From home turf Geelani pitches for poll boycott Hurriyat (G) chief gets rousing reception on visiting Sopore after two years; calls NC, PDP, Congress, Third Front‘collaborators of India’ By Afzal Sofi Published: Sat, 02 November 2013 10:32 PM Sopore: In his first public appearance before thousands of people at his hometown here after government lifted restrictions on his movement, the Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman Syed Ali Geelani Friday pitched for boycott of next year’s Parliamentary and Assembly elections. “Participation in elections will mean sacrilege of blood of martyrs who laid their lives for Kashmir’s freedom. I appeal you all to raise your hands and pledge that you will refrain from voting in upcoming elections,”Geelani said while addressing a rally at Iqbal Market here. After nearly eight months, the government Tuesday lifted restrictions around the Hurriyat chief’s residence in Srinagar, and immediately Geelani announced he would resume political activities with a public meeting in Sopore. Geelani launched a scathing attack on the pro-India politicians and blamed them for what he called“facilitating India’s illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.” “Some pro-India political parties have opened the Third Front and claim they will bring the change in Kashmir. What change they can bring when there is military and police control in all affairs of the state?”he said. He took to task former Chief Minister and patron of the opposition PDP, Mufti Mohammad Sayed, for his recent statement promising to resolve Kashmir issue if he get 40 seats in Assembly.“When asked about the solution he envisaged for Kashmir, Mufti said it would be within the ambit of Indian constitution, Geelani said.“But we have made it clear that we will not accept anything short of azadi. We will not accept autonomy, self-rule or status quo.” Geelani said,“Indian Army is illegally occupying our land, forests and other natural resources, and the pro-India parties become facilitators of this occupation.” “In Shopian, the Army has acquired 5,200 kanals of forestland, and to establish a Cantonment there around three lakh trees are estimated to be cut down. Recently Army also said that they will not leave the land in Budgam district and said they have bought it from state government in 1980. Who was Chief Minister then, everyone knows,”said Geelani. Geelani also ridiculed the statements of some political parties which had said that restrictions on his movement had been lifted on the orders of New Delhi and that his election boycott call will favor some political parties. “Whatever they may say, restrictions around my house were undemocratic and without any formal order of the government. We condemn such activities,”he said. Geelani termed the United Nations a‘non-operational body’that has failed to resolve the Kashmir issue.“They turn a blind eye towards the Kashmir issue. When they can create two states from Sudan and liberate East Timor from Indonesia, why can’t it resolve Kashmir issue on which it has passed 18 resolutions,”said Geelani. The Hurriyat chief lauded the people of Palhalan, Pattan, who he said have offered“tremendous sacrifices for the freedom movement of Kashmir and have bore the brunt of state forces.” Earlier, when Geelani left Srinagar for Sopore in a cavalcade of more than a dozen vehicles, his main party workers including Pir Saifullah, Ayaz Akbar, Altaf Shah, Meraj-ud-Din Kalwal and Firdous Ahmad Shah were placed under house arrest. Police had also put up barricades at various spots on Srinagar-Baramulla highway to restrict the entry of Geelani’s supporters into the town. Near Sopore’s Chankhan bridge, Geelani was welcomed by thousands of people who raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans and marched towards Jamia Masjid. After the Friday prayers Geelani marched towards the Iqbal Market and addressed a huge gathering there. However, before leaving towards Seer Jageer to meet the family of Mohammad Afzal Guru, who was hanged to death in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail on February 9, stone-pelting clashes broke out between youth and police. Geelani condemned the stone pelting incident and termed the stone-pelters as“enemies of movement and agents of government.”
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 02:20:13 +0000
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