Srinagar: “Choking of political space and hence pushing people to the wall is the main reason behind Kashmiri youth opting for the armed path,” the joint resistance leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik said on Tuesday.
The leaders in a statement issued to GNS said that mothers, fathers and even political leadership have no role in this regard however this ball also lies in the court of Indian political and military leadership.
“Aggressive policies of India and ban on political dissent are pushing Kashmiris to the wall and hence promoting worst kind of violence,” the leaders said, adding that in the statement issued after holding a meeting today. They said that the present political situation and all its aspects came into deliberation during the meeting.
Deliberating upon the “depressing” political situation emerging after recent Pulwama attack and subsequent hostile statements from prime minister, home minister and military core commander along with police officers, JRL said that “if it was possible to defeat a people’s movement by military oppression, police highhandedness, killings, massacres, and other tyrant means, then no country including India would have tasted freedom and sovereignty”.
Referring to a press conference by Indian army core-commander along with senior police officers in which he asked mothers and fathers to stop their children otherwise “be ready to shoulder their dead bodies”, JRL said that persuading young boys to refrain from treading some path is not in the hands of fathers, mothers or even political leaders however this ball also lies in the court of Indian political and military leadership who have chosen to choke every little space on political dissent in Kashmir.
“It is, in fact, the aggressive policy of Indian political leadership, its police, and other agencies and forces, choking of the peaceful political space in Kashmir and hence pushing Kashmiri youth to the wall which is responsible for pushing our younger generation to the armed path,” the leadership said.
JRL further said: “In 2008, when Kashmiris at the behest of international community, big countries, diplomatic circles and even Indian civil society changed the outlook of their freedom struggle and started an exemplary peaceful resistance, Kashmiris were of the view that international community and Indian rulers will support this positive change but Indian rulers chose to suppress that peaceful peoples agitation by military and police might.”
“Hundreds of young and unarmed youth, children and women were killed; thousands maimed, thousands jailed and people’s agitation was suppressed by military might. Same oppression was repeated in 2010 and again a peaceful political dissent was crushed by military and police boots. During these peaceful political movements, thousands of young boys also faced the wrath of Indians and were jailed, tortured, booked under PSA and in many cases their mothers, sisters, brothers and fathers abused and humiliated in front of them. This callous approach of Indian rulers and choking of every little space on peaceful political dissent actually pushed a whole generation to the wall and left no space for young ones but to join armed resistance,” JRL said.
They said that from 2014, when BJP took over the reins of government at Delhi, they announced a hardcore policy against Kashmiris and immediately started their “anti-Kashmir” actions under “operation all out”.
“This operation was not only launched against armed youth but even peaceful political movement also became a target of this as besides killings hundreds, maiming and blinding thousands by pellets and bullets, blasting and burning down of residential houses and properties, thousands got arrested under PSA and even many agencies and institutions were used to cage more political leaders and cage them at jails outside Jammu Kashmir.” JRL said adding that a conscious human being in no case can accept the killing of any human being.
JRL said that India itself fought against British for 200 years, there were also two parallel thoughts fighting the war for free India, but it is also a fact that it was same British imperialism which provided space to Gandhi Ji and other political leaders and hence promoted peaceful politics in India.
On the issue of removing security of some resistance leaders, JRL said that it was a non-issue.
“It was India and its abettors in Jammu Kashmir who deployed security to these leaders without any request and today have removed it also on their own.” JRL said adding that the resistance camp is striving against the “illegal Indian occupation” peacefully and politically, and this removal of security will not affect our struggle for freedom and self-determination in any manner. (GNS)
