Srinagar: National Conference on Monday demanded a time bound probe into the Pulwama massacre and asked the Governor-led administration to use non-lethal weapons like water cannons to quell the protests in the valley.
NC General Secretary Ali Muhammad Sagar, in a statement said that it was unfortunate and criminal that militants and protestors were being dealt with the same yardstick.
“The governor administration should make sure that non-lethal weapons like water cannons are used to quell the protests. Incidents like these will not help to bring peace to the valley. Such horrendous incidents will push the already aggravated and aggrieved people especially youth to wall,” he said, in a statement.
Addressing a meet of party functionaries at Nawa e Subh, Sagar expressed shock at the “impunity” with which unarmed civilians were being devoured.
“Incidents like these don’t auger well for a democratic country, I urge the incumbent governor administration to initiate an inquiry into the incident and depute fact finding team to the place where the gory incident took place,” he said, as per the statement.
Sagar also asked the Government of India to put a end to the civilian killings in Kashmir and immediately initiate reconciliatory process.
Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani while addressing the meet said that the incident could have been avoided by using less lethal weapons and adhering to proper Standard Operating Procedure.
“Our party whether in government or outside government, has always upheld that Kashmir issue is political in nature. However, our repeated protests and requests have fallen on deaf ears. What has unfurled at Sirnoo hamlet the other day is a blot on humanity,” he said adding, “The incumbent administration must initiate a time bond inquiry into the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice.”
The leaders who attended the meet demanded immediate release of ex-MLA Langate Abdul Rashid. The leaders asserted that the said ex- MLA has every right to protest, and that incumbent administration should respect his person as he represented the people in the legislative assembly for good time.
Earlier, The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) while condemning the Pulwama massacre, in a statement, called it a ‘wicked terrorist act’.
Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) had called for a three-day shutdown and mourning in Kashmir and urged people to march towards the army base in Badami Bagh in Srinagar on Monday.
Army on Sunday asked people to avoid the march towards 15 corps headquarters situated at Badami Bagh Cantonment. In a statement, an army spokesperson said Indian Army is always with the people of Kashmir and would foil all such “evil attempts of militant-Separatist-Pakistan nexus to pit the civilian population against the Security Forces.”
Hurriyat (M) chief Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was detained by the Police on Monday after he defied his house arrest and tried to march towards Badami Bagh army base in Srinagar as a mark of protest against Pulwama civilian killings.
Earlier, Yasin Malik , Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief was detained after he tried to march towards Badami Bagh army base in Srinagar. Malik, who had gone into hiding to evade arrest was detained at Budshah Bridge after he lead a march towards the army base.
Curfew like restrictions are in place in Srinagar in order to prevent the march. Restrictions will remain in force in Ram Munshibagh, Rainawari, Khanyar, Nowhatta, M.R. Gunj and Safa Kadal areas, with partial restrictions in Maisuma and Kralkhud.
Seven civilians were killed after armed forces opened fire on protesters near the site of a gunfight in Kharpora Sarnoo village of Pulwama district on Saturday. Three militants and an army man were killed in the gunfight.
National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah while reacting on the Pulwama civilian killings said that it is a massacre and there is no other way to describe it.
Earlier, Abdullah while reacting to the civilian killings had said that it was ‘another blood soaked weekend in Kashmir’
PDP President Mehbooba Mufti while reacting to the civilian killings has said that there would be no probe which would bring back the dead. She also asked that ‘is this what was expected from the Governor rule’?
She also said that no country can win a war by killing its own people.
Poeples’ Conference chief Sajad Lone while reacting on the Pulwama civilian killings said that the administration seriously needs to evaluate the cost of such operations. He added that ‘hope the administration gives up its Rambo mindset.’
Police, in their statement said that they were ‘deeply grieved’ by the loss of civilian lives however claimed that the crowd came ‘dangerously close’ to the gunfight site.
