By IRNA,
Srinagar, India : A group of prominent Indian Muslims on Friday issued an appeal to sponsors of ongoing anti-India agitation in Kashmir to allow resumption of educational activities here.
”With the ongoing agitation against the atrocities of the government forces and the killings of the innocent youth in Kashmir valley, the biggest victim is the student community”, the group said in a joint statement on Friday.
“Already around 100 days of the academic year have been lost and there is no hope of the revival of the academic session in the near future. The closure of educational institutions is not going to help in the redressal of the grievances of the Kashmiri fraternity” the statement read.
“The country had always appreciated the educational environment of Kashmir and the zeal of its youth to excel in academic fields and most recently Kashmir has made a distinctive impression with sending a topper to the Indian Administrative Services. The Kashmiri youths have always been at the forefront to excel in the medical streams and some of the brilliant doctors belong from the Kashmir valley. It had been possible only because of the continuous desire of the Kashmir’s youths to concentrate on academic excellence”, the statement added.
Citizens appealed what sponsors of the ongoing agitation to allow reopening of the educational institutions so that the academic session of the students is not lost because of the turmoil.
“There can be other ways to agitate and demand for redressing the grievances but to cause the indefinite closure of the educational institutions cannot be appreciated and will not be in the long-term interests of the students, therefore the educational institutions need to be allowed to function properly”.
It is note worthy that normal life in the Kashmir valley has remained virtually paralysed due to government curfews and separatist strikes for last nearly two months. Separatist strike and government curbs have both ensured closure of all educational institutions so far.
Government has been frequently clamping curfews to prevent recurrence of protests that broke out against spate of killings in police action early June.
The group also appealed the Central and state governments to enhance the compensation to family member of those killed in security forces firings.
The appeal was signed by former MP and President, All India Muslim Majlis e Mushawarat, Syed Shahabuddin; Mohammad Jafar, Vice President, Jamaat e Islami Hind; Manzoor Alam, General Secretary, All India Milli Council; Zafarul-Islam Khan, Editor, Milli Gazette, New Delhi, Niyaz Farooqui, Secretary, Jamiat Ulama-i Hind; Navaid Hamid, Secretary, South Asian Council for Minorities (SACM) & Member, National Integration Council.