Challenge to Art 35-A : Joint Hurriyat calls for shutdown today, tomorrow

Srinagar, Feb 26: Joint Hurriyat Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the incarcerated Yasin Malik has urged the people of Kashmir to observe complete shutdown on February 27, 28 against the against NIA raids, wide spreads arrests and attempts to tinker with Article 35 A.
“Widespread raids of NIA against almost whole resistance leadership, extensive spree of arrests in nooks and corners of Kashmir valley during which thousands have been put behind bars and threats to tinker with state subject law (Article 35a) the hearing of which is scheduled tomorrow (Wednesday) in supreme court are all acts aimed at suppressing our voices of Kashmiris by military and police might. Kashmiris cannot watch all this silently and mutely,” Joint Hurriyat said in a statement.
Pertinently, sleuths of NIA accompanied by Kashmir Police and CRPF started raiding the residences of Mirwaiz, Malik, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, incarcerated Syed Shabir Ahmad Shah, incarcerated Masarat Alam, Syed Naseem Geelani, son of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Zaffar Akbar Butt and others.
“NIA accompanied by local police officials even did not bother to knock the doors bells and straightaway barged into rooms of leaders and started vandalize their houses and intimidating their families. This act of clear vengeance in many cases continued from early morning till late in the day and ended after the complete devastation of the houses and families under siege,” Joint Hurriyat said.
Joint Hurriyat said that barging into privacy of homes without a knock, vandalizing houses in the name of search and intimidating families can only be termed as worst form of ‘hounding’ by NIA and police who have “descended to lowest of ethics and morality” in Kashmir.
“This act of revenge is aimed at providing a legal cover to spree of arrests and break the will, valor and courage of the people of Jammu Kashmir who are striving for a just and sacred cause,” they said.
“Not only leaders and activists of political organizations are being bundled but leaders and Ulema belonging to religious, social and other walks of life are also being arrested and till date thousands have been put in jails in a bid to suppress the voices of Kashmiris,” they said.
“On one hand is this bullying going on without a break and on the other hand is the threatening gestures of Indian leadership, deceitful stances taken by their state supporters and debates on noisy Indian TV channels suggesting to do away with the hereditary state subject law under the garb of 35 A which is scheduled to be heard in Supreme Court tomorrow on 27th February 2019,” they added.
Asking people of Kashmir to remain ready for every eventuality from rulers and their supporters, the leadership trio said that “our lives, families, existence, resistance and everything is in danger and we as a nation should remain vigilant and be ready to launch a passionate people’s revolution against this hegemonic attitude of India.”