Srinagar
Kashmir Economic Alliance (KEA) chairman Muhammad Yasin Khan on Saturday said the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua is not a political, communal or regional issue but a case of humanity for which every human regardless of his or her individual ideology should come forward and seek justice and capital punishment for the culprits.
KL Image by Bilal Bahadur
Addressing a press conference here, KEA chairman asked the business bodies of Jammu and Kashmir to come clear on the issue of some forces having boycotted the nomad Muslim tribes in the region.
“Things have taken an ugly turn as some forces in Jammu have boycotted the nomad Muslim tribes. The Muslim community in Jammu region is being targeted for one reason or the other. Till now, the only reason of the silence of my forum was that twin chambers of commerce and industries in Jammu and Kashmir are into the alliance. We expect them to make the stand of business community clear on the issue of boycott with nomad Muslims,” Khan, who also heads the Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation (KTMF), said.
“We appeal both the KCCI and JCCI to play their much-needed role for the cause of humanity irrespective of their individual ideologies,” Khan said.
Khan warned government if the case is hushed up and urged those believing in humanity to take to streets against any such move.
He termed it unfortunate that some elements with vested interests are trying to communalize and politicize the issue “so that the fair trial gets hushed up and the perpetrators of the crime, a few of whom have already been arrested, get exonerated”.
“As a part of the same sinister agenda, the Hindu Ekta Manch in league with some political parties undertook a pro-rapist rally whereas some politicians from mainstream parties have started echoing the same language,” Khan said, adding, “It was part of a deep-rooted conspiracy.”
The trade leader urged the chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and home minister Rajnath Singh to seriously look into the matter. He also appealed to Indian civil society and national media to highlight the matter.
