Srinagar
Despite heavy restrictions, joint resistance leaders and activists, led by JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik managed to reach Maisuma Lal Chowk and marched towards United Nations observers office at Sonwar.
According to the spokesman, police stopped the rally near Budshah Chowk and arrested Muhammad Yasin Malik, Rameez Raja( Hurriyat G), Farooq Ahmad Sodagar (Hurriyat M) and Shabir Ahmad Dar (Chairman Muslim conference S) along with others. And sent them to Srinagar central jail till December 16. 2017, on a judicial remand.
The spokesman said “to stop JRL programs on international human rights day, Police, that has kept ailing elderly leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani under house arrest from last many years, tightened the siege around his residence and even disallowed a human rights seminar on December 9, 2017. Similarly, police also placed Mirwaiz Muhammad Umar Farooq under house arrest and even did not allow him to lead Friday prayers at Jamia Masjid Srinagar and added that “a nonstop oppressive operation was started to arrest, JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik who had gone into hiding on December 7, 2017, for participating in December 10 rally.”
The spokesman said that “despite all these undemocratic measures JKLF chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik along with many others managed to reach Lal Chowk on Sunday and led a grand protest rally towards UN office.”
JKLF chairman along with men and women in large numbers gathered at Madeena Chowk and marched towards Lal Chowk. Holding placards depicting slogans calling for the intervention of international community on human rights abuses in Jammu Kashmir, and raising slogans for freedom, the participants of the rally overcame many blockades and reached near Budshah Chowk.
Police and forces, the spokesman said had laid a four-layer blockade around the area and allowed no one to enter in. Lal Chowk, Kokerbazar, Harisingh high street, Basantbagh, Maisuma, Gaw Kadal, Dalgate, Court Road and Abi-Guzar, Regal Chowk and other adjacent areas. The entire old city had been also blocked and put under siege by a stringent curfew. Vehicles of forces and Razor-wire were used to block roads and thousands of policemen and forces were deployed to stop this march.”
Prior to his arrest, Malik while talking to media person said that today civilized world is celebrating international human rights day but in Kashmir, the so-called biggest democracy has chosen to choke every voice of dissent and every peaceful program on human rights. He said that from last four days, the way police and forces launched a huge repressive operation against the resistance camp shows that India and its stooges despite their tall claims hold no courage to compete with Resistance camp on political ground and that Kashmir is actually a police state.
Malik on the occasion read out the memorandum from JRL to UN secretary general….
