Chairman Hurriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday termed the prevailing situation as worrisome, saying Kashmir was passing through the “worst phase of repression as bloodshed and oppression have touched new heights” in the Valley.Addressing the congregational Friday prayers at the historic Jamia Masjid after three weeks, Mirwaiz said, “Kashmir’s every inch is witnessing open aggression and worst ever state terrorism as entire Valley has been turned into a slaughter house for the only reason that its people want their legitimate birth right i.e. the right to self determination.”He said Kashmiri youth are being “selectively” killed, houses blown up with explosives, its inmates including women are being thrashed and the resistance leadership booked under draconian PSA which signifies the gravity of the prevailing situation in Kashmir.Mirwaiz said the lakhs of forces present across the length and breadth of Kashmir “have unleashed a reign of terror” with the result that people have started feeling highly insecure. “People in various villages in south Kashmir have already started migrating to other places due to fear created by the presence of forces. The genuine political, social and religious rights are being muzzled through military might, besides the Kashmir’s grand mosque, Jamia Masjid is deliberately targeted to silence the voice of people,” he said.
Hurriyat (M) chairman added that “since elections are nearing in India, the right-wing parties including RSS and BJP are leaving no stone unturned in fulfilling their agenda by resorting to ultimate repression and killings as part of their vote bank politics”.He urged the people of Jammu and Kashmir to forge unity against “this ultimate repression” the same way they did when an open assault was launched on the Article 35 A, forcing the Supreme Court to adjourn the hearing on the issue. The mass unity at this juncture is highly inevitable to protect and safeguard the priceless sacrifices, he said.Mirwaiz while paying tributes to the slain youth in past few weeks said every single citizen of Kashmir and the resistance leadership is indebted to the youth and duty-bound to protect the sacrifices being offered by the people on daily basis.Meanwhile, a peaceful protest sit-in was organized outside Jamia Masjid after Friday prayers against the bloodbath and oppression, the statement said.The protest rally was attended by the Hurriyat (M) and Awami Action Committee (AAC) members and activists who were carrying placards demanding end to killings and “state oppression”.Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the amalgam paid tributes to an armed youth of Sopore Naseer Ahmed Teli who was killed at Handwara on Thursday evening in an encounter with forces.“The government forces are on the path of killing spree,” the spokesperson said and strongly condemned the death of an aged woman during the CASO at Pulwama.“Such incidents reflect the level of fear inflicted on the innocent people of Kashmir by forces,” he said. (GNS)