The Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani Thursday strongly condemned the ban on movement of civilian vehicles on Jammu-Srinagar highway for two days in a week from 4am to 5pm and allowing movement of convoys only for these days.
In a statement, Geelani said that a response in the form ofa “joint line of action” will be worked out very soon after consultations anddiscussions with all forums concerned.
“After creating graveyards in the state, the rulers in Delhivery brazenly are trying to strangulate the common people which can havecatastrophic ramifications,” he said.
The statement said: “The Indian ruling class should bear inmind that Jammu and Kashmir is not their property and its people are not theirslaves and whenever and whatever they want, they will be free to do so”.
“The roads are a means of connectivity and are of primeimportance in some desperate and emergency situations. Curtailing and banningsuch a basic and fundamental lifeline is tantamount to gross and unforgivablecrime against hapless population,” the statement read.
“It is better that they close down all educational institutions,healthcare system, offices, universities and seal the residences so that onlytheir armed forces can roam around. The world’s worst dictators may also nothave done such inhuman actions,” the statement read.
“It is unfortunate and ironic that permanent residents ofthis state need to take permission from outsiders to use their own land. Caging the entire population in their housesto facilitate the smooth and uninterrupted forces’ movement is not only shamefulbut a gross violation of one’s basic and fundamental rights,” the statementsaid.
“We appeal to human rights bodies, peace-loving people,particularly Indian intelligentsia and conscious citizens, to come forward andrescue this caged and brutalised nation and help them to ease the strangulatinggrip of the forced control (sic),” the statement read.
ANOTHER PLOY TO HARASS KASHMIRIS: HCBA
The Kashmir high court bar association (HCBA) Thursdaystrongly condemned banning of civilian traffic for two days a week on theSrinagar-Jammu highway for smooth movement of forces’ convoys, terming the moveas “another ploy of teasing and harassing the people of Kashmir and invadinginto their right to life and liberty.”
The right to liberty, a spokesman of the HCBA said in astatement, “encompasses within its fold, the right to move and travel to anydestination and to carry on any trade or business to earn livelihood”.
“The right to move and travel are part of personal liberty and consist in the power of locomotion, of changing direction or moving one’s person to whatever place, one’s own inclination may desire (sic),” the HCBA statement read. “Restrictions on movement on roads leading to courts, educational institutions, hospitals etc.
which cause serious hardships and inconvenience to students, lawyers, litigants and people from all walks of life, have been held to be unreasonable and irrational and have been struck down by the courts in the past.
And applying the same test to the notification issued by the state government banning civilian traffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway, for two days in a week, it is also liable to be struck down”.
The HCBA reiterates that the freedom of movement and travelat home and abroad is not only important for securing employment in any part ofthe world but is also essential for education, trade and also for cultural,political and social activities, the statement read, adding: “In aninterdependent world, requiring for its future peace and progress and anovergrowing international understanding, it is but desirable to facilitateindividual contacts between people and remove all unjustifiable restrictions ontheir movement and travel, which may hamper such contacts”.
“However, by issuing the notification of banning civiliantraffic on Srinagar-Jammu highway, for two days in a week, all the aforesaidrights and guarantees are bound to get defeated, which in a democratic world oftoday, is not permissible,” the statement read.
DICTATORIAL MOVE: MIRWAIZ
The Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooqasked the government of Jammu and Kashmir to withdraw the order of closing downthe Kashmir highway for two days in a week.
“Another anti-people dictatorial move of the government toclose the highway for two days which will cause great distress to people.Government should withdraw this diktat and stop punishing people of Kashmir,”Mirwaiz said in a tweet.