Srinagar, Mar 23: Hurriyat-M chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said New Delhi’s decision to use plastic bullets in Kashmir is only to prevent the people from asking India to honour its commitment of the resolution of the dispute.
“After raining live bullets, teargas shells, pellets, pava shells, GOI has now decided to experiment with plastic bullets and add it to the military arsenal against hapless kashmiris! All this to prevent kashmiris from asking India to honour its commitment of resolution of K dispute!” Mirwaiz tweeted after delivering his Friday sermon at the historic Jamia Masjid here.
Mirwaiz’s remark comes two days after the Union Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir said the government plans to use “less lethal plastic bullets” to tackle “law and order” situations in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The government has decided to introduce less lethal plastic bullets also to be used in tackling law and order situations in Jammu and Kashmir,” Ahir had said in reply to a written question in Lok Sabha.
Earlier, addressing Friday congregation at the Jamia Masjid, Mirwaiz said the recent statements from the leaders of Government of India that AFSPA would continue to remain in place is a signal that “Delhi wants to muzzle and crush the genuine Kashmir struggle with its military might.”
According to a Hurriyat-M statement, Mirwaiz said that “adopting such an approach and looking at Kashmir through a military prism is a big mistake that they are making as the history of peoples struggles for the realization of their political will can never be crushed through force and on the strength of military might.”
Mirwaiz said, “the natural outcome of repression is rebellion and resistance and the more Delhi decides to deal with the situation on the ground through repression the more people of Kashmir especially the youth will be forced to resist and rebel, and sometimes unfortunately violently.”
Mirwaiz said “people of Kashmir and the resistance leadership have repeatedly been stating that Kashmir is a political and human issue which needs a political and humanistic approach in dealing with it both by Delhi and Islamabad and that the best way to resolve it is by implementing the UN resolutions on it. An alternative way is sustained and meaningful tripartite dialogue between India, Pakistan and the people of Kashmir, who are basic party to the dispute.”
He also said that “the rigid policy of Delhi is pushing Kashmir’s educated youth to the wall and forcing them to choose armed means as a form of resistance against the forcible control which is extremely distressing and painful.”
Mirwaiz said that due to the prolonging of the dispute while our youth are being killed harassed and tortured, it is also having an adverse effect on the Indian forces stationed here.
In past six years, 700 forces’ personnel have committed suicide due to mental stress and the hostile environment that they face here, he said.
Mirwaiz said this indicates that the seven-decade-long conflict is taking a toll not only on the psyche of the people of Kashmir who are suffering from various psychiatric disorders as a consequence of the conflict but also on their own forces personnel working under tremendous stress.
The status quo cannot be continued and GOI has to take steps for a resolution he said. Cooperation in resolution rather than confrontation is the way out for one and all, he said.
On the occasion Mirwaiz also felicitated Pakistan on ‘Pakistan Day’, stating that “Pakistan has been actively supporting Muslims across the globe in their genuine demands and has always been a great supporter to Kashmiris, on the moral, and diplomatic front,” the statement said.
Mirwaiz prayed for Pakistan’s stability and hoped that the country would touch new heights in progress and development.
Mirwaiz also hoped that Pakistan would intensify its efforts as a stakeholder to ensure the vexed issue of Kashmir is resolved as per the wishes of people.
