JRL calls for two day strike from Wed against arrests, NIA raids

Srinagar: Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Muhammad Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik Tuesday called for a two day complete protest strike on Wednesday and Thursday against raids of NIA against resistance leadership and mass arrests.
In a statement issued here on Tuesday, JRL said, “Raids of NIA against almost whole resistance leadership, widespread spree of arrests in nooks and corners of Kashmir valley during which thousands have been put behind Bars during last ten days and continued threats to tinker with state subject law under the pretext of 35, the hearing of which is scheduled tomorrow at Indian supreme court are acts aimed to break the nerves of Kashmiris, suppressing voices of by military and police might and enforce hegemony and vengeance on Kashmiris.”
“Nation of Kashmir has not, cannot and will never budge before this state sponsored and watch all this mutely,” JRL said, adding that Kashmir will observe complete and comprehensive shutdown against these ‘colonial acts’ on 27th, and 28th February 2019. They also strongly condemned the ‘show of dictatorial crackdown’ by India against the people of Jammu Kashmir.
Pertinently, sleuths of NIA accompanied by Kashmir Police and CRPF started raiding the residences of Mirwaiz Muhammad Umar Farooq, incarcerated Muhammad Yasin Malik, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, incarcerated Syed Shabir Ahmad Shah, incarcerated Masarat Aalam Butt, Syed Naseem Geelani, son of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Zaffar Akbar Butt and others.
“NIA accompanied by local police officials even did not bother to knock the doors bells and straightaway barged into rooms of leaders and started vandalize their houses and intimidating their families. This act of clear vengeance in many cases continued from early morning till late in the day and ended after the complete devastation of the houses and families under siege,” JRL said.
Calling for a complete and comprehensive protest strike on 27th and 28th February 2019 (Wednesday and Thursday) against NIA raids, ongoing widespread spree of arrests and threats to tinker with state subject law under the garb of 35 A which is scheduled to be heard at Indian supreme court tomorrow, JRL leaders said that “a war has been unleashed against people of Kashmir to satisfy manipulated collective conscience of Indian people who are being provoked to through Indian media raucous debates.”
JRL said that barging into privacy of homes without a knock, vandalizing houses in the name of search and intimidating families can only be termed as worst form of ‘hounding’ by NIA and police who have today descended to lowest of ethics and morality in Kashmir.
“This act of revenge is aimed at providing a legal cover to spree of arrests and break the will, valor and courage of the people of Jammu Kashmir who are striving for a just and sacred cause,” they said. JRL said that prior to these NIA raids which are in-fact act of bullying; whole Kashmir has been turned into a battle field where old and young, political or non political are being raided, arrested, put into jails and suppressed by police, army and other occupational forces.
“Not only leaders and activists of political organizations are being bundled but leaders and Ulema belonging to religious, social and other walks of life are also being arrested and till date thousands have been put in jails in a bid to suppress the voices of Kashmiris,” they said.
JRL said that on one hand is this bullying going on without a break and on the other hand is the threatening gestures of Indian leadership, deceitful stances taken by their state supporters and debates on noisy Indian TV channels suggesting to do away with the hereditary state subject law under the garb of 35 A which is scheduled to be heard in Indian supreme court tomorrow on 27th February 2019.
“In fact the main purpose of all these anti-Kashmir operations is to secure votes in upcoming Indian parliament elections and thus Kashmir is being put to flames for satisfying the lust of power by Indian rulers which are highly condemnable,” asserted JRL.
Taking a dig at the criminal silence of the international community especially the world powers, JRL said that world is watching tiny nation Kashmir being crippled undemocratically by military and police might of India but is maintaining mum for safeguarding their economic, trade and strategic ties with India which is highly regrettable.
“Kashmiris have witnessed hardships, crackdowns and military occupation from last seventy years and these hardships and apathy will never succeed in defeating our passion for freedom and right to self-determination which is guaranteed to us by international covenants and agreements,” JRL said.
Asking people of Kashmir to remain ready for every eventuality from rulers and their supporters, JRL said that “our lives, families, existence, resistance and everything is in danger and we as a nation should remain vigilant and be ready to launch a passionate people’s revolution against this hegemonic attitude of India.”