“71500 acres of land under occupation of army, 1856 structures under army possession”
Srinagar: The Hurriyat Conference’s (M) Wednesday organized a seminar titled “Military Concentration, Sham Elections, Tosa Maidan lease reflection of New Delhi’s imperialist designs” at Hurriyat Headquarters Rajbagh Srinagar.
The seminar was presided over by Hurriyat Chairman Dr. Mirwaiz Molvi Mohammad Umar Farooq and besides Hurriyat leadership was attended by people from different walks of life.
According to a statement issued to KNS, while terming militarization of Kashmir including Tosa Maidan as the root cause of all problems, Mirwaiz in his inaugural address said that Kashmir was the most militarized region of the world- a fact accepted by UN, European Union, OIC, and other international bodies.
He said Kashmir’s civilization, culture, trade and economics would continue to remain insecure until the process of troop withdrawal from the region does not take place. Mirwaiz said that since 1947 military build-up in Kashmir is going on under a planned strategy and currently there is no village, town city, or tourist resort where army is not present. Mirwaiz said that the extent of militarization could well be understood by the fact that 12 out of 66 firing ranges of Indian army are located in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.
Detailing out the statistics of militarization, Mirwaiz said currently 71500 acres of land in the state is under occupation of army. Likewise, he said 1856 structures, 1526 private buildings and properties, 280 government buildings, 14 industrial units, 5 cinemas, 28 hotels and three hospitals continue to remain under army possession. Terming demilitarization of Kashmir and Tosa Maidan as the foremost objective and demand of our resistance movement, APHC Chairman said that any result oriented process or dialogue would not prove result-oriented without the troops withdrawal from Kashmir.
Terming the announcement of the state government not to extend the expiring lease of Tosa Maidan to Army as result of pressure built by the effective campaign of the people against the lease extension, Mirwaiz said that with the cooperation of the people All Parties Hurriyat Conference would continue its struggle for demilitarization of Kashmir. He said Kashmiris should not forget the fact that the state government equally shares the responsibility of excessive militarization in Kashmir. He said it was due to scheming politics of state government that led to snatching of Kashmiri resources, allowed militarization of famous hill stations and tourist spots which directly led to degradation of Kashmiri environs. The control and authority the people of Kashmir enjoyed in 1947 over the resources of Kashmir has now been snatched from them and the resources are no more in our hands now.
The Hurriyat (M) Chairman made it clear that all issues related to Kashmir are laced with politics. He said those elements who are trying to disassociate Tosa Maidan from Kashmir politics should look at the history and get acquainted with the truth that Indian forces have occupied the land of Kashmir, adding, demilitarization is one of the most important objectives of the peaceful struggle of APHC. He said Allah has blessed Kashmir with unique green environs and natural beauty and Hurriyat believes in protecting it by adopting a proper political strategy.
Out rightly rejecting the so called elections in Kashmir, Mirwaiz said India has deployed lakhs of troops in length and breadth of Kashmir to suppress the emotions and political aspirations of Kashmiris. He said the activities of genuine leadership of Kashmir have been restricted, adding, such an atmosphere renders election process meaningless.
Speaking on the occasion, senior Hurriyat leader, Prof Abdul Gani Bhat said that in the presence of nuclear arms it was imperative to find the solution of issue to prevent a possible future destruction. He said that Tosa Maidan was the symbol of Kashmir’s collective culture and civilization. He said along with freedom struggle, Hurriyat was committed to work towards protecting the environs of Kashmir.
Another Hurriyat leader, Syed Saleem Geelani throwing light on the historic and political importance of Tossa Maidan said more than 150 persons have got killed in Tosa Maidan firing range due to unexploded shells. He said the explosions have also left many handicapped while the deafening sounds of guns have led to cracks in residential houses located nearby and impaired the hearing power of many people of the area.
Blaming pro-Indian politicians in Kashmir for contributing in military occupation of Kashmir, senior Hurriyat leader Javaid Ahmad Mir said polls are nothing, but a continuation of a process since 1947 to strengthen its occupation of Kashmir through local collaborators. He said without Kashmir solution, sufferings of Kashmiris won’t end. He further said that in the current political struggle all sections of the population have given sacrifices and a handful of persons nourishing on government salaries could not be allowed to pursue their personal agenda on the blood nourished movement.
Terming the protection of environment as basic responsibility of political leadership, Mohammad Yousuf Chahcri said it was important to protect the environs or otherwise Kashmir would turn into a desert. He said like Tosa Maidan many other tourist spots were under army occupation and needs to be looked into.
Those who addressed the audience included Professor Abdul Gani Bhat, Mr. Javaid Ahmad Mir, Mohamamd Yousuf Chahcri and Mr. Syed Saleem Geelani, Hurriyat leaders Moulana Abbas Ansari, Musadiq Adil, Agha Syed Mujtaba Al Moosvi, Mr. Khaleel Ahmad Khaleel, Advocate Abdul Majid Banday, Advocate Shahid-ul-Islam, Dr GM Hubi, Mr. Abdul Manan Bukhari, Mr. Hilal Ahmad War, Mr. Chowdhary Shaheen Iqbal, Mr. Syed Bashir Andrabi, Mr. G.N. War, and Mtr. Fatima were also present at the occasion. Mr. Hakeem Ab. Rashid moderated the proceedings of the seminar. (KNS)