Restrictions in Srinagar to prevent Eidgah march
Srinagar, May 21 : In occupied Kashmir, the authorities have placed the All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and other Hurriyet leaders under house arrest to prevent them from leading a rally at Mazar-e-Shuhada in Eidgah area of Srinagar, today.
The APHC had announced to hold the rally to commemorate the martyrdom anniversaries of prominent liberation leaders, Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Farooq and Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone. It had also planned to lay foundation stone of the ‘Martyrs’ Wall’ at the Mazar-e-Shuhada.
Besides the APHC Chairman, those who put under house arrest included Maulana Abbas Ansari, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Bilal Ghani Lone, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza, Zafar Akbar Butt, Masroor Abbas and Yasmeen Raja. Indian police also arrested APHC leader Mohammad Yousuf Naqash from his residence and shifted him to Safa Kadal police station in Srinagar.
Meanwhile, the occupation authorities have imposed strict restrictions in most parts of the Srinagar city to prevent people from taking out the rally. They have also sealed all roads leading to the Eidgah.
It was on 21st May in 1990 when unidentified gunmen killed Mirwaiz Moulvi Muhammad Farooq at his residence in Srinagar. More than 60 mourners were later martyred in Hawal area of the city when Indian troops fired upon his funeral procession.
On the same day, in 2002, Khawaja Abdul Ghani Lone, was assassinated by unknown assailants when he was returning from Eidgah after addressing a public gathering.
Asghar Ali Shad
India’s terrorist activities against the innocent and oppressed people of Kashmir in the occupied territory are not hidden from anyone. Similarly, day in and day out double standards of Delhi in other issues appear before the world as well. In the same context, on March 23, 2012, India voted against Sri Lanka in the conference of the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) in Geneva regarding the resolution moved by the US. Analysts are viewing this measure by India as a worth-considering act for the South Asian region. UNHRC has forty-seven members. Out of forty seven members of the UNHRC, twenty-four members that mainly include India, the US, Austria, Belgium, Spain, The Czech Republic, Switzerland etc have voted in favour of the resolution steered by the US which accused the Sri Lankan government of violating the ‘human rights’ under the cover of tackling the rebellious activities of Tamil Tigers. It further argued that a case of war crimes should be made against the government of Sri Lanka. However, on this issue, Pakistan, China, Russia, Bangladesh, Maldives, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, in total fifteen countries, opposed the resolution. Eight countries did not participate in the voting process.
Reacting to the resolution, the spokesperson of the Sri Lankan government strongly condemned the Indian role in this regard. He stated that in the near future, the Sri Lankan government might move a resolution in the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) against India. The resolution would address the on going state-sponsored by New Delhi in the occupied Kashmir. Similarly, that would also draw attention towards the constant violation of human rights by India in terms of persecuting the people of Kashmir. Moreover, the resolution would also appeal to initiate a case of war crimes against the concerned Indian officials.
By reviewing the situation in detail, neutral analysts are of the view that the above mentioned situation would affect the regional and global situation to a great extent. Similarly, it would provide ample boost not only to the struggle for the freedom of Kashmiri people but would also strengthen Pakistan’s position and stance on the unjust occupation of Kashmir by India. Broadly speaking, the regional political parties are having an increasing impact on the foreign policy of India. A few days back, the current chief minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, J. Lalita who belongs to the party of AIDMK, pressurised the Indian government to vote in favour of the resolution against Sri Lanka. Soon after that, DMK, an important coalition party of Manmohan Singh’s government, shoved the Delhi government to vote against Sri Lanka. It also threatened the government of parting ways from the coalition of the government. Paradoxically, government decided to protect its coalition government and voted in favour of the resolution, though other factors were also involved.
Likewise, in October 2011, chief minister of West Bengal, Mamta Banerjee, nudged the Manmohan Singh government to revert the TEESTA agreement regarding the division of river water between Bangladesh and India — which Singh had signed in the September 2011 during his visit to Bangladesh. According to the agreement, it was decided to give 50 percent water to Bangladesh. Ironically, soon after the agreement, Banerjee and her party members made a hue and cry over the accord by claiming that it would not be in favour of the Indian state of West Bengal. So, even the ink of the agreement had not dried and when it was reverted by the Indian government. Mind you, Mamta Banerjee is not only the chief minister of Bengal but her party Trinamool Congress is one of the important coalition partners of the ruling government. For the same reason, Delhi government decided to retract on its decision of TEESTA agreement with Bangladesh.
According to the analysts, India’s antagonistic approach towards Bangladesh and Sri Lanka points towards number of issues. Firstly, the contradiction between what India says and does has taken deep roots in the Indian politics. Secondly, regional political parties in India have gained lot of momentum and influence on the foreign policy of India. In this context, Pakistani media, government and concerned authorities should be fully aware of the importance and functioning of India’s regional political parties in order to maintain peaceful relations with that country. Similarly, serious and practical attempts to resolve the dispute of Kashmir and water issues between India and Pakistan should be made in this backdrop. Friendly relations between India and Pakistan are of great significance for regional peace and stability of South Asia.
—The writer works for Islamabad Policy Research Institute.
