Alert : Killings evoke widespread condemnation. Cutting across political lines, both separatist and mainstream politicians have strongly condemned the killings of two youth in Sumbal area of Bandipora district by army during the intervening Sunday night. Separatists have also called for shutdown across the Valley on Monday. Expressing shock over the killings, Chairman Huriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani condemned the killing saying, "Hartal is the only weapon in our hands to express resentment against state terrorism. I appeal people to observe complete shutdown on Monday and protest against the innocent killings of our youth.” Chairman Huriyat Conference (M) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq while denouncing the killing said that Kashmiris are being killed under a well-planned conspiracy. He said these killings would have serious consequences in future. “The forces are on the trail of repression and retribution due to which people are now facing extreme insecurity. But Kashmiris won’t be suppressed by the suppression of forces and would take the struggle to the logical end,” Mirwaiz said. JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik also condemned the killing and called for complete shutdown on Monday to express solidarity with the bereaved families. People’s Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed while expressing deep shock over the killing of two youth, said the incident once again exposed the sorry state of affairs prevailing in the state. Addressing a workers convention at Yaripora in Kulgam district Sunday Mufti said army’s firing in the area was totally unwarranted and reflected how deeply the culture of impunity had become entrenched in the state. He alleged that Kashmiris were not only suffering from the political grievances but at the administrative end as well. Expressing solidarity with the bereaved families of Irfan and Irshad, Mufti said the tragedy has devastated two more families and no words can compensate their loss. Additional General Secretary of the ruling National Conference (NC), Mustafa Kamaal also condemned the incident and demanded withdrawal of forces from the civilian areas. He said the army was deliberately putting people in inconvenience during night hours. Kamal said that there were strong apprehensions that the army might have been involved in the previous cattle thefts in the area. Peoples’ Conference Chairman, Sajad Lone said, “While the debate on AFSPA is crucial, the State Government has used the AFSPA issue as a fig leaf to hide its own catastrophic failure, rather lack of will to control the armed forces. However, our political leadership in J&K is an apologetic collection of opportunists who love to wax eloquent on the AFSPA debate but shudder at the very thought of confronting the opposition of the Armed Forces in repealing the Act.” Condemning the incident, the CPI (M) State Secretary, Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, demanding a time bound judicial inquiry to book the culprits. He said, “These unprovoked incidents are a brazen violation of democratic norms which can only prove counterproductive,” Awami Ittihaad Party (AIP) also condemned the killings. Party spokesperson in a statement said, “It seems the killing of two young innocent Kashmiris was in response to the recent attack on the army in Srinagar. Now the response of the government to this fake encounter would be a fake inquiry.” State Congress chief Prof. Saif-ud-Din Soz said, “I express my deepest anguish at the very sad happening at Sumbal, in which two people got killed in firing by the Army. I condemn the firing which caused these deaths.” Meanwhile, Soz demanded that army should institute a high level enquiry and bring the persons responsible for this tragic and unfortunate event to book.
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 05:50:40 +0000
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