National News

ISLAMABAD, (APP): The top leadership has called for complete
shutdown on Thursday (May 26) to send a message that the people of Kashmir will never accept separate townships for Kashmiri Pandits, colonies for retired Indian soldiers, harassment of Jammu Muslims and India’s new Industrial Policy in occupied Kashmir.
According to a private news channel, call for the strike was given
after an extraordinary meeting of the All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, and Hurriyet leaders, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik at Syed Ali Gilani’s Hyderpora residence in Srinagar.
The leaders also called for peaceful protests after Friday prayers on
May, 27.
More protest programmes will follow thereafter, a joint statement issued
after the meeting said.
The leaders discussed a joint strategy to counter Indian agenda aimed
at changing the demography of Jammu and Kashmir and harming its Muslim-majority character, the statement said.
They also appealed to the people to resist these ploys with unity and
steadfastness, it said.
“These conspiracies have created a do-or-die situation for the
Kashmiris. The shutdown and protest should send a clear message that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are against the new industrial policy, separate townships for Kashmiri Pandits and separate colonies for ex-servicemen,” the statement added.
All the three leaders said that the time had come when the people
should rise to defend their existence, individuality, their Muslim Identity and the disputed status of Kashmir and to start an effective struggle against the dangerous plans of RSS in the territory. They said that India was doing all this just to strengthen its forced military occupation in Kashmir.
They said, the policymakers of India fully know this fact that sooner or
later they will have to accept the plebiscite demand and that the end result will not be in their favour so under a planned manner they are trying to change the demography of the territory and want to convert the Muslim majority into minority and the local pro-India parties particularly the PDP is extending its every possible support to them.
“The Indian policymakers want to settle non-state subjects in Kashmir
in different names like soldier colonies and separate townships for Pandits,” the statement further said.
The leaders said that India was using the same experience in Jammu and
Kashmir which Israel had tested in Palestine.
They jointly appealed to the people from all walks of life including
transporters, traders, employees and shopkeepers to make the shutdown a success.
They said that it was their collective fight for their collective
existence and every citizen should play his part in this regard.
The leaders also asked the youth particularly students to play their
role in making the programme exemplary, disciplined and dignified.
Earlier, Muhammad Yasin Malik separately met Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and
two other liberation leaders, Shakil Bakhshi and Mushtaq-ul-Islam, and discussed with them the prevailing situation in the territory.