Geelani calls for protest shutdown tomorrow

‘Will announce future program if youth are not released’

Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani, has called for complete shutdown on May 15, Thursday, against the detention of youth across Kashmir.
In a statement, Hurriyat (G) spokesperson said Geelani presided over Majlis-i-Shoora (Executive Body meeting) and thoroughly deliberated upon the recent parliamentary election ‘drama’ and the situation arising out of it, prevailing situation and future strategies.
“In the meeting, the Hurriyat leaders expressed their strong reaction over the conversion of entire valley into a military garrison and said that frequent search operations, tortures, harassment, extortion and unending arrest spree by the Indian forces and police have made the life of common people hell,” the statement said.
The statement said the Hurriyat leaders also discussed and condemned the incidents “where forces went rampage and broke the window panes of houses, damaged hundreds of vehicles and looted many shops and residential houses.”
“Thousands of youth and students were put behind bars for maintaining so-called peace and now when elections are over the police has intensified their excesses to silence the just and peaceful voice of Kashmir. A large number of youths and students are still in different police stations and jails of the State and many youth have been slapped with PSA-like black laws and shifted to jails outside valley,” it said.
Elaborating, the spokesman said, “While the youth are tortured, humiliated, abused and insulted in police stations by so-called disciplined and civilized officers of Jammu and Kashmir Police, and many heads of police stations are earning a good amount for the release of innocent youth and students.”
“Hurriyat Conference has appealed the people to observe complete shutdown on May 15 against the arrests, tortures, search operations, raids and excesses of the police. We appeal representatives of transport, traders federations and schools to observe a complete shutdown on May 15,” the statement said.
“If the State administration does not release youth and students and revoke PSA after this protest, we will be forced to announce future program after proper deliberations,” it added. The meeting was attended by the heads and representatives of Peoples League, Democratic Political Movement, Muslim League, Peoples Freedom League, Employees Movement, Mass Movement, Muslim Conference, Kashmir Tehreek-e-Khawateen and Tehreek-e-Hurriyat who presented their stand and view point regarding the current situation.
The leaders also condemned the house arrest of Syed Ali Geelani, arrest of Muhammad Ashraf Sehraie, Masarat Aalam Bhat, Hurriyat spokesman Ayaz Akbar, Dr. G. M Ganie, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Mushtaq-ul-Islam, Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Abdul Gani Bhat, Abdul Majeed Rather, Ameer Hamza and dozens of youth across Kashmir.