Pakistan on Thursday slammed India for the “barbaric act” of Indian officials taking away the dead remains of renowned Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani from his family.
Syed Ali Gilani was put to rest early Thursday morning amid a tight military siege at Haiderpora in Srinagar, under the close watch of Indian security forces. The Indian government had imposed severe limits on people’s movements, and the whole region had been cordoned off.
In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar claimed that as the family was preparing for Syed Geelani’s final rites, a large number of occupation troops stormed his home in Srinagar, harassed family members, and stole Syed Geelani’s body.
“When the family members told the raiding party that Syed Geelani’s will was to be buried in the ‘Cemetery of Martyrs’ in Srinagar, they were reportedly told that India would not allow Syed Geelani’s burial at the place of his choosing,” he said.
The government of India is so afraid of Syed Geelani and what he stood for, according to the FO spokesman, that they have resorted to this inhumane conduct even after he died.
“This shows the degree of callousness on part of the Occupation Forces and demonstrates beyond doubt that India would trample all civil and human values in perpetuating its occupation of IIOJK,” the statement added.
Indian media subsequently reported that Syed Geelani has been buried. A curfew has been imposed in the valley and all internet services suspended.
The spokesman encouraged the international world to take notice of the unprecedented and appalling situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir and to hold India accountable for its violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.
After a long illness, the unrelenting activist against Indian authority in occupied Kashmir died on Wednesday at the age of 92, prompting the deployment of hundreds of police officers to attempt to avert violence in the disputed region.
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