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Rawat’s statement comes under sharp criticism by separatist camp

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 5/30/2017 1:09:17 AM

SRINAGAR, May 29: The latest statement of army chief General Bipin Rawat has come under severe criticism from separatist camp in Kashmir.
In a statement, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, chairman Hurriyat Conference (M) said the statements coming out of New Delhi show that the government of India has decided to openly admit that it has handed over Kashmir and the people of Kashmir to its army, granting them absolute authority and no accountability, to deal with Kashmiris as the army wills, with the sole objective that Kashmir remains part of India no matter if all Kashmiris have to be repressed, killed or humiliated for that.
Mirwaiz said Arun Jaitleys remarks as defence minister defending the action of the army major for using civilians a human shields that in "war-like zones tackling the situation should be left to the military as it requires military solutions" and the repeated anti-Kashmiri statements issued by the army chief of India, this time wanting to instill fear in “our hearts and wishing people of Kashmir had guns instead of stones in their hands so he could happily do as he pleased with them, actually inciting our youth to pick up arms and get killed, is appalling, to say the least, reflect that it is army which is in control here.”
“The level of arrogance of power and contempt exhibited towards the people of Kashmir ,through such insensitive statements , no longer shocks the people of Kashmir ,as we have come to realize that we are no longer considered human beings by the Indian state and that New Delhi is only interested in a military solution to a political and human issue,”Hurriyat (M) chairman said.
Mirwaiz said he would like to ask government of India that if the dispute could not be resolved through a military solution over the last 70 years, when wars have been fought externally and severe repression unleashed internally upon Kashmiris in which lakhs of Kashmiris and thousands of Indians and Pakistanis have perished and continue to do so, as a means of dispute resolution ,how can it produce a different result now, when the next generation of Kashmiris raised under occupation is all the more determined to achieve their fundamental right to exercise their will.
JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik said the “horrible desire of Indian army chief to kill every Kashmiri shows criminal mindset of Indian rulers and their forces.” In a statement he said, “Nations that decide to resist oppression and tyranny cannot be defeated by intimidations like these,”said Yasin reacting to the recent statement of Indian army chief asserting that he wishes Kashmiri protesters should use arms instead of stones so that his forces are able to kill them all freely.
JKLF chairman said no one should be surprised on this statement as India is slowly unveiling itself as a fascist state where new kinds of Hitler and Mussolini are taking birth under the garb of biggest democracy. Height of the shamelessness is such that human shielding an unarmed young man is termed as bravery and innovation and oppression against unarmed Kashmiris is being justified by terming situation as an ugly war,” added JKLF chairman. He said Kashmiris have been facing Indian wrath from last 70 years but have not surrendered before the might of India and Gen Rawat should remember that Kashmiris will continue to fight despite all these intimidations and assertion,”he said
Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) Shabir Ahmad Shah said New Delhi has no solution for Kashmir as India’s political and military leadership is itself caught in quagmire of confusion.
Shah in a statement said there is a deep contradiction in statements of Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and Arun Jaitley on Kashmir and they are unanimous in only pushing the Kashmiri youth to the wall and suppressing them through military might.
On Rajnath Singh’s statement that government of India will come out with a permanent solution and is open for unconditional talks with all stakeholders, Shah said if this is the case, the move will end the prevailing uncertainty in the subcontinent and the region will witness an era of peace, prosperity and tranquility.
Shah strongly condemned the statement of Indian Army Chief General Rawat saying he wants Kashmiri youth to pick up guns so that army gets an excuse to kill them in the garb of anti-militancy operations. “It (statement) also proves that Indian army deliberately gatecrashes the educational institutions and provokes the students,” he said.
Terming the resistance by youth as justified, Shah said there is no option than to show resistance against the state-sponsored atrocities and oppression. He said the people of Jammu Kashmir are not in favour of war but New Delhi needs to introspect as to why it has failed in the occupied territory for the last seven decades.
“We will continue our struggle and demand the resolution of Kashmir dispute as per its historical background. We have been favouring the tripartite dialogue or implementation of the UN resolutions,” Shah said.