Soon after the announcement of elections in Indian Kashmir, New Delhi has detained several pro-independence Kashmiri leaders in a crackdown, BBC Urdu reported on Saturday. All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) leader Syed Ali Geelani has been put under house arrest after the announcement of elections while dozens of other leaders, including Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Yasin Malik and Naeem Khan, have been put in different prisons of the disputed stated. Awami Action Committee Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has asked all pro-independence groups to oppose the state elections. “The Indian government and its allied groups want to suppress the local leadership of Kashmir. But we reject these elections and urge the people to stay away from these sham polls,” said Farooq. To protest against the Indian government’s crackdown on pro-independence Kashmiri leaders, demonstrations were staged in various parts of Srinagar. Authorities maintain that when pro-independence leaders stage anti-government rallies, there are huge chances that violence will break out. As part of their policy to suppress voices of freedom, Indian authorities have detained key Kashmiri leaders in a bid to prevent them from holding a protest rally during an upcoming visit by Modi to the occupied state. APHC has given a call for a million march near the venue of Modi’s public meeting in Srinagar. The call and indications of an enthusiastic response are reflective of the mood of the Kashmiri people who are determined not to sit idle till realization of their right to self-determination and go to any extend to thwart Indian attempts to strengthen hold on the occupied state. Kashmiris are already enraged over denial of this rights for decades and use of blind forces by India during all these years. India has been levelling baseless allegations against Pakistan about supporting non-state actors, whereas, in fact, New Delhi itself is guilty of state-sponsored terrorism against Kashmiris, whose only fault is that they are not willing to accept illegal occupation of their homeland by India. It is satisfying that the world is now slowly but gradually realizing the real dimensions of the problem and the need to address it for the sake of rights of 13 million Kashmiris and peace and security in South Asia. Incumbent Pakistani Government deserves credit for raising the issue at the United Nations as well as other forums. If Kashmiris persist in their just struggle and Pakistan continues to sensitize the world conscience, the day is not far off when people of Kashmir would reach their cherished destination.
pk.shafaqna.com
