Srinagar, May 08: A premier traders’ body in Kashmir on Tuesday wrote to chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and sought her directions to prevent the loss of lives in the valley.
Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), in a statement, said that appreciate the anguish expressed by the Chief Minister after every incident of death and murder.
The chamber said they expect the CM, who is also chairperson of the Unified Command and the State Home Minister, will issue directions aimed at protecting the lives of the citizens.
“We demand that the Hon’ble Chief Minister restrain her troops by ordering immediate cessation of hostile operations being carried out by the security forces in civilian areas which invariably trigger the killings of innocent and unarmed civilians; the loss of lives of our young generation is an irreparable loss which we can no longer tolerate nor afford,” they said.
Condemning the killing of a tourist from Chennai in a stone-pelting incident yesterday, the KCCI requested the state government to “identify and punish the perpetrators of this gory crime which has brought a bad name to our State.”
They also took exception to “macabre celebrations” over the militant killings in gunfights. “We demand that senior functionaries of the State Government be accordingly sensitized and disciplined over the macabre celebrations being carried out after any killing. The loss of any human life is a somber occasion and jingoistic statements at such a time are not helping anyone’s case,” they said, in the statement.
They said that respecting the dead in a cardinal principle in all conflicts and that they “expect no more from the State”.
They asked the chief minister to put an end to alleged practice of huge financial rewards being offered to soldiers for the killings.
“There are disturbing reports about the huge financial rewards being the reason for having created a vested interest which directly benefits from the escalation in violence. Reports suggest that youth, students and educated individuals are pushed and provoked to feed this growing industry. They are subjected to physical and mental abuse. If true, please put an end to it,” they said.
They also demanded conclusive investigation and accountability in the cases of death and maiming of unarmed protesters.
“The conflict is essentially political and cannot be resolved by military might. Only a serious and sustained dialogue with stakeholders can help in arriving at a resolution. The dialogues initiated earlier have been totally lacking seriousness and appear to be cosmetic in nature which has aggravated the situation. There is a dire need to reach out to all stakeholders, as defined in the Agenda of Alliance, and to find ways and means of controlling the chaos,” they said, in the statement.
“In view of the grim situation prevailing in the State, the Government may consider this as an “Hue and Cry” Notice from the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry seeking the protection of human lives, an end to hostilities and initiation of a meaningful dialogue.”
