By AIPTV- Bureau
Srinagar: Delhi based Kashmiris, protested on Sunday morning at Parliamentary Street, in New Delhi.
The protest was aimed to condemn recent killings of innocent civilians in Kashmir and also to protest Indian military response to people’s right to protest.
Kashmiri families, students, business persons and professionals in New Delhi staged a silent sit-in protest at Parliament Street near Jantar-Mantar against the recent killings of unarmed civilians across the Valley in particular and ruthless military response to peaceful civilian movement in Kashmir.
“We Kashmiris, living in Delhi feel morally obligated to make this statement today. Because we are witness to the escalating conditions induced by militarized governance, and the severity of psychosocial dimensions of oppression in Kashmir”, protester said in statement.
Kashmir is not a “problem” but a conflict zone. India’s militarization is aimed at territorial control of Kashmir, and control over key economic and environmental resources in the region, including those of the Siachen glacier. The Government of Kashmir is unable to prevail politically or exercise control over the Indian Armed Forces. India’s political dominance hinges on its ability to possess Kashmir. Institutions of democracy — the judiciary, educational institutions and media are neutralized by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and the Indian Armed Forces as they function in tandem, continuing “military governance.” State violence seeks to undermine people’s capacity to resist and solicits collaborators, they said in statement.
The sit-in is called by Kashmiri families living in Delhi, after watching and witnessed silently innocent Kashmiris being harassed in different Indian states besides bearing the pain of watching from distance their motherland being turning into a hell. For the first time in last 60 years, Kashmiri families living in New Delhi have decided to mark their silent protest in the heart of India-Delhi.
The protest, first of its kind, was participated by men and women, students and professionals, families and their children. Students from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia and Delhi University (DU) and professionals from various other streams including doctors, developmental aid workers, managers and academicians participated to voice their resentment against the ruthless response of more than 8 lakh armed forces, shielded with draconian and black laws, aided with “people-hostile” incapable administration, biased non-state bureaucrats and communal military personal deployed in Kashmir.
Protestors carried placards and banners that read ‘Stop Killing innocence & humanity in Kashmir’ and “Is this the face of democracy or demon-cracy?”, “ Respect the right of people to Protest”, ‘Shame on Pseudo-democracy’, ‘Stop war crimes in Kashmir’, Save Humanity & Human Rights’, ‘Withdraw 8 Lakh Armed Forces from Kashmir’, ‘Scrap AFSPA and other Draconian laws’, ‘Prosecute all Military & Security Personnel Guilty of Extra-Judicial Killings, Fake Encounters, Custodial Disappearances, Rape, Arson, Loot, Murder” and ‘End the Rule of Curfews & Censorship’.
Protestors asked the media persons covering the event that even a child can understand that protestors can never be terrorist because protestors demand justice; by blaming the mass protests as anti national, the Indian ruling elite are only mocking at their own claim of Kashmir being an integral part of India.
The muzzling of media & banning SMS is just a desperate attempt to prevent the Indian population and rest of the world from getting to know what is happening inside Kashmir, further in statement.