Take up AFSPA abolition with GoI: Mirwaiz urges UN

Srinagar, Mar 09: Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday urged United Nations to strongly take up with Government of India the issue of abolition of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Kashmir.
Mirwaiz said the draconian AFSPA was the main cause of killings in the Valley.
“At Jama Masjid today – Support UNHRC demand of unconditional access to Kashmir by Governments of India and Pakistan to assess the situation and urge the UN to strongly take up with GOI the issue of abolition of draconian AFSPA, the main cause of unabated killings in Kashmir,” Mirwaiz wrote on Twitter.
In a statement while expressing grief and strong condemnation over the recent killings in Pahnoo Shopian, Mirwaiz said these brazen killing of Kashmiris does not stop, people will be forced to hit the streets as they will be left with no alternative, as all means of expressing resent against repression have been blocked and there is no hope of justice from the administrative and legal system in place.
Mirwaiz also strongly condemned the repulsive instinct of those forces playing politics with the humanitarian issue of providing justice to the eight-year-old victim of rape and murder little Asifa of Kathua. He said that every citizen of Jammu and Kashmir should unanimously ensure that justice prevails and the guilty are booked and punished as per the law of the land for this disgusting crime.He said if the law is not allowed to take its course it can have very serious repercussions for the state.
Strongly condemned the shifting of Kashmiri prisoners from Central Jail Srinagar that include Dr Muhammad Qasim Faktoo and Dr Muhammad Shafi and others to various prisons in Jammu and keeping them along with the dreaded criminals ,Mirwaiz said poses a serious life threat to them and is in complete violation of the high court orders that they cannot be shifted from valley. He said the issue of ill-treatment being meted out to the Kashmiri prisoners is a challenge for the international human rights organisations as their criminal silence over the issue is highly questionable. Mirwaiz said all Kashmiri prisoners deserve to be applauded for their courage and let them know that entire Kashmiri nation stands behind them.
Meanwhile, a protest march was held outside Jamia Masjid by the activists and leaders of Joint Resistance Leadership against the innocent killings in Kashmir, shifting of Kashmiri prisoners to Jammu jails, and the rape and murder of minor Kathua girl Asifa. The protestors strongly condemned the unabated human rights violations in Kashmir and demanded immediate shifting back of all the Kashmiri prisoners.