Joint Hurriyat holds protest demonstration

Srinagar, Jan 11: Joint Hurriyat leadership on Thursday held a protest demonstration in Srinagar against the civilian killings and arrests.
The activists of pro-freedom groups held a protest demonstration in city center Lal Chowk against the recent civilian killings and arrest spree.
Pertinently, the joint Hurriyat comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik has called for shutdown on Saturday against the civilian killing.
Terming the civilian killings as “genocide” of Kashmiris, the activists demanded the release of young boys from jails, release of political prisoners and end to civilian killings.
The activists carrying banners, “We want Freedom”, tried to take out a rally, however policemen deployed in strength thwarted their move.
After reaching near Press enclave, protesters held a sit-in which was addressed by Joint Hurriyat leaders including Ghulam Nabi Zaki, Hakeem Abdul Rashid and Noor Muhammad Kalwal.
Later the joint leadership in a statement said that thousands of young and old Kashmiris have been put into jails and incarceration centers and authorities are “doing everything to prolong their confinement”.
“Hundreds of Kashmiris are languishing in jails from decades under concocted charges. Many have been imprisoned for life and many are facing trails from a long time and are even being denied a bail,” they said.
They said that from last year NIA and Enforcement Directorate has been “used as a tool to penalize more Kashmiris and these agencies acting on the orders of their political masters not only arrested many leaders and kith and kin of people in resistance including Shabir Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saif-u-llah, Raja Meraj-u-Din Kalwal , Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Zahoor Ahmad Watali, Kamran Yousuf, Javid Ahmad and Shahid Yousuf Shah, but also grilled hundreds of Kashmiris in the name of ‘terror’ funding”.
Referring to the killing of a young man Khalid Ahmad Dar at Khudwani Kulgam by forces, the joint leaders said that “during last month or so…forces killed many innocents including two women and many young boys.”
“Though these killings are done by Indian forces but the responsibility lies on the shoulders of those pro-India politicians, assembly members and rulers who provide legal cover and immunity to the killers and thus contribute in this genocide,” the leaders added.
Reiterating the call for a complete shutdown on Saturday 13th January 2018, against brutal killings at Khudwani, leaders appealed people to shut down their offices, business establishments, transport and other activities for one day and raise their voices against growing Indian state terrorism on Saturday, 13th January 2018.