leaders from various political parties, intellectuals and journalists from occupied Jammu and Kashmir and India have stressed the need for restoration of the pre-August 2019 position to end the ongoing sufferings of the Kashmiri people.
Addressing a round-table conference — ‘Jammu and Kashmir – The Way Forward’ in Jammu, the participants described August 5, 2019 as black and said Jammu and Kashmir is being treated as a colony.
The event was organised by the Centre for Peace and Progress. Among others who attended the event included United Peace Alliance Chairman Mir Shahid Saleem, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Moammad Yousuf Tarigami, National Conference leader Rattan Lal Gupta, Shiv Sena leader Manish Sahni, Peoples Democratic Party leader Varinder Singh Sonu and Awami National Conference senior vice president Muzaffar Shah.
The speakers asked for finding out a lasting solution to the Kashmir dispute through dialogue. They questioned the developmental claims being made by the BJP, and said that Hindutva party’s Jammu and Kashmir policy is directionless and all its claims post August 2019 have proved to be a hoax.
As part of provocation against Pakistan, Indian Air Force has has reportedly deployed its Tejas Mk-1 multirole light fighter aircraft at the Awantipura forward airbase in occupied Jammu and Kashmir. A tweet from the IAF’s Western Air Command, showed Air Officer Commanding-in-chief Air Marshal PM Sinha visiting the base and inspecting one of the Tejas Mk-1 fighter jets on the runway.
During the meeting, the Additional Director General of Police (Security), Jammu and Kashmir, was directed to ensure foolproof security arrangements at all venues across J&K while the Inspector General (IG) Traffic has been asked to devise a proper route and parking plan for the main events at Srinagar and Jammu.
“No government employee shall avail leave on Independence Day 2023 except under exceptional circumstances. All employees would invariably participate in the Independence Day celebrations,” the document reads.
“All of them should share videos of the same with the respective Divisional Commissioners. However, it should be ensured that the national [Indian] flag is hoisted in an appropriate and befit-ting manner having due regard to the flag code, for which purpose the Information Department should generate awareness amongst all the stakeholders,” the official document reads.
“All departments should film short videos of two to three minute duration highlighting important achievements of their departments and furnish the same to the Information Department for wide publicity,” the document reads.
The chief secretary has directed all the officers present in the meeting to ensure seamless coordination for smooth conduct of the Independence Day function.—KMS
