AS if detention of political leadership and extra judicial killings of innocent youth was not enough, Indian occupation forces, have now started arresting prominent Kashmiri religious scholars with the aim to stifle their voices and pave way for implementation of Hindutva agenda.
Since Thursday, Indian authorities have arrested several prominent Islamic scholars including Maulana Sarjan Barkati, Maulana Abdul Rasheed Dawoodi, Maulana Mushtaq Ahmad Veeri and Abdul Majeed Dar Almadni and booked them under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA) in Jammu.
Slapping Kashmiris with draconian laws has been an age-old tactics adopted by Indian authorities to enable them to enforce complete silence in IIOJK.
But these tactics have not worked and cannot intimidate the Kashmiris into submission.
Indian rulers are mistaken if they think that through such brutal tactics they will be able to suppress the Kashmiris’ voice for right to self-determination.
Rather we believe that such shameful acts on part of India will further flare up the freedom movement.
Under Modi regime, one has seen a consistent policy aimed at targeting the Muslims and anything associated with them.
In several Indian states, everybody has seen as to how Muslims are being stopped from performing their religious rites and now their mosques are also being taken over by the Hindu zealots with the support of judiciary.
We believe that arrest of religious scholars in IIOJK is interference in religious matters and also beginning of Indian design to forcibly seize and occupy prominent religious places as well as Waqf Board lands and properties all across the occupied territory.
Since any such sinister move could trigger statewide protests, arresting religious leaders is a pre-emptive measure to deprive the Kashmiri masses of any leadership.
The arrested scholars have massive followings and have the potential to mobilise the public against any malicious Indian designs.
The Kashmiri leadership has continuously been pointing out that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was taking into possession all religiously and politically significant places and positions in IIOJK to efface its Muslim identity.
As the 77th session of the UN General Assembly is about to begin in New York, it must not act as a passive bystander.
While Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will definitely be highlighting the Kashmir dispute, it is also for other major leaders including the UN Secretary General, who during his visit to Pakistan minced no word whilst reminding the developed countries of its responsibilities to tackle the issue of climate change, must speak in solidarity with oppressed people of Kashmir.
While demanding immediate release of all Kashmiri detainees, the UN must move forward to fulfil the promise made to the Kashmiri people for the right to self-determination.
