The members present in the meeting termed CASO as “state terrorism of worst kind to intimidate and harass people and called for its immediate end.”
Srinagar, September 19:
Chairman Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Tuesday said frequent cordon and search operations across South Kashmir and “the fresh wave of detaining pro-freedom leaders and activists ahead of civic polls reflect New Delhi’s defeat in Kashmir.”
“We discussed that how frequent CASOs are being launched across South Kashmir and every now and then youth are killed and maimed under the garb of hunt for armed youth,” Mirwaiz told reporters after chairing the amalgam’s executive, general and working committee meeting at the party’s Rajbagh headquarters here. “Such repressive measures are not going to break the resolve of people of Kashmir. Now, on one hand, CASOs are launched during entire population is kept under siege for hours together, youth are killed and inmates thrashed for none of their fault.”
Mirwaiz, who is also the key leader of Joint Resistance Leadership said police and paramilitary forces have started conducting nocturnal raids on the homes of resistance leaders and activists to detain them ahead of the civic body polls.
“The CASOs coupled with arrests of resistance leaders is actually the frustration of New Delhi as it has failed to break the resolve of people,” Mirwaiz said. He said people of Kashmir have already rejected any elections as they are aimed at diluting the basic “nature of Kashmir dispute.”
On Saturday, a civilian Rouf Ahmed was killed by forces during clashes at the gunfight site in Kulgam district of South Kashmir where five militants were also killed. This year so far, 69 civilians were killed in the force’s firing and majority of them were killed during protests at the encounter sites.
According to a handout issued by the Hurriyat Conference (M), the meeting, that was attended by all constituents of the amalgam took note of the recent remarks of United Nations Human Rights Council chief Michelle Bachelt on J&K and expressed satisfaction over it.
“Members said that it was a positive development that UN has started playing a pro active role on the Kashmir dispute taking note of the serious human rights abuses happening here and supporting people’s Right to Self Determination,” the statement said. “All members expressed serious concern over the frequent cordon and search operations by forces mostly across South Kashmir that result in the killing and maiming of youth, thrashing of inmates and vandalizing of properties. This all causes a great distress and grief to those living there.”
The members present in the meeting termed CASO as “state terrorism of worst kind to intimidate and harass people and called for its immediate end.”
The statement said that the participants expressed strong resentment about killing of peaceful protesters terming it as highly condemnable and inhuman.
“The participants of the meeting said that open aggression against the people of Kashmir reflects the frustration of lakhs of forces deployed in Kashmir as they have failed to break the resolve of people who are fighting for their legitimate right to self determination,” the statement said. “The participants renewed their pledge to take forward the movement for right to self determination till the goal is achieved no matter how far Delhi would go with its repressive approach.”
The statement said that it was decided that Hurriyat team presently camping in Geneva will participate in the ongoing UNHRC session on human rights, “to rake up the grave human rights violations being committed by the forces in Kashmir and to ensure pressure is build on Government of India to stop the rights abuses by its forces in Kashmir.”
Courtesy: Greater Kashmir
