Srinagar 18 December: Cautioning New Delhi about misleading world community over killings and use of force by men in uniform in Kashmir, AIP President Er. Rasheed has said that New Delhi should not forget that in the era of Information technology it cannot hide its brutalities and massacres of Kashmiris. While addressing a press conference after being released from detention in Srinagar today Er. Rasheed said “The way Army Chief has been threatening Kashmiris and trying to abuse everyone who dares to speak against barbarism, he is simply lowering his stature and it would be good in the interests of army as an institution to feel ashamed for the killings rather finding excuses. By asking Kashmiris not to drag army into politics General Bipin Rawat is forgetting the Himalayan fact that it is not Kashmiris but New Delhi which has been dragging army into politics by trying to give a military solution to the seventy yearlong pending political dispute. Any army is supposed to defend its borders against foreign aggression and it is always colonial forces who use army’s to crush the internal uprisings to suppress the genuine voices of masses. General Bipin Rawat should be courageous and honest enough in telling the political establishment in New Delhi that Army is losing its professional capabilities by getting indulged in direct confrontation with unarmed civilians in every nook and corner of Kashmir. The call given by various political parties to have sit-in outside Army Headquarters at Badami Bagh was absolutely justified and most civilized way to protest against the Pulwama massacre. Gen. Rawat should tell that was he expecting Kashmiris to shower petals on those who killed unarmed civilians in Pulwama”. Er. Rasheed added it is strange that on one hand that from Bipin Rawat to Home Minister and from Satpal Malik to K. Vijay Kumar everyone is justifying the killings by putting the blame on the deceased and calling every stone palter a terrorist and every pro-active Kashmir and OGW of militants but on the other hand each of them is condemning the incident, asking for inquiries and showing sympathy with the families of those butchered in Pulwama. The fake inquires and condolences are itself confession of guilt”. Er. Rasheed asked Mr. Vijay Kumar, advisor in charge law and order, not to cross his limits and try to realize that J&K dispute is not a law and order problem. He said “Mr. K. Vijay Kumar needs to be told that he is not dealing with Sandal Smugglers and there is no Veerapan in Kashmir, whom he should eliminate by using dirty ways and means. Kashmiris are fighting for a political resolution to the dispute and need peace more than anybody”. Er. Rasheed while welcoming the concerns of Amnesty India and OIC asked international community to see sufferings of Kashmiris through humanitarian prism and play their role in ending bloodshed by moving beyond words. Justifying the protest calls and Hartals by JRL Er. Rasheed criticized those forces who are always criticizing pro-resistance groups. He said “Those who have no business but to accuse JRL and others for hitting to streets and calling strikes, should come out with alternative plans and make people follow them rather creating unnecessary confusions.  Er. Rasheed reiterated that Governor and his advisors must own the moral responsibility of Pulwama killings and should not behave like autocrats. He added that while security agencies are duty bound to work under directions of civil administration but unfortunately the divisional and district administration has become mouth pieces of security agencies and it is yet again proven that deputy commissioners have become like rubber stamps for security agencies. Er. Rasheed appealed masses to show unity and asked all political forces to focus on unity with some minimum common ground, so that the massacres of Kashmiris comes to an end.   

Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) on Monday urged people to offer funeral prayers in absentia for the civilians and militants killed in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district over the weekend.
A JRL spokesman urged people to offer ‘gaibana Namaz e Jinazah’ tomorrow after Zuhr prayers for the slain.

He asked people to visit the homes of the “Pulwama martyrs” and express solidarity with their families.
On Saturday, seven civilians were killed after forces opened fire on the protesters in Sarnoo village of Pulwama following a gunfight that left three civilians and a soldier dead.