by: Mir Suneem
Srinagar: Seeking the revocation of Jama’at ban and condemning the NIA summon to Mirwaiz, the Kashmir trade associations said that such acts will worsen the situation further in the valley.
The Trade bodies of Kashmir including Kashmir economic Alliance (KEA) and Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF) on Wednesday held a press conference at Press club Srinagar in protest against the NIA summoning of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and continuous harassment and arrests of several other socio-religious leaders of Kashmir.
While addressing the presser, the chairman KEA, Mohammad Yousuf Chapri While addressing the presser, the chairman KEA, Mohammad Yousuf Chapri said that the way government is trying to mull the voice of Kashmiris by raiding and arresting various leaders on the political front is highly condemnable and such acts will further worsen the situation in Kashmir.
“Banning some prestigious institutions, arresting many leaders and summoning Mirwaiz to New Delhi in a terror-funding case is not acceptable,” Chapri said.
“Mirwaiz is not only a political leader but also one of the largest religious leaders of the people. He is a big name and a member of many international bodies and such action against him are completely unjustified,” Chapri added.
Stressing on the dire consequences of such acts, Chapri said, “The government is turning a blind eye to the consequences’ of such acts. It is clear that such acts have neither achieved anything in the past nor will achieve anything in the future, rather it will only disturb the peace in Kashmir.”
The trade bodies also condemned the ban on this huge socio-religious institution like Jamaat-e Islami as well as booking the chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), Yasin Malik under PSA and arrests of other political leaders.
“By banning Jama’at and detaining its leadership, the government has hurt the religious sentiments of the people in Kashmir. It is a huge organization that has done exemplary work for the upliftment of society by establishing enormous educational and religious institutions especially for the orphans,” one of the trade leaders told media.
He said it is quite evident that these things are being done in view of the upcoming elections and Delhi must know that resorting to such things won’t help anyone.“The only way out to bring peace to Kashmir is to resolve the issue through dialogue. India must hold talks with Pakistan along with all stakeholders of Kashmir including Hurriyat if they want peace in the state.”
On March 10, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) summoned Mirwaiz Umar Farooq to its Delhi office for questioning in “terror funding case”. However, the Hurriyat (m) chairman refused to go outside the valley citing the security reasons.
Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) banned Jamat-e-Islami for the next five years. The decision came almost a fortnight after the more than 250 of its activists including the entire leadership were rounded up.
Reports appearing in the media said the central government has declared the over seventy years old party as an “unlawful association” having the potential to disrupt the unity and integrity of the country.
A notification issued by the MHA has termed the party’s activities “prejudicial to internal security and public order”. The order claims the party is “in close touch with militant outfits and supports extremism and militancy in Jammu and Kashmir.” It said the party is involved in “anti-national and subversive activities” intended to “cause disaffection”. Following the ban, the government sealed its many institutions and its top leaders were arrested.
