SRINAGAR: Haqeeqat-e-Kashmir (reality of Kashmir), a concert organized by civil society members parallel to Zubin Mehtas Ehsaas-e-Kashmir (feeling of Kashmir) , was held here today with poets, rappers, singers and several victims of two decades of violence assembling to tell their poignant tales.
The organisers accused the government of not allowing free movement of the people in order to leesen the impact of the civilian concert.
Despite various tactics by the government, people still managed to make their presence felt. But, still there were hundreds of people who were not allowed by the authorities to attend the cultural concert, said Haqeeqat-e-Kashmir spokesman Khurram Pervez.
“The concert is against Germany’s attempt to dilute disputed nature of Kashmir. We thank people for making it a success,” said Pervez.
The show started around 4.30pm at Lal Chowk’s Municipal Park with poetry of Nayeem Ahmad, a resident of Baramulla who was killed in 1993, days after he wrote the poem.
It was followed by singer Irfan Bilal’s song highlighting the sufferings of the past two decades. “Ye kaem woan che subhas gasnai Digar (Who wished your dawn to turn into dusk),” sang he.
“Resistance is a choice, it is gonna make some noise” rendered by two rappers was interspersed with pro-freedom slogans “we want freedom”. There were pro-Afzal slogans by a few present in the audience. Local satire ‘ladishaw’ was used to take potshots at the government and security forces.
The government gave us permission at the 11th hour and that too on conditions as they were scared of the support that we got from the people. We got hundreds of calls from people who had wished to express their solidarity but they were not allowed due to the restrictions. Still, we were able to hold the concert in order to protest against the Zubin Mehtas concert, Pervez said.
The civil society members and victim families, which included half-windows whose husbands are missing, and families of those victims who remain untraced after being picked up security agencies, described ‘Ehsaas-e-Kashmir’ as “elitist and far from reality”.
“Our concert is the event of common Kashmiri who is suffering at the hands of India and breathe pain and agony,” said Dr Altaf Hussain, one of the organisers of the event. Agencies
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