India making every attempt to dilute J&K’s special status: Mirwaiz

Condemning the ‘onslaught’ on Kashmir’s specific regional, cultural and religious identity by India, Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq Wednesday said the interference in the educational and administrative institutions was an attempt to dilute the special status of the state and deny the people of the state control over these institutions.

Addressing a public gathering at Shanglipora Noorbagh, the Mirwaiz said placing curbs on the peaceful activities of the separatist leadership is a part of the government policy to ‘strangulate the voice of the leadership and crush’ the people of Jammu Kashmir.

Terming the seeking of assurance from the army and forces officials by the Chief Minister to avoid civilian killings during mob control and her desire of removing bunkers from civilian areas as an attempt to ‘play to the galleries’, the Chairman said these camps and bunkers remain the main cause of tension in these areas resulting in the killing of innocent people on slight disturbance and all promises of their removal so far have been proved hollow.

The Mirwaiz said instead of making hollow claims the PDP Chief Minister should do walk the talk on the promises of removing AFSPA and other black laws from the state because these laws have proved to be the main cause of killing of unarmed civilian population of Kashmir and without the abrogation of these laws stopping of innocent civilian killings is not possible.

Appealing the people to make the Hafta-e-Shahadat programme, which starts from May 16, a grand success he said while people had offered uncountable sacrifices for the ongoing Kashmir movement, religious and resistance leadership too offered their lives for the great cause of Kashmir.