Srinagar
Expressing deep resentment, the Joint Resistance Leadership, on Monday came down heavily on the Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti for her reported remarks downgrading the people, saying the love for chair has completely blinded her and her party.
“The love for chair has completely blinded her and her ilk of opportunists to see what havoc they have wrecked upon the people of Kashmir since their alliance with the BJP”, JRL comprising of Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik said in a statement this evening.
Mehbooba, addressing the first business conclave here yesterday, said “We as a people have to ponder what we are doing. First, we protest then we come up with a bowl asking for money”.
The JRL alleged that since the PDP stitched an alliance with BJP, each day a new hell is let loose on the people through the various agencies of occupation that Mehbooba presides over, to break the will and determination of the people for demanding the just resolution of internationally recognized Kashmir dispute as per peoples will and aspirations.
“ it is the integrity and tremendous resilience of the Kashmiri people that despite being no match for India, in terms of population and resources, it is giving such a stiff resistance to occupation ,to achieve its fundamental political rights as a nation “, the three leader said.
Describing the mainstream leaders as “exploiters and opportunists”, the trio said that such an exemplary courage can only be exhibited by a morally and ethically conscientious people striving to uphold and achieve the fundamental human principle of freedom and right to choose and making tremendous sacrifices for it. But exploiters and opportunists cannot understand such things”.
Tracing history, JRL said that since 1947 due to the constant compromises for purely “vested interests” and ambitions and allurements of chair ,”these people who are friends of none — -not even India whose interests they claim to represent in Kashmir, people of Kashmir are in the grip of occupation which they help consolidate.
“Had the interest of the Kashmiri nation, political economic or ethnic ever been dear to them they would have stood their ground for safeguarding it and not kept compromising on it one after the other for staying in power”, they said adding ‘the situation has come to such a pass today due to their repeated betrayals for the chair that even the basis on which their opportunistic patrons compromised the future of the nation and got some constitutional guarantees – article like 370 and 35A is on the verge of getting scraped for complete integration with India”.
JRL said that as part of the ploy to break the resolve of the people and crush the “movement” a multipronged strategy based on use of extreme force and coercion was adopted by GOI (government of India) particularly after entering into a power alliance with the PDP.
The same PDP whose patron (Late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed) when he was home minister of India imposed AFSPA in J&K.
All segments of society were targeted. While people were killed with impunity, pellet guns were brought to blind them and inflict physical and psychological scars.
Thousands of people especially youth including children and elderly labeled as stone pelters incarcerated and tortured, the trio said.
They said Propaganda as a war weapon vigorously promoted against people while leadership persecuted and harassed through NIA and other agencies leading to the illegal detention of some in jails. CASO launched to persecute people in villages especially as a witch hunt against the youth.
“On the other hand a false binary between tourism and terrorism was created to target those associated with trade and tourism in order to break the back of both these industries. Travel agents throughout India were threatened with consequences by RSS that no tourists should be send to Kashmir “, they said.
Referring to the implementation of GST in the state, they said, while GST laws that ended Kashmir’s fiscal autonomy in total violation of article 370 implemented and the return of our power projects out rightly rejected. To further dent the local trading market and create a fear psychosis among the people shameless act of braid chopping was undertaken and given the name of “hysteria”.
The JRL said instead of feeling “ashamed “that not even one culprit was brought to book for attacking the dignity of our women and traumatizing them, Mehbooba “is justifying the act casually as something that happens elsewhere!
JRL said that people of Kashmir bore the brunt of all these extreme repressive measures with such bravery and resilience that GOI was compelled to relook at its policy on Kashmir. No segments of society succumbed to this tremendous pressure including our traders and business community despite the fact that they were severely affected by the policy of revenge and punishment to which the local quislings were willing partners or mute spectators
They also criticized some members of the business community and said ‘they were surprised and dismayed that some traders and members of the business community played into the hands of the collaborators and gave them an opportunity to insult the supreme sacrifices offered by the nation.
JRL asked all segments of society that as collective custodians of the sacrifices of the nation to be cautious and refrain from providing any opportunity to these collaborators to insult and mock us and to expect no help from them as has been proven time and again.
JRl said that people of Kashmir do not need the largess of GOI to survive as Mehbooba suggests and are no beggars. Once we are our own masters our resources both human and natural are enough to make us prosper. (Kashmir Wire)
