Srinagar, Jan 04: Hurriyat-M chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said any effort to import “global agenda” into Kashmir to confuse it with the “ongoing freedom struggle” is unacceptable and will not be allowed.
Addressing a congregation at Jama Masjid where the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) and other religious leaders had gathered to observe Youm-e-Taqadus (day of reverence) over the desecration of the mosque pulpit last Friday, Mirwaiz said “enormous sacrifices are being offered by people of Kashmir for the achievement of the fundamental right to self-determination”.
Appealing the youth of Kashmir to not get swayed away by the ideals of “global agenda”, he asked youth to “join pro-freedom camp and put in their suggestions to strengthen the movement”.
He said “any effort to weaken this movement by diverting its course and linking it to some global agenda is unacceptable & will not be allowed.”
“Leadership appeals to youth not to get swayed by it. Our doors are open to our youth to come forth & join in &put forward their suggestions on taking the KashmirMovement forward &strengthening it,” Mirwaiz posted on twitter.
Earlier Hurriyat-G chairman Syed Ali Geelani, who also addressed the gathering at Jama Masjid over phone, said that the desecration of Jama Masjid was an attempt to link “Kashmir’s indigenous struggle with the global terror groups.”
Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Yasin Malik also urged the youth to help the leadership with their suggestions to take the movement forward.
He said that their doors are open for the youth to step forward and help the leadership in their struggle for freedom.
“Today’s youth are not illiterate. My earnest appeal to them is they should come forward with their grievances and suggestions,” said Malik while addressing a gathering at Jama Masjid.
Malik said that nobody has been banned from raising slogans of freedom at the historic mosque.
The Awami Action Committee headed by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had called people to observe January 04 (Friday) as ‘Youm-e-Taqadus’ to condemn the desecration of the mosque by some masked men who waved IS flags from its pulpit last Friday after congregational prayers.
Meanwhile, in a joint statement, Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik shed light on the sanctity of Masjid and its pulpit in the light of Islamic teachings stating that the incident that took place last Friday has shocked and hurt the religious sentiments and emotions of people across Kashmir and that the act deserves condemnation at all levels.
The leadership said that the attempt to desecrate the pulpit of grand Masjid was an “attempt to damage the Kashmir struggle that is purely indigenous in nature”.
The JRL said that “at a time when people and the leadership is trying hard to take forward the ongoing sacred movement that has countless sacrifices at its back, some elements misusing the name of Islam with suspect identity are playing mischief to divide people of Kashmir on religious ideology and sectarian lines alien to our land and movement.”
They said that Kashmir struggle is purely indigenous in nature where people are fighting New Delhi’s “forcible control” on Kashmir. “Our goal is right to self-determination and our motivation is Islamic values of defending the truth and fight for justice.”
They said that people should remain cautious and not allow any attempt aimed at giving the Kashmir struggle a global colour by linking it with some global agenda – “a move that suits Delhi by all means.”
JRL urged people, especially youth to stay vigilant and forge unity on all fronts so that the goal is achieved.
Terming the last Friday’s attempt to desecrate the Jama Masjid pulpit as very unfortunate, the leaders said that conspiracies were hatched against the grand masjid, right from 1931 “massacre” to the “martyrdom” of Moulana Mirwaiz Muhammad Farooq.
The leadership said that “youth are the greatest assets of Kashmir struggle where elderly and womenfolk too have offered priceless sacrifices towards the freedom movement.”
They urged the youth to connect to leadership and visit the homes and offices of Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik to give their suggestions “on how to make movement more robust and strengthen it. They may register their disapproval if any to leadership.”
Meanwhile, refuting the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh’s claim that the Centre had offered “an unconditional dialogue to Hurriyat leadership”, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday said there was no such offer from the incumbent dispensation in New Delhi.
Mirwaiz said Government of India instead wanted a military solution with a view to “integrate Kashmir” and even to do away with J&K’s special status.
Taking to Twitter, Mirwaiz said the Hurriyat leadership has always maintained that the way forward to solve Kashmir is talks among all stakeholders of the dispute.
“At Jamia today, to put the record straight the truth as all of Kashmir knows is that there never was any offer of “unconditional” talk at any point by this Govt, on the contrary all effort by this Govt has been towards a military solution with the view to integrate Kashmir and even do away with its special status.
“Hurriyat has always maintained that the way forward is through sincere deliberations among the stakeholders India, Pak & people of Kashmir working towards a final settlement in keeping with the aspirations of the people of J&K,” Mirwaiz wrote on Twitter.
On Thursday, Rajnath Singh had claimed that if separatists in Kashmir had agreed to talk to an all-party delegation that went to meet them last year, perhaps government could have found one or the other way to resolve the “stalemate” in the Valley.
Singh said Hurriyat leaders had “shut the doors” on the all party delegation that went to meet them.
