Kashmiris being unfairly targeted in massive crackdown, families being torn apart: Mirwaiz

Chief cleric of Kashmir Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.
| Photo Credit: IMRAN NISSAR

Hurriyat chairman and Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, in his Friday sermon at the Jama Masjid in Srinagar, said Kashmiris were being targeted over the Pahalgam terror attack despite unanimous condemnation of the incident.

Describing the killings of 26 civilians in the Pahalgam attack as “a heart-rending and horrendous event,” the Mirwaiz said, “The events that unfolded after the horrendous Pahalgam incident have shown once again that whenever such things happen, it is the people of Kashmir who bear the brunt and suffer. Despite unanimous condemnation, it is the people of Kashmir who are being held to account and targeted.”

Referring to the massive crackdown that is underway and the detentions of thousands of locals, the chief cleric also highlighted the cases of Altaf Lali, who was killed in the Bandipora “encounter,” and Ghulam Rasool Margay, who was killed by unknown gunmen in Kupwara. “The victims families claim that these were cases of extrajudicial killings, which should be impartially investigated,” the Mirwaiz said. He also condemned the demolition by security forces of the homes of 10 suspects. “Scores of houses have been demolished in explosions, rendering families homeless and desolate. The vilification of Kashmiris by large sections of the media has forced students and professionals living outside to return in fear. How is all this helping in punishing the perpetrators if that is the aim?” the Mirwaiz added.

Rethink deportation

He also termed repatriations “a humanitarian issue.” “Deportations of hundreds of people are leading to the separation of families, with mothers being separated from little children and husbands from wives. One such incident led to the tragic death of a paralysed 80-year-old, Abdul Waheed Bhat, on a bus while being removed,” the Mirwaiz told worshippers.

The Mirwaiz appealed to the Government of India “to revisit this policy.” “It is inimical to actual peace and stability in J&K, if that is what the Government of India wants for J&K. I also appeal on humanitarian grounds that family members should not be deported because of all the suffering it is causing,” he added.

The Mirwaiz also prayed for peace between India and Pakistan. “Lastly, we pray that the situation between India and Pakistan that is getting worse by the day is resolved without resort to war,” the Mirwaiz said.