Ahead of a proposed seminar in Srinagar and a rally in Sopore, the police on Wednesday launched a massive crackdown on the resistance camp by arresting the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Muhammad Yasin Malik and placing the Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq under house detention.
A source in the joint resistance leadership (JRL) said that the police have been conducting raids on houses of many middle-rung leaders and activists of Hurriyat Conference (G), Hurriyat Conference (M) and JKLF.
“Many leaders and activists are on the run while their homes are being raided by the police,” the source said.
The crackdown on the resistance camp comes in the wake of a joint seminar that was supposed to be held at the Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani’s Hyderpora residence on January 4. The seminar, according to the source, was titled ‘Kashmir conflict and right to self-determination.’
The JRL had also announced congregational prayers for the martyrs of Sopore massacre of January 6, 1993.
MALIK ARRESTED
Yasin Malik was arrested by the police from the JKLF office at Abi Guzar here and shifted to central jail Srinagar on a judicial remand, a party spokesman said.
The spokesman said that earlier, the JKLF district president for Budgam Gulzar Ahmed Pahalwam was also detained by the police in a nocturnal raid.
Talking to media persons before his arrest, Malik said that Kashmir has been turned into a military garrison and nobody is allowed to raise his voice peacefully. “Arresting people, placing them under house arrest, clamping curfews and restrictions have become the order of day. Those at the helm who raised slogans like ‘healing touch’, ‘battle of ideas’ and ‘no bullet but talks’ are actually responsible for choking even the little space that was left for raising voice against injustices,” the JKLF chief said.
He said that these slogans were actually aimed to “deceive” the people and the real strategy of “these people, who had a great lust for power, is to kill, main, injure and snatch the eyesight of Kashmiris.”
“They are directly responsible for vandalising of homes of innocent people and crackdowns across Kashmir and putting the people, irrespective of their age, out of their homes in the bone-chilling cold,” he said.
Malik said that history of nations that were slaves is witness that “military might” has failed to muzzle the genuine struggles and majority will of people has always prevailed.
“These tactics won’t bully us and force us into a submission,” he said.
MIRWAIZ CAGED
A Hurriyat Conference (M) spokesman said that its chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was yet again placed under house arrest at his Nigeen residence.
“This is his third house detention in just 20 days,” he said. “Mirwaiz was recently released from the 10-day-long house detention. He was then again placed under house arrest and even barred from addressing religious gathering at the shrine of Hazrat Sheikh Syed Abdul Qadir Jeelani (RA). And now yet again, he has been placed under house detention, which is highly deplorable.”
HURRIYAT (G) LEADERS DETAINED
While chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani continues to remain under house arrest at his Hyderpora residence, the police placed senior leaders of the organisation including Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai under house arrest, while as spokesman of the amalgam Ghulam Ahmed Gulzar, Molvi Bashir Ahmed Irfani, Muhammad Yasin Atai and Syed Imtiyaz Hyder have been detained and lodged in various police stations.
A source said that Bilal Sidiqi of Tehreek-e-Mazhamat was also detained.
JRL CALLS FOR SHUTDOWN IN SOPORE
The JRL called for shutdown in Sopore on January 6 to mark the anniversary of Sopore massacre.
“On January 6, 1993, Indian forces killed about 55 people and set Sopore market and adjoining areas on fire. To mark the day, we have unanimously decided to call a general strike on January 6, in Sopore town and organise congregational prayers for martyrs in Jamia Masjid Sopore after Zuhr (afternoon) prayers where people will pray for innocents killed on Jan 6, 1993,” the leadership said. “We appeal to the people of Sopore to observe complete shutdown on January 6 and assemble at the Jamia Masjid, Sopore, after the afternoon prayers.”
The leaders appealed to the international community to investigate this massacre and other similar massacres in Kashmir and identify the forces’ personnel “involved in the war crimes.”