Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who continues to be under house detention since past four weeks, strongly denounced the government for barring him from offering Friday prayers and delivering religious sermon to the gathering at the historic Jamia Masjid and turning entire downtown into a military garrison while laying siege of Jamia Masjid.
Mirwaiz said that the Government has crossed all limits of authoritarianism and flouted every basic principle of democracy.
Mirwaiz said repeatedly this Government curbs the religious rights of a large section of the society and hurts their religious sentiments.
Mirwaiz said resorting to repressive moves of curfew and restrictions and detaining of pro-freedom leadership is being done to suppress and muzzle the sentiment in Kashmir and choke all space for peaceful means of expressing that sentiment and to further isolate and agitate the people of Kashmir, especially the youth.
The APHC chairman welcomed the statement of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres wherein he has once again stressed for a meaningful dialogue between India and Pakistan and that of China which has offered to a mediate for a permanent resolution of the Kashmir dispute. Mirwaiz said this reflects that the international community is concerned about the situation in Kashmir and the grave consequences for the region if the dispute is not resolved.
Referring to GoI response to Chinese offer of mediation ,that Kashmir issue is to be bilaterally resolved Mirwaiz said that whenever there is international pressure and outrage over the situation here and a third country offers mediation to resolve the dispute , Government of India quickly rejects it saying that it they will resolve it bilaterally with Pakistan. When Pakistan asks India to engage in dialogue with both them and the people of Kashmir to address the dispute , GOI refuses and dodges saying Kashmir is an internal problem and links the people’s struggle to so called Islamic terrorism.
Mirwaiz said this doublespeak is compounding the misery of the people Kashmir who want the Government of India to put an end to repression and start serious steps towards the resolution of the Kashmir dispute and give peace in subcontinent a real chance. Mirwaiz said this dispute is consuming our forth generations since 1931.
Mirwaiz said that the present situation of direct confrontation between Indian and Pakistani forces on the borders testifies the fact that status quo in Kashmir cannot work any longer and immediate steps have to be taken to resolve the issue.
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