Kashmir separatist leaders oppose plans for Shainik and Pandit colonies

Though the government has repeatedly cracked down on the separatist leadership in Kashmir in the recent past, the seminar took place without any restrictions. 

 

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq – leaders of the two factions of the Hurriyat Conference – and representatives of the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) attended the event.

However, JKLF chief Yasin Malik, who was released on bail on Saturday after a week-long detention in a case related to the 1987 elections, was arrested again the same night.

Sharing same stage after a long time, both factions of divided All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), supported by Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Sunday maintained that the proposal of PDP-BJP government to establish a “Sainik Colony” and implementation of New Industrial Policy should be resisted.

“People should be ready to resist conspiracies which are aimed to change the demography of Kashmir,” said Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Geelani.

“We have to be cautions of India’s plans to settle non-locals in the state. The pro-freedom camp is united. Now it is the turn of people, particularly youth, to be united and adhere to our programme to foil conspiracies of India,” he said.

Unlike previous events at Hurriyat (G) headquarters, the government allowed the seminar amid massive deployment of police around the venue.

Hurriyat Conference (m) chairperson, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that Kashmir is facing a grave “situation viz-a-viz its Muslim majority identity”.

“The Azaadi movement in Kashmir is strong and to weaken it, Sainik Colony and New Industrial Policies are off shoots of Indian imperialist policy towards Kashmir,” he said.

Asking people to follow the “joint programme” of resistance groups, he said, “at least 30 NGOs are working in Kashmir to weaken the Kashmiris.”

“They are dividing us so that our movement is weakened,” he said, “India is well aware that the voices of Azaadi will continue till Muslims form the majority of Kashmir and to weaken it Sainik and other colonies are being planned.”

He said that Kashmiris are facing war on several fronts including religious, political, historical and cultural.

On the return of Kashmiri Pandits, Mirwaiz said that it was a humanitarian issue. “Even though KPs [Kashmiri Pandits] are ideologically Indian, Muslims in Kashmir have no problem, we will welcome them but to their native places,” he said.

For the first time in eight years, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik had come together last month and forged an issue-based united programme. Later, Mirwaiz and Malik went to Geelani’s home and held a hour long closed-door meeting.


(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)