Srinagar: Hurriyat (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq on Wednesday voiced concern over deaths of soldiers and civilians in cross LoC firing in various border areas of the state asked India and Pakistan to show maturity and peacefully resolve the Kashmir dispute.
Expressing concern over the death of civilians and soldiers in cross-border firing and shelling, Mirwaiz urged the two countries to “desist from military adventurism”.
“Seriously concerned & anguished over escalation at LOC,resulting in civilian & soldier deaths on both sides,urge #IndiaPak to desist from military adventurism,show maturity &peacefully resolved the issue & put an end to the conflict raging in the region for the past 70 years,” said Mirwaiz, in a couple of tweets.
He said that the consequences of military adventurism are directly borne by “poor soldiers’ and the people of Jammu and Kashmir on both sides.
In a statement, Mirwaiz, who is under house arrest for the past one month, said the root cause of tension violence and bitterness between the two nuclear neighbors is the lingering Kashmir dispute.
“While the situation at LOC is war like, it is no different in Kashmir itself which has been declared a war zone witnessing relentless killing of youth and civilians arbitrary arrests and harassment of young boys and subjecting them to torture, imposition of curfews and restrictions raids and vandalizing of homes and persecution and caging of resistance leadership by the forces and police who enjoy unbridled power and zero accountability,” he said.
He said that until both countries show a will to resolve the issue innocent lives will continue to be lost and Kashmiris will continue to suffer.
Mirwaiz said New Delhi has to shun its military approach in dealing with the people of Kashmir and both India and Pakistan have to initiate serious steps towards resolving the basic dispute of Kashmir.
He said by denying the reality of the dispute as New Delhi insists upon, the dispute will not go away.
“Genuine struggles like in Kashmir that have a historical and democratic basis have to be engaged with and people’s will and sentiments respected,” he said.
Mirwaiz said that in present day world wars do not resolve issues, nor does repression.
“Dialogue and serious engagement are the means to be employed to move forward towards resolution,” he said.
