GoI’s refusal to resolve K-issue forcing youth to militancy: Joint Hurriyat

Srinagar, Apr 25: The joint Hurriyat leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik on Wednesday said New Delhi’s “obstinacy” to refuse to resolve Kashmir dispute and “repression” is forcing young boys to take up arms, and in the process they lose their lives “in pursuit of liberating their land”.
The leadership trio in a statement said the GoI looks at a military solution for Kashmir and use of “extreme force” is adopted to quell people’s genuine political will and aspirations.
The leadership said the educated youth feel pushed to the wall and resort to taking arms, and its onus lies completely with authorities.
Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik paid tributes to four armed youth – Abid Ahmed, Ishfaq Ahmed, Umar Javaid and Yasir Ahmed, who were killed in a gunfight at Laam, Tral in Pulwama district on Tuesday.
The leadership said that students also feel compelled to hit to streets to express their anger and anguish over “this extreme repression” and killings of Kashmiris.
“Even little children and girls are not spared. The forces charge at them even inside their schools, which shows that even our Kashmir’s educational institutions aren’t safe from forces,” JRL said.
“New Delhi and the ruling regime in Kashmir are hell bent to use full military might to force resistance leadership and the people into submission; however that will never happen. New Delhi will be forced to realize the futility of this approach and will have to engage with Kashmiri people’s will,” the leadership said.
Joint Hurriyat also strongly condemned the detention of Duktaran-e-Millat chief Syeda Aasiya Andrabi and her two activists and shifting them to Central Jail Srinagar. “
“Aasiya ji is already suffering from multiple ailments and lodging her in central jail poses a risk to her life,” Geelani, Mirwaiz and Malik said, adding that if anything untoward happens to her, the government will be responsible.