Attacking families of militants pure revenge: Joint Resistance Leadership

Joint Resistance Leadership Thursday condemned the ploys being employed by the authorities to punish, intimidate, harass and humiliate the families of militants. In a joint statement, the JRL, comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Miwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik said such measures will only worsen the situation and turn it ugly and out of control.
The JRL said arbitrary arrest of 70-year-old AssadullahNaikoo, father of HizbulMujahideen commander ReyazNaikoo and two brothers of another militant Lateef Tiger, burning down the homes of two armed youth Shahjahan and Syed Naveed in Shopian district and arrest by NIA of Syed Shakeel, the second son of Syed Salahudin, besides arrest of dozens of youth from Pulwama were acts of “pure revenge.”

“This all can in no way deter Kashmiris from pursing the goal of freedom from oppression and forcible control,” the JRL statement said.
The leadership said use of unbridled force and military might against Kashmiris “only strengthens our resolve.”
“The sacrifices offered by each segment of society and their unflinching support and dedication to the principled cause sends a strong message to the powers that be in New Delhi which has unnerved them, and their only response to it is repression through authoritarian and absolute use of force,” the joint statement said.

The trio said, sacrifices and steadfastness of people will one day force New Delhi to relent and accept the reality of Kashmir dispute and the inevitability to resolve it.
Denouncing imposition of curfew in many parts of Kashmir on Thursday, the three leaders paid rich tributes to two armed youth killed in an encounter with government forces at Hajin in Bandipora.
The leadership thanked the people of J&K for observing an exemplary protest strike against the assault on the hereditary state subject laws, stating that people will immediately hit the streets in protest in case of any adverse judgment by Supreme Court of India on Friday.