Mehbooba calls for halt to harassment of Kashmiris

Srinagar, Jan 10^th :: Peoples Democratic Party has strongly condemned the harassment of Kashmiris especially the youth in and out side the state. In a statement here today the party President Mehbooba Mufti said it was appalling that state governments had now issued blanket advisories against Kashmiris. She was reacting to the reported instructions issued by Maharashtra government to its police to keep all Kashmiris in the state under watch following an alert by the J&K police she has called for immediate halt on harassment and persecution .

 Mehbooba said the indiscriminate scanning of people from Kashmir was an assault on our dignity and affront to the sentiments of an entire people. It was particularly painful that a state government led by congress, as in Maharashtra had issued such instructions.

Referring to numerous recent incidents of harassment in different parts of the country Mehbooba said suspecting Kashmiris was prevalent for quite some time but in recent months it has assumed the dimensions of paranoia. This she said was a direct result of the state government painting entire population of Kashmir black and branding them as terrorists and stone pelters. The government had often accused peaceful demonstrators as having worked at the behest of organizations like LeT she said adding that it was painful that the J&K police had according to press reports advised Maharashtra police to keep all Kashmiris in that state under scanner for “potential terrorist activities”.

Mehbooba said the state government has pushed the youth of Kashmir to wall by unleashing state terror against them and was now even following them outside the state were most of them had gone to look for alternative opportunities of sustenance. “This kind of persecution would further complicate problems instead of forcing people into submission” Mehbooba cautioned