Srinagar
Joint Resistance Leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik on Wednesday strongly condemned the “repeated curfew and restrictions imposed in downtown Srinagar by the authorities, on one pretext or other”.
In a joint statement, the trio said that the government is resorting to such measures “to punish and harass the resilient people of downtown Srinagar and it has become a regular feature which keeps breaking its records of repression and revenge on people”.
The leaders lashed out at the authorities for arresting traders and civil society members of Kashmir for their stand with regard to defending the special status and interest of the Kashmiri people. “Arresting and detaining them in jails and at homes is highly regrettable and against all norms of democratic behavior.”
The leadership said, “While the people of J&K for the past 70 years have been relentlessly struggling for securing their basic political right, acknowledged and guaranteed by the world and sacrificing tremendously for it, the pro India political parties operating here have been secretly and continuously nipping at and eroding the special status accorded to the disputed territory through deceit, to please their masters in New Delhi for their shameless lust of power.”
“The latest assault in this regard is the implementation of the GST in its current form in the disputed land, which first the NC and now the PDP are pushing for,” they said.
The joint resistance leadership said that the J&K Coordination Committee JKCC formed by trade and business bodies and civil society experts to look into the issue and safeguard any further “dilution of the special status which in turn affects the disputed nature of Kashmir issue is a welcome step and leadership extends its support to it for dealing with this matter”.
They said the concerns and misgivings expressed by the JKCC should be addressed by the authorities before any move to implement the law is taken, which will otherwise force people to resist it. They said Kashmir Bar association should also join the coalition to give it more support.
