Albatross
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NEW DELHI: In a statement accessed by Dawn, Hurriyat chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq reminded New Delhi of a potentially bigger challenge for the military on Wednesday. “And let me say that tomorrow is 13th of July. It marks 85 years of the struggle of the people of Kashmir. Our fifth generation has vehemently joined the journey for freedom. And they are offering sacrifices. They are giving up lives today.”
The day is widely observed as Martyrs Day in the valley since a 1931 upsurge against the erstwhile ruler was put down with force.
The Mirwaiz said the people of Kashmir needed to be approached with humanity, not bullets. “We need humanity, peace and progress in the region. For that we need to understand the true reality of Kashmir.”
The Kashmir issue was not about governance or economic packages, he said. “You have to understand the fact that today the youth of Kashmir are dying on the streets, not asking for jobs or perks. What is the actual issue? It is the people’s basic right to self-determination.”
The Mirwaiz said it must be understood that no amount of force was likely to work. “No military might or oppression will deter the people anymore.”
However, he was saddened that the Indian government was not paying heed. “It is sad that the aggressive posturing and the approach of the current Indian dispensation with regard to the Kashmiri people has lent greatly to the current deteriorating situation here. This can lead to catastrophic consequences for the whole region.
“The sending of more troops to the valley, which the government has decided, and giving them more powers to deal sternly with the local population will definitely add fuel to the fire.
“It will be greatly resisted by the people on the streets. The only way out of this problem is to address the problem politically, not militarily, and initiate engagement among all stakeholders — that is India, Pakistan and most importantly, the people of Jammu and Kashmir — if you want to resolve the issue once and for all.”
The official view in Delhi was at variance with the picture presented by the Hurriyat chief. The Hindu said that while curfew remained in force in many parts of the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday, including pockets of Srinagar city and Pulwama district, Mr Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation.
Several human rights NGOs in India and some left parties have called on the Indian government to immediately stop the killings of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.
Activist and writer Shuddhabrata Sengupta posted the background about Burhan Wani, whose recent killing by the security forces led to the current spate of protests.
“In October 2010, Burhan Wani, then sixteen years old, was on a motorcycle, with his brother Khalid Wani, and a friend. They were out on a bike ride, through Tral, the area that they had grown up in, as teenage boys do, anywhere. They were stopped at a Special Operations Group picket of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and ordered to get cigarettes for the troopers. Khalid went and got the cigarettes, Burhan and the friend waited. After the transaction, for no apparent reason, the troopers pounced on the boys, beat them up severely, damaged the bike, which had been Khalid’s pride and joy. Khalid lost consciousness. But perhaps it was Burhan who suffered the greatest injury, and that injury, an invisible one, was what any self respecting young person with a sense of dignity might feel when beaten for no reason other than the fact that he is there to be beaten.”
http://www.dawn.com/news/1270515/hurriyat-warns-of-regional-catastrophe
The day is widely observed as Martyrs Day in the valley since a 1931 upsurge against the erstwhile ruler was put down with force.
The Mirwaiz said the people of Kashmir needed to be approached with humanity, not bullets. “We need humanity, peace and progress in the region. For that we need to understand the true reality of Kashmir.”
The Kashmir issue was not about governance or economic packages, he said. “You have to understand the fact that today the youth of Kashmir are dying on the streets, not asking for jobs or perks. What is the actual issue? It is the people’s basic right to self-determination.”
The Mirwaiz said it must be understood that no amount of force was likely to work. “No military might or oppression will deter the people anymore.”
However, he was saddened that the Indian government was not paying heed. “It is sad that the aggressive posturing and the approach of the current Indian dispensation with regard to the Kashmiri people has lent greatly to the current deteriorating situation here. This can lead to catastrophic consequences for the whole region.
“The sending of more troops to the valley, which the government has decided, and giving them more powers to deal sternly with the local population will definitely add fuel to the fire.
“It will be greatly resisted by the people on the streets. The only way out of this problem is to address the problem politically, not militarily, and initiate engagement among all stakeholders — that is India, Pakistan and most importantly, the people of Jammu and Kashmir — if you want to resolve the issue once and for all.”
The official view in Delhi was at variance with the picture presented by the Hurriyat chief. The Hindu said that while curfew remained in force in many parts of the Kashmir Valley on Tuesday, including pockets of Srinagar city and Pulwama district, Mr Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation.
Several human rights NGOs in India and some left parties have called on the Indian government to immediately stop the killings of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir.
Activist and writer Shuddhabrata Sengupta posted the background about Burhan Wani, whose recent killing by the security forces led to the current spate of protests.
“In October 2010, Burhan Wani, then sixteen years old, was on a motorcycle, with his brother Khalid Wani, and a friend. They were out on a bike ride, through Tral, the area that they had grown up in, as teenage boys do, anywhere. They were stopped at a Special Operations Group picket of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and ordered to get cigarettes for the troopers. Khalid went and got the cigarettes, Burhan and the friend waited. After the transaction, for no apparent reason, the troopers pounced on the boys, beat them up severely, damaged the bike, which had been Khalid’s pride and joy. Khalid lost consciousness. But perhaps it was Burhan who suffered the greatest injury, and that injury, an invisible one, was what any self respecting young person with a sense of dignity might feel when beaten for no reason other than the fact that he is there to be beaten.”
http://www.dawn.com/news/1270515/hurriyat-warns-of-regional-catastrophe
