Greater Kashmir
Syed Amjad Shah
Jammu (India) July, 14: Joined by intellectuals, politicians, educationists, socialists and student organisations, the Jammu and Kashmir Peace Front (JKPF) took out a peace march here on Tuesday, insisting government to stop human rights violations in Kashmir valley.
The activists assembled at the Exhibition Ground this morning and staged a peace march which passed through various market places before culminating at Shaheedi Chowk. Shouting slogans and holding placards, the protestors were demanding immediate revocation of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and reduction of troops in Valley.
Addressing the rally, former MP Sheikh Abdul Rehman and chairman of the Peace Front alleged that some vested interests on both sides of the border were creating hurdles in the peace process between India and Pakistan and resolution of Kashmir issue.
There is a need to create conducive atmosphere for talks for which the Government of India has to initiate some confidence building measures. While stressing on the friendly relationship between India and Pakistan, he also urged people to maintain communal harmony in all odds.
“Communal elements and vested interests are damaging peace process in the state,” he said adding, “The turmoil has created several vested interests among bureaucracy, security forces and politicians,” convener of the Front, I D Khajuria said.
The Jammu and Kashmir issue, he said, is a political one and has nothing to do with the issues concerning development and employment, as being projected by some politicians. “There is urgent need of unity among the people of the state for early resolution of the vexed issue,” he said.
While condemning brutal use of force on innocent civilians, Dheeraj, vice-president of Progressive Students Association (PSA) said that justice needed to be done for restoration of peace in the region.
For last two decades of violence, he said, over one lakh people have lost their lives and most of them were innocent. “Suppression of Kashmiri people by the Indian security forces and mass killings have become a routine in Valley”, he said while seeking a direct involvement of people of the state in the peace process between India and Pakistan.
Advocate JA Qazmi, national general secretary Internationalist Democratic Party Narinder Singh Khalsa, educationist Prof Zahur-ud-Din, Des Raj, Hurriyat (M) leader Moulana Ghulam Nabi Faridabadi, Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Santosh Khajuria of Mahela Adhikar Sanghatan, Jan Jagriti Manch member Serohi, Anwar Chowdhary Advocate and leader of Gojar United Front, Sardar Deep Singh, Pritam Gupta, Advocate Subhash Samyal, Ram Singh Chouhan, Amrit Varsha, JS Mangal and Kuldeep Pandita from Thinkers Forum were among those who addressed the peace march.
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