National Conference’s Women’s Wing President, Shameema Firdous Monday presided over a meeting of functionaries here.
A statement said it was the first meeting chaired by Firdous after her release from the year-long arbitrary house detention and saw active participation of women wing district functionaries from across Kashmir.
While addressing the functionaries, Firdous condemned the killing of innocent woman in Batamaloo encounter, and demanded strong punishment to the offenders.
“The situation in Kashmir continues to deteriorate with each passing day. The recent custodial killings and fake encounters won’t help the situation improve. There is an atmosphere of fear and gloom in Kashmir, and the government on its part isn’t doing anything to assuage the situation by ensuring dignity of life and safety and security of its people,” she said while expressing solidarity with the victim’s family.
She said there cannot be total redemption of situation unless all the youth lodged in jails inside and outside J&K were released fore with.
While ruing the absence of safe spaces for the youth to pursue their vocations, she lamented the government on disengaging contractual employees from jobs.
“Contrary to providing jobs to local youth, this government is snatching jobs from the skilled youth. The recent disengagement of SHGs by the government is a case in point. The local youth are seeing no light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.
Among others, the Party’s women’s wing President (Kashmir) Sabiya Qadri also addressed the functionaries, and extolled the role played by the party’s women functionaries during the most tumultuous times. On the occasion glowing tributes were paid to veteran women’s wing functionary late Parveen Taja. Special prayers were offered for the deceased as well.
Firdous rued the widespread unaccountability, administrative inertia and development deficit in Kashmir in particular the summer capital Srinagar.