Srinagar, Aug 13: Condemning four more deaths in government firing today Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti has regretted the ostrich like attitude of the union government to the unfolding disaster in Kashmir. “Even a 2-day lull in killings is unfortunately taken as a reason to turn focus away from Kashmir” she said while responding to the killing of a teenager in Trehgam, two persons in Bomai and an elderly person in Pattan in firing by forces.
 Mehbooba said it is high time we move away from cosmetic actions aimed mainly at managing the adverse fall out of the highhandedness of government forces that has claimed as many as 55 lives in two months. It is now absolutely unavoidable that the root cause of the problem is addressed without risking more lives and wasting more time, she said. The current anarchy, she maintained has made the government forces completely unaccountable.
 The PDP president said while the indiscriminate killing of people especially the youth, children, women and the elderly represented the callous face of state set up and indifference to human life, the government had in fact let loose a reign
 of terror at all levels that is not reflected fully by any statistics.
 She said it had become a norm for the police to arrest people, especially the youth without reason and in most cases for making money out of the current crisis.
 Similarly the forces went on a rampage in almost all localities with impunity she said and pointed to reports of their indulging in loot of household gadgets in some areas.
 Mehbooba said Kashmir had virtually turned into a killing field while political activists and young men continued to be imprisoned. Some of them, she said were unaccounted even though they had been picked up by police and paramilitary  forces.
 She said the killing of 16 year old Mudassir Ahmed zargar of Trehgam and 65 year old Ali Muhammad Khanday of Pattan once again brings out the tragedy of Kashmir which has extracted a heavy price out of the younger generation but in fact targets any one who dares to protest.
 The government gun refuses to recognize age or gender and has unfortunately become the only contact point with the
people, she added.
 Referring to the reports of assault on people by forces even after the firing Mehbooba said even the women were not spared. She said the doctors and medical staff too had been roughed up which points to the more sinister angle of government action on peaceful demonstrators. It clearly indicates a desire to maximize the loss rather than reducing it she pointed out.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 13 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 14 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST