Sehrai condemns Army Chief’s ‘warning’

Srinagar, Oct 28: Chairman Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai on Sunday strongly condemned the statement of Army Chief Bipin Rawat that civilian protestors would be dealt sternly saying the Army has declared a “full scale war” on civilian population to silence their “demand of birth right which is right to self-determination”.

In a statement, Sehrai said Rawat’s statement should also serve as an “eye opener” for India wherein General said: “Army is enough to ensure JK remains part of India is actually an admission that Kashmir at the barrel of gun with over lakhs of forces deployment and without its military might India cannot hold Kashmir for a minute.”

Sehrai, in his statement said, Army Chief’s remarks were be belligerent and such posturing indicated a free license to kill, brutalize and to continue genocide of Kashmiris.

Sehrai added: “Cordon and Search Operations (CASOs) became the daily routine of forces. And apart from killing and slaughtering Kashmiris, such operations have not only made the social lives hell, but have also destroyed the economic properties as well. Nowadays, the forces have gone to such an extent of brutality that they are used to destroy the properties of the common masses day in and day out under the garb of CASOs.”

Strongly denounced the forces’ action in Shopian and Kulgam where more than 40 people got injured including some women, during the search operations, Sehrai said: “beating people, vandalizing properties and torturing youth has become a daily affair of occupational forces in Kashmir with complete impunity, especially in south Kashmir.”

Sehrai asked the United Nations to intervene on the Kashmir issue by prevailing upon India to “shun violence and stop genocide” and initiate process for granting right to self-determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.