By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: The All India Muslim Majlis-e Mushawarat, (AIMMM), president Dr. Zafarul-Islam Khan has expressed deep anguish over the spiralling violence against Muslims in the north Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir. Trigger-happy Army and paramilitary forces have already killed about 30 innocent persons including the prominent Kashmiri Hurriyat leader, Shaikh Abdul Aziz who was leading a peaceful demonstration.
The chief of AIMMM, the umbrella body of Indian Muslim organizations, in a statement condemned the carnage committed by the armed forces against peaceful and unarmed processions and demanded the prosecution of the officers and soldiers responsible for the bloodbaths.
Dr. Khan observed that security forces under the protection of the questionable Armed Forces Special Powers Act, (AFPSA), have run riot against the Muslims of the Valley while same forces act as mute spectators in the face of continuing defiance of curfew in Jammu and fail to move in front of attacks against Muslims in Jammu. Now even anti-Muslim riots are breaking out in Jammu where Muslim houses were burnt down on Tuesday after the police itself had killed one person and injured 50 when Muslims were protesting.
“Communal forces, running riot in Jammu for over a month, are now trying to transfer their hate campaign to the whole country. The communal forces spearheading the agitation are receiving unashamed RSS and BJP support. Advani has instigated them to cross all red lines by his “do or die” appeal for which he should be prosecuted. These communal elements are openly telling Jammu Muslims to support their movement or to leave the region”, the statement stated.
“AIMMM chief observed that the Valley is reeling under an economic blockade with the tacit support of the national and state authorities and the Kashmiri fruit growers are not allowed to export their produce to the other part of their own state which is held by Pakistan. In the face of the point blank shooting on a peaceful procession last Monday, it is a cruel joke on the part of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to claim that Kashmiri fruit growers are free to export their produce to POK subject to Pakistani permission. The economic blockade and the trigger-happy behavior of the armed forces are pushing the troubled state back to militancy”, the statement added.
Dr. Khan said that both the central and state governments have failed to offer a solution to a problem created in the first place by these very forces. Refusal to involve Valley politicians and Hurriyat leaders in the discussions only complicates issues as no solution is possible without taking their views and sensibilities into consideration. ([email protected])