Srinagar: Upping ante on the implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in Jammu and Kashmir, the joint resistance leadership on Wednesday said that the unified tax law is being implemented at the cost of business community of Kashmir.
The resistance leadership added that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is being used as a war weapon against leadership.
Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik condemned ransacking of properties during night raids in Shopian.
The resistance leadership called for peaceful protests after Friday prayers on June 16th and demanded immediate release of all political prisoners.
“State authorities have waged war on innocent civilians,” the leadership said in a joint statement.
Ridiculing the ruling party in Delhi, they said, “they are not serious to solve Kashmir issue as they instead of following political means, are pursuing their repressive policy and fanatical ideology.”
Reacting sharply over raids conducted by NIA, the resistance leadership said, “Indian government is frustrated to the extent that they frame and raid residences of pro-freedom leaders and activists on the pre-planned psychological crackdown, so that they surrender and stop voicing the sentiments of their nation, thereby covering and shielding their atrocities and barbarism against common and unarmed people.”
Warning the authorities of ‘dire consequences’, the added, “if these repressive tactics are not stopped forthwith, we will resent and call a public protest against these repressive measures.”
Expressing their deep concern over proposed implementation of GST in J&K, they said, “it is a well thought out plan to cripple our trade and economy.”
Lashing out at state authorities, the leadership said, “they are hell-bent to harm business community. Few state ministers are in league with authorities in Nagpur and are being lured to implement GST in state.”
Lamenting at state authorities for their “haughtiness and persistent denial” for releasing political activists, the resistance leadership said that the detention period of those arrested in 2016 during people uprising “is prolonged on one pretext or the other”.
“Instead of facilitating their release in this holy Ramzan, the prisoners are detained in far-flung areas of Jammu and even after being bailed out by court, the next PSA is slapped on them,” the statement informed.
Urging immediate release of all prisoners ahead of Eid, the leadership said, “their insensitivity, unconcern and uncalled curbs on peaceful activities is the root cause of uncertainty in state and situation is turning from bad to worse.”
They denounced authorities for “uncalled” night raids in Turk Wangam and Vehil villages in Shopian and said, “Indian forces have turned state into a battle field and waging war on civilians.”
Reiterating their call for peaceful protest after Friday prayers on June 16th, the joint leadership said, “all these state sponsored tactics and coercive measures won’t deter us from pursuing our mission, nor these coercions, suppressive and aggressive measures will make us to surrender.”
