The separatist leadership in Kashmir Monday called for a Valley-wide shutdown on April 23 (Tuesday) against the alleged ill-treatment meted out to the ailing and incarcerated Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik, closure of the national highway for two days a week and suspension of cross-LoC trade.
In a statement, the Joint Resistance Leadership comprisingSyed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik said theshutdown call is also against the alleged ongoing aggression of centralinvestigation agencies against “Kashmiri leaders, activists, seniorbusinessmen, trade union leaders, kith and kin of resistance leaders and otherpeople belonging to different walks of life”.
“Highhandedness has forced Muhammad Yasin Malik to go on ahunger strike which has entered its 12th day. The life of already-ailing Malik,who is admitted to RML Hospital Delhi, is in danger and rulers and theiragencies are busy in playing with his life callously,” the statement read.
“A concocted and frivolous case was formulated and many resistance leaders, businessmen and journalists were targeted, arrested, summoned to Delhi and investigated.
They include Shabir Ahmad Shah, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saif-u-Ullah, Raja Meraj-u-Din Kalwal, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias BittaKaratay, businessmen Zahoor Ahmad Watali and Muhammad Aslam, Javid Ahmad and ShahidYousuf Shah, ailing SyedaAsiyaAndrabi, FehmidaSofi and NahidaNasreen. They were arrested and lodged in Tihar Jail, Delhi,” the statement read.
“Mirwaiz-e-Kashmir Muhammad Umar Farooq was summoned toDelhi recently. Not only this, two sons of ailing Syed Ali Shah Geelani namelySyed Naeem and Syed Naseem are being continuously summoned and interrogated byNIA from 2017. Besides this, a maligning campaign was launched through mediaagainst Kashmiri resistance which is in fact going on unabated,” the statementread.
“A blanket ban on civilian traffic and movement for two dayson highway is most undemocratic and inhuman act which is tantamount tosnatching freedom of free movement and is a gross human rights violation,” thestatement read. “Similarly the orders to stop trade across the ceasefire line(LOC) have also put the lives and economy of thousands into jeopardy and theserevengeful orders deserve condemnation from one and all”.
“The shutdown will also be observed to protest the highwayclosure for two days a week and the suspension of cross ceasefire line (LOC)trade as both measures are anti-people causing great distress to people andaffecting their livelihood,” the separatist leaders said in the statement.