Syed Ali Geelani Tuesday
expressed his gratitude to the people of
Kashmir who observed complete three-
day strike to remember Mohammad AfzalGuru and Mohammad Maqbool Bhat and
demanded the return of their mortal
remains.
He said: “the three-day strike was a
referendum in favour of freedom from
India and also a message to Indian rulers
and world community that Kashmir people
are against forced Indian occupation and
they will continue their struggle till they
achieve the goal of their martyrs.”
Geelani “called the government argument
illogical that restrictions were put in place
to save human lives and if freedom lovers
guarantee that peace will not be disturbed
there will be no restrictions on their
rallies in future”.
“The fact of the matter is that government
wants to hide its dark face and
weaknesses because whenever people
held peaceful demonstrations they were
stopped by police through violent means,”
the octogenarian leader said.
The All Parties Hurriyat Conference chief
said that in 2008 the whole world saw
peaceful gatherings and there was no
violence at that time.
He said violence always started from
police side when they resort to lathicharge
and firings on peaceful demonstrations.
“In 2013 when I was released for a shot
period there was no law and order
problem anywhere in my public rallies
where lakhs of people assembled,” he
said, adding: I was again arrested only
after one month which proves that
government does not want people to
express their aspirations in a peaceful
manner.
He said that state administration has no
authority to declare restrictions but it is
people in New Delhi who decide on
restrictions, arrests and curfews in
Kashmir. “It is evident from Omar
Abdullah's tweet about unawareness on
ban on internet facility,” he said.