Srinagar: On Friday, Hurriyat (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said that New Delhi has failed to intimidate the pro-freedom leadership in Kashmir through raids and arrests by its agencies.
While addressing the Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar, he said it is evident to all that the raids conducted by various agencies and the subsequent harassment and arrests is “a ploy to intimidate the peoples’ leadership and instill fear in them.”
Friday prayers were allowed at historic #JamaMasjid after two weeks by the authorities,who keep imposing frequent restrictions on conduct of prayers.Restrictions curbs &repression has become the standard process of authorities to manage Kashmir and keep Kashmiri’s in check pic.twitter.com/Yj2pPSblAR
— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) July 20, 2018
“Let it be clear to all that neither the leadership nor the Kashmiri people will be cowed down by these measures and propaganda,” he stated.
He added that people will continue to demand for the right to self determination “till it is not granted to us”.
“Sooner or later the Kashmir dispute will have to be addressed. No amount of repression, harassment, intimidation or fear can change that fact,” he said. He praised Kashmiris as being ‘politically mature’ who have witnessed far much during Delhi’s rule.
He said that the condition of Kashmiri political prisoners is very bad as they have been kept with criminals in Delhi’s “notorious Tihar jail and as such there is always a risk to their lives.
“Their health has deteriorated and basic medical supplies are denied to them,” he said.
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