SRINAGAR, Mar 13: Moderate Hurriyat Conference today hit out at Congress for opposing the release of “political prisoners” in Jammu and Kashmir, alleging it has become a tradition with parties to resort to hardline posturing over Kashmir to score points over the ruling party.
“We express dismay and condemn the posturing of Congress over the issue of release of political prisoners,” Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said.
Addressing Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid in downtown Srinagar, the Mirwaiz said, “It has become a tradition with Indian parties, which are out of power, to adopt hardline posturing over Kashmir to derive domestic political mileage and thwart any attempt made in the direction of moving forward to address Kashmir problem.”
“Release of political prisoners is a humanitarian issue and many Kashmiris are languishing in prisons against all legal norms purely on the basis of a political vendetta,” the Hurriyat chairman claimed.
He demanded immediate release of the political prisoners and also cautioned the Government about their safety, saying many of them are in jails outside the State.
Referring to his open letter to the people of the country last year prior to Assembly polls, Mirwaiz said, “This is exactly what I meant when I wrote that ‘Kashmiris have realised that it is not at all possible to expect any Prime Minister (irrespective of the party they come from) to pursue resolution of the issue on their own.”
“Individual political will and personal determination have not been enough to move the process forward. Therefore, in order to resolve the Kashmir issue, the elected Prime Ministers need the consistent support of the opposition parties,” he said.
Mirwaiz said unless there is a consensus among the political parties at the Centre about the policies and approach towards the handling of the Kashmir issue it will always be hijacked. (PTI)
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