Kashmir MLA demands release of Afzal Guru

Srinagar:  An Independent MLA, Engineer Abdul Rasheed in Kashmir will organize sit on the eve of President’s first visit to Kashmir. He will press for the clemency of Parliament attack accused, Afzal Guru and release of other Kashmiri youth detained in various jails across India.

“We support release of Sarbjeet Singh and that of Afzal Guru. We have voted for Mukherjee in the Presidential election as he had assured us of sympathetic consideration to accept Afzal’s mercy petition. Now that Mukherjee is visiting the state as the President of India, we want to remind him of his assurance and also to communicate him the voice of hearts of millions of Kashmiri’s that Guru should be released.”Rasheed said while addressing a gathering in north Kashmir town of Langate.

Mr. Rasheed said that those ‘who are campaigning hard for Sarbjeet Singh’s release deserve full support but at the same time, they should raise their voice for accepting the mercy petition of Guru, “Aim of the   peaceful, sit in, protest is also to draw the attention towards the worsened condition of dozens of Kashmiri’s, languishing in different jails across India, and to press for their early unconditional release.”

Rasheed also said that ‘Pakistani and Indian intellectuals and civil society organizations have every right to offer each other hands for friendship and cooperation but they should not bulldoze the political and human rights of Kashmiri people’,  he also added “I  want to send clear and louder message to those Indian politicians and human rights activists who protest against the Sri Lankan players and President of Sri Lanka in order to raise voice against the Sri Lankan Govt. for, allegedly, not protecting the rights of Tamils. I want to ask them why they are not feeling the pain of Kashmiri people whom they claim to be their ‘Atoot Ang’.”

Mohammad Zahid

Zahid Maqbool is a freelance journalist based in Srinagar.