Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Muhammad Yasin Malik on Sunday said that casting votes for various pro-India parties does not suit a “nation fighting for freedom and shouldering coffins of young boys.”
Speaking at a seminar organised by Hurriyat Conference (G) at Hyderpora here, Malik said people at present were attending funerals of young boys aged 12, 13 and 14 years amid pro-freedom slogans. “But when the elections come, I don’t know what happens that the same people stand in long queues to cast their votes,” he said.
“Shouldering the coffins of young boys on the one hand and on the other casting the votes in large numbers, do not suit a nation that is fighting freedom from the forcible control of New Delhi,” Malik said.
Citing example of 2002 polls, Malik said, “then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee literally sold the record number of votes cast in Kashmir as a vote in favour of Indian constitution. He termed it as a major achievement for him.”
He said in 2014 elections casting vote was propagated as extremely necessary for Kashmiris citing that the RSS and the BJP had to be kept at bay. “An impression was created that BJP would get all migrant votes and that it was mandatory to vote against the RSS and the BJP in Kashmir.”
Malik said what happened later was that the PDP and the BJP joined hands to form the government. “Now who brought the RSS here? It’s we people,” he said.
“Today, when a youth is killed by the forces, we are demanding action against the culprits. But we forget, we (the people) have already voted for the assembly that guards and protects the forces, whose hands are drenched in blood of our youth, by the shield of armed forces special powers act (AFSPA).”
Malik said time stood witness that “not even a single policeman or a force’s personnel was ever booked for killing any Kashmiri, let alone punished.”
He said time was witness that all the controversial issues were “imposed” on Kashmir by Delhi, be it Sainik Colonies, separate colonies for Kashmiri Pandits, settlement of refugees etc. “But it was our unity that fought against all these ploys. Even in 1995, when government gunmen (Ikhwanis) led by Kuka Parray unleashed terror, that phase too was defeated by our unity. So keep the united resistance leadership intact,” he said.
Paying tributes to the poet of East, Alama Muhammad Iqbal (RA), the JKLF chairman said Iqbal was a poet “who made home in the hearts of people.”
He said: “Iqbal remained uncompromised throughout his life. Though he urged Muslims to pray and worship one God in the Masjids and follow the path of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in letter and spirit, he never spread hatred through its poetry or lectures against other sects or religions.”
Malik said the basic founders of four major schools of thoughts in Islam have never spoken against each other. “But today, some Imams who are using sacred pulpits of Masjids, spew venom against other schools, sects and religions. I believe if this continues, time is not far when our Masjids would become a life-threatening places instead of a place of worship,” he warned.