SRINAGAR: Kashmiri leaders called on Saturday for fresh demonstrations to coincide with the upcomming visit of US President Barack Obama to India. The region has been hit by rolling protests since June 11 when a 17-year-old student was killed by a police teargas shell.
Since then, security forces have been accused of killing a total of 111 people, mostly teenagers and students. Obama arrives in India next Saturday on a three-day trip. Senior Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Geelani announced a new 10-day general strike starting on Saturday that will still be in effect when Obama arrives the following Saturday in Mumbai.
Geelani said that Obama’s planned visit to India has turned the world spotlight on South Asia and on Kashmir in particular. “It is all the more imperative for us to highlight the atrocities being perpetrated against us by India and to put across more and more forcefully a message to the world that resolution of Kashmir issue cannot be delayed further,” he said.
Geelani warned that any delay in the resolution of the dispute over the Himalayan region will “make peace a far-fetched dream in South Asia.” The unrest has left the government grappling for solutions to the outpouring of anger in Kashmir, where a 20-year insurgency has declined in intensity but popular desire for an independent Kashmir remains strong.
About two-thirds of residents want independence for their region, according to a survey in September. “Our freedom struggle has taken a new direction and this change has not only attracted the international focus but has also shaken the stubborn Indian rulers, giving them sleepless nights,” Geelani said.
Kashmir will shut for the days Obama will be in India though he will not be visiting the troubled-torn state. “Those who show any laxity or violate the protest programme during these days will not only commit treason with the martyrs’ blood but also do irreparable damage to the collective cause of nation,” Geelani said.
Kashmir has been in the grip of a two-decade insurgency against New Delhi’s rule that has left more than 47,000 people dead. Earlier in the week, the US voiced great concern about the situation in Kashmir but indicated it would not try to mediate over the Himalayan territory.
India has long accused Pakistan of fomenting an Islamic insurgency against New Delhi’s rule in the region. Pakistan says the recent street protests prove that resentment is local.
Kashmiris plan new protests for Obama visit
