Srinagar: A joint protest of several civil society and apolitical groups was held on Tuesday to press for an impartial probe into the recent back to back killing of migrant labourers by “unknown gunmen” in different parts of Kashmir Valley including Srinagar city.
Scores of the activists of Nationalist Peoples Front together with the civil society affiliates assembled at Press Enclave here this afternoon and staged a protest against the killing of unarmed civilians, particularly migrant laborers in Kashmir recently.
Holding placards which read “Stop innocent killings”, “Don’t defame Kashmiris” and “Expose unknown gunmen”, protesters sought an impartial probe into the recent civilian killings in the Valley and demanded those behind the attacks be brought to book.
“This is an attempt to defame Kashmiri people who hate violence. It’s an attempt to create an atmosphere of fear among the migrant labourers who come here to earn their livelihood. This violence has consumed thousands of our youth so far, so no one could realize the value of a human life better than us,” said NPF president, Sheikh Muzaffar.
He said the administration must expose as to who these “unknown gunmen who target unarmed innocent civilians are”.
Sheikh also appealed to the government to ensure the safety of every civilian including those from minority communities.
“We want a peaceful Kashmir for our coming generations; we don’t want our children to live in a tense atmosphere. Who is this ghost called ‘unknown gunmen’? Why they kill people and what are security agencies doing? Why these ‘unknown gunmen’ have not been identified for more than three decades?” he asked.
Hafizullah, a civil society member termed the killing of migrant labourers as a conspiracy to defame people of Kashmir within and outside India.
“We Kashmiris love every human being, we are known for our hospitality world-over. We host thousands of tourists every year, so giving a notion that killings are done by us uncalled-for,” he said
