartial probe has been conducted to ascertain the fate of 10,000 people subjected to enforced disappearance by the armed forces, nor is the government of India coming clean on the unmarked graves as to who lay buried in them and for what sin, Geelani said, adding that even at this time 800 people were languishing in different jails and most of them were not being even tried in a court.
He said in his capacity as the supreme commander of the armed forces, the president owes an answer on all these war crimes the Indian army has been committing in Jammu and Kashmir over the past 65 years and which continue unabated even now.
Geelani said he bore no personal animus against the Indian president. But, how can Kashmiri people welcome the head of the state which has usurped their freedom and enslaved them, which has imposed 7.5 lakh of its armed forces on us, which is engaged in the genocide of our youth and which has been outraging the modesty of our daughters.
He said India had landed its army here in 1947 on the assurance that immediately after the restoration of normalcy, they would be called back and the people of Kashmir afforded the opportunity to determine their future. We want to remind India of the promises her leaders and rulers had made to the people at international forums which are yet to be fulfilled, he said.
In a separate statement, Geelani expressed grave concern over the cultural program being held by a local college with armys help and at which, apart from some dance sequences, a fashion show was also being organized.
With the help of some local people and institutions, Indias armed forces are working in a planned manner to trifle with the religious identity of Kashmiri Muslims as part of cultural invasion, Geelani said, urging the students and their parents to keep away from such activities.
He also condemned the continued detention of Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief, Syeda Asiya Andrabi, and several other activists and denial of permission to their relatives to meet them.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
