Says concerned over unabated arrest spree of youth in Kashmir
National Conference (NC) on Monday sought a time-bound probe into the killing of a youth Shahid Ahmad in Zainapura, Shopian.
In a joint statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar and District President Kulgam Abdul Majeed Bhat Larmi while condemning the killing, said that such killings often go unaccounted.
They said that the forces and the victim’s family version are conflicting and have created lots of ambiguities with the public, which needs to be removed.
“Such gruesome killings will impede the early return of peace in the trouble-torn valley. The idea of fostering friendships with the people of Kashmir, especially with the youth of Kashmir will remain elusive if such incidents keep on happening. The incident has angered the people of Kashmir, for that matter, every saner voice elsewhere in the country. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the government to establish the circumstances leading to the death of a young promising boy, the sole breadwinner for his poor family,” they said.
They expressed sympathies with the bereaved and prayed for peace to the departed in the highest realms of Jannat.
Expressing concern over the unabated arrest spree in Kashmir, the party spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said that on one hand, the home minister of the country says that he wants to become friends with the youth of Kashmir but at the same time, youth is being rounded up at one pretext or another.
“Far from enabling an environment, where youth can fulfill their desires and can have a sense of ownership, no stone is left unturned to push them to the wall. An atmosphere of insecurity among youth regarding jobs and land is also looming large. The ongoing arrest spree is giving them more blues. The union minister wanting to become friends with Kashmiri youth is typical of ‘a lot of intent founded upon sheer inaction on ground’. The delivery aspect of the tall claims has so far been zero-sum. ‘Hand holding’ of the youth should not be through handcuffing,” he said.
On the Home Minister’s allegation regarding ‘Khandani Raj’, Imran said, “Dr. Farooq Abdullah and later Omar Abdullah became CMs only because people voted them to power. They were in power because people wanted them. They were elected representatives of the people of J&K, not forced upon. Besides, NC has been in power for only 23 years out of which half of it was with other political parties.”—(KNO)