Srinagar, Feb 21: All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) Thursday asked the people of India especially those living in the Northern states to give up hatred against the Kashmiris.

According to a statement issued to media, the Committee has asked the people to maintain communal harmony and brotherhood at every cost.

APSCC Chairman Jagmohan Singh Raina said that people who visited Kashmir in the recent past as tourists should take the initiative and come up as ambassadors of peace. Raina said that it is highly unfortunate that Kashmiris are being targeted in different parts of the country for no fault of theirs.

“No sane person would be happy with death and gore but that doesn’t mean that innocent people are targeted in reaction to any blast or similar action carried out by militants. As elections are approaching political parties would try their best to exploit the emotions of commoners thus leading to hardships to people of Kashmir putting up in various areas of India for different reasons,” said Raina.

The APSCC Chairman said that people should remain vigilant against the elements who are hell bent to destroy the secular fabric of the country. He said that had Congress government in 1984 acted against elements who inflicted miseries on Sikhs at that time people would not have dared to take law into their own hands.

Raina said that it is the duty and responsibility of the central and state governments to create congenial atmosphere in different states so that Kashmiris including students return and carry out their activities. He asked the people of Jammu to extend cooperation to the state administration in normalising the situation.

Srinagar, Feb 21: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Thursday hailed the valour and selfless efforts of Sikh Community in north India for coming to the rescue of Kashmiri students outside Valley and has termed it a reflection of country’s secular and tolerant face.

In a statement issued, PDP General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone Hanjura expressed gratitude to the Sikh organisations who opened the doors of the places of their worship and provided succour and shelter to the Kashmiri students who had become victims of smear campaign post Pulwama attack in country’s various parts.

Hanjura said the entire state is indebted to those Sikh organisations who have exhibited the real face of humanity to the world and has shown the windows of India’s secular and tolerant image.

The PDP General secretary also hailed communal harmony exhibited by the people in Jammu as they didn’t allow the fanatic groups to tear apart region’s secular fabric and affect the image of its brotherhood and harmonious character.

Meanwhile, Hanjura also urged upon the administration to take immediate measures for ensuring safe return of Kashmiri students, businessmen and employees stuck up in various other states at present. He said that the government is duty bound to ensure safety of each and every student of Kashmir and provide them safe passage so that they could reach home without any harm.

Srinagar, Feb 21: Accusing national parties of doing politics of convenience, AIP President Er Rasheed on Thursday said that former Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s statement that many Indians need Kashmir but not Kashmiris is nothing but an attempt to keep Majority community in Jammu and Kashmir in good humour.

The spokesman said that while thoughts, views and designs of BJP and right-wing forces are known to all, it is shameful that parties including Congress, BSP, SP, Jantadal and other parties are not far behind to BJP in adding fuel to the fire and are trying to stop BJP from gaining political dividends from Pulwama incident by talking often in a harder tune than the hardliners.

The politics of convenience being played by these parties is visible on TV screens when their leaders speak more than BJP about taking revenge and abusing all resistance voice in Jammu & Kashmir.

“What P. Chidambaram has said is absolutely true but at the same time, Congress needs to answer that what compelled the party to criticize Narendra Modi for hugging Saudi Crown Prince Shahzada Salman. While Congress leaves no opportunity to gain sympathy of Muslims in entire India, but by raising unwanted question over Prince Salman’s visit to India, the party has exposed itself as cornering Narendra Modi for hugging Prince Salman is just to give a notion to the majority community in India that Congress hates Saudi rulers for their relations with Pakistan,” the spokesman quoted Er Rasheed as saying.

Rasheed also condemned the alleged murder of Pakistani prisoner Shakrullah who was beaten to death by his inmates in central Jail Jaipur. Rasheed said “Beating an unarmed helpless prisoner to death has no justification and proves the fact that the politics of hate-redness and revenge is crossing all limits and this stupidity may escalate further tension between the two countries. In this situation, Kashmiris are rightly worried about the security and fate of Kashmiris lodged in Jails outside Kashmir.”