Hurriyat Trashes NIA Chargesheet, Describes Arrest Of Second-Rung Leaders As 'Kidnapping'

Trashing the chargesheet against second rung Hurriyat leaders, the Hurriyat Conference today said the National Investigating Agency (NIA) has kidnapped these people to force top Hurriyat Conference leaders to have a photo op with Kashmir interlocutor. They said the NIA was creating a charade to project Kashmir struggle as "terrorism and sponsored."

Senior separatist leaders while reacting to the NIA chargesheet, said, the motive behind this “kidnapping” of these leaders by the NIA is to force the Hurriyat to have talks with the Kashmir interlocutor, Dineshwar Sharma.

The separatist leaders, Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik, said protests erupted in 2016 in the Valley after the killing of Burhan Wani. They alleged soon after killing of 22-year-old Burhan by Indian forces, every day 10 to 15 civilian protesters were killed by the forces. “We gave an extended strike call. If you want to have chargesheet and FIR, file it against us, against me, Mirwaiz and Geelani. What have these people whom you have arrested done”, asked angry Malik addressing press conference here along with Mirwaiz. Geelani addressed press conference telephonically. Malik said previously such attempts have failed and this time also these attempts to browbeat the Hurriyat would fail.

Malik said they would observe January 26 as black day as India was denying Kashmiris their right to self-determination.

Mirwaiz said there is a persistent campaign on part of the government of India and on part of a certain section of Indian media to align Kashmiri struggle for self-determination with terrorism.

“There has been all-out effort by certain agencies to project struggle of people of Jammu and Kashmir as a terrorist struggle. Our struggle is political, peaceful and humane. They try their level best to distort the facts and mislead the people of India as well as International community,” Mirwaiz said.

He said let us make it clear that Kashmir is an internationally accepted political dispute. “It is a political problem. There are resolutions pending in the United Nations about Kashmir”, he said. He said calling Kashmiri struggle as terrorism is deception. “Majority of people of Jammu and Kashmir are demanding the right to self-determination. We are demanding Azadi. Bullying us into submission through lakhs of troops, who have been given licenses under AFSPA, and prosecuting us, curbing all civil and political rights of expression, will not force us into submission. Kashmir has been handed over to the military. It is evident from the Indian Army chief’s statement on every issue pertaining to Jammu and Kashmir”, Mirwaiz said.

The government of India is pursuing a military policy on Kashmir and they want to silence people through the barrel of a gun. They said the NIA chargesheet has been kept open and it indicates more and more people would be included in it. “Let us make it clear people are dying  day in and day out and the government gives an impression it is sponsored struggle and sponsored problem. Kashmiri struggle is indigenous in nature and it is political in nature”, he said. He said the arrested people have been treated as worst than animals in Tihar.  

“Kashmir problem demands a solution. India cannot through military might stifle us”, Mirwaiz added.  “Let this be known to them”, he added.