Srinagar: Supporting the Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat’s, statement that Azadi (freedom) is not possible, senior BJP leader and the newly elected Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker, Nirmal Singh on Thursday said that Army chief has given a clear message that there is no space for violence in India.
“Whatever Army chief has said, it is a clear message that India is a democracy and there is no space for violence,” Singh told reporters after being elected as Speaker of the legislative Assembly.
He also appealed to the people to come forward and sit together. “Let us raise the issues. Let us resolve them,” he said.
The Indian Army Chief in an interview with the Indian Express has said that Kashmiri youth need to know that Azadi (freedom) will not happen as they cannot fight the army. Bipin Rawat awhile expressing concern over youth picking the gun, stressed that those who are telling boys that this path will bring Azadi, are misleading them.
“I want to tell Kashmiri youth that Azadi isn’t possible. It won’t happen. Don’t get carried away unnecessarily. Why are you picking up weapons? We will always fight those who seek Azadi, those who want to secede. (Azadi) is not going to happen, never”.
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Rawat had added that he is ‘perturbed’ by the killings. “We don’t enjoy it. But if you want to fight us, then we will fight you with all our force. Kashmiris have to understand that the SFs (security forces) haven’t been so brutal — look at Syria and Pakistan. They use tanks and air power in similar situations. Our troops have been trying their level best to avoid any civilian casualty despite huge provocation,’’ he said.
“I know that the youth are angry. But attacking security forces, throwing stones at us isn’t the way”.
Reacting to Rawat’s statement, Chairman of the Hurriyat (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that even the British who colonized India for more than 100 years never conceded that Indians will get freedom.
“Would the head of the British forces who colonized integrated India and ruled for more than 100 years killing thousands of Indians and committing massacres like Jallianwala Bagh ever concede that Indians will get freedom? The British forces like the Indian forces of today had all the means and methods to keep India occupied. But yet they had to abdicate because the will and desire of people to be free to choose their destiny and be masters of their fate is far stronger than every military power,” Mirwaiz reacted in a statement.
Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Libeartion Front, Yasin Malik, in his reaction to the Army chief’s statement invoked Gandhi’s response against Rawat.
“The reply to General Rawat is the same that was given by Gandhi to a British envoy who had posed same type of question to him, that ‘how can poor Indians fight the British military might and survive as an independent state without British help’, Ghandi had replied that he would prefer a non-competent poor independent country over a competent and wealthy illegal occupation and slavery,” Malik said in the statement.
(With inputs from KNS)
