Srinagar: In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of Hurriyet forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said that South Asian is on boil because of the unresolved Kashmir dispute and has warned that the conflict could lead to a nuclear accident in the region.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is under house arrest, in a media interview over telephone in Srinagar said, “It is the fourth generation of youth in the streets today. The people of Kashmir will continue their political struggle and the conflict will keep the entire region on the boil, which could lead to a ‘nuclear accident.â€
The Mirwaiz said students are protesting in the streets demanding azadi, while the Election Commission of India has cancelled the Indian parliamentary by-elections in Islamabad constituency.
He said, “The people are fed up with the status quo, with its many uncertainties. They want it to end. They have been living for decades in the midst of political conflict in the world’s most-densely militarised zone. There is extreme repression at all levels and the people, especially the youngsters, will obviously react to it—even violently and radically sometimes.â€
He said that Kashmir was a political problem about the political sentiments and aspirations of the masses, including the youth. “The moment New Delhi acknowledges it and decides to address it, the situation on the ground will automatically change.â€
When asked whom should India talk to, the Hurriyet leader said, the first question is for New Delhi. “I think it is not a question of whom to talk to, but what to talk about. If it is about seeking a permanent and just resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the human values of respecting the right of a people by giving them the choice to decide their destiny, then New Delhi knows whom to talk to. It knows it also has to talk to Pakistan, which is a party to the dispute because parts of J&K are being administered by it. Ours is not just a political struggle, it is a human tragedy as well, with families and friends divided by the Line of Control and held hostage to the hostility between the two neighbours.â€
Reacting to a question about any talk offer from India, he said, “it is a speculative question and we are face to face with harsh realities on the ground, where people are getting killed or injured every day. And yet, I can say that we still expect New Delhi to show itself as a real democracy that does not believe in holding a people against their will by its might.â€
“There is extreme repression and the people, especially the youngsters, will obviously react to it—even violently and radically sometimes.â€
About any roadmap for the dialogue, he asked which dialogue? “Let India acknowledge the problem, the rest will follow.â€
In reply to a question about student protests, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said, this indicates a mass rebellion by an entire people at all levels. They are expressing their outrage against the status quo in which they are trapped for the past 75 years, more so in the past 30 years.â€
He said that Indian forces were killing protesters with impunity, while the Indian government and a section of the Indian media, reflecting their utter insensitivity and hostility towards the people of Kashmir, justify these killings, saying “anti-nationals†deserve it. We are deeply concerned and aggrieved by these killings.