Srinagar, March 13, (Scoop News)-Kashmir’s chief cleric,Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on Friday expressed his dismay and condemned the posturing of the congress party over the issue of release of political prisoners in the valley.
Addressing the weekly congregation at the Historic Jamia Masjid, he said that it is extremely unfortunate that any step taken to redress injustices committed against the people engaged in a political struggle for achieving their basic right, is sabotaged by the political party out of power at New Delhi, which in this case is the Congress.
Mirwaiz said that it has become a tradition with Indian parties that whenever out of power and in opposition they look at deriving domestic political mileage by extreme posturing over Kashmir, and hence thwart any and every attempt made in the direction of moving forward.
Reminding of his open letter to the Indian people last year before elections, APHC leader said that this was exactly what he meant when he wrote that “Kashmiris have realised that it is not at all possible to expect any sitting Prime Minister in India (irrespective of the party they come from) to pursue resolution of the issue on their own. Individual political will and personal determination have not been enough to move the process forward. Therefore, in order to resolve the Kashmir issue, the elected Prime Ministers need the consistent support of the opposition parties.”
He said unless their is consensus among the political parties at the centre with regard to policies and approach towards the handling of the Kashmir issue it will always be hijacked and subject to politicking by them and people will continue to suffer.
This was amply proved when both Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh tried to break the ice but failed to achieve anything.
Mirwaiz also blasted a section of Indian electronic media which indulges in hype and jingoism with regard to reporting on Kashmir, to further its popularity and TRPs. He said while such reporting may give them instant popularity, in the long run it undermines and jeopardises the chances of stability and peaceful coexistence in the region.
Mirwaiz clarified that release of political prisoners is a humanitarian issue and many Kashmiris are languishing in prisons against all legal norms purely on the basis of a political vendetta. He demanded their immediate release and cautioned the Government about their safety as many of them are in jails outside the state.
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