Once again no Friday prayers in Jamia Masjid Srinagar. May be the Mosque too is booked under Public Safety Act. No wonders, possibly could be. Don’t be surprised if next morning we have this heading on our newspapers. This government can go upto any extend to prove falsely that all is well in Kashmir.
No Relaxation, no prayers, restrictions are given the name of all is well and under control in Kashmir. If all is under control then why on Friday’s people are not allowed to offer prayers in Jamia Masjid in Srinagar and other districts. Then why people are been arrested in nocturnal raids. Why youths are slapped PSA. In the last 110 days, about more than 9000 people were arrested and it is going on increasing.
Agitation has not yet stopped, hatred is increasing, maiming of youths is increasing day by day. People are drowned in depression, atrocities, oppressions, pain and in afflictions. Can these incidents depict that situation is under control, no never. Media cannot furnish truth and are afraid of being banned by the government. Everything is being brought under control by force and coercion and not by of its own.
Let government fully vacate the forces from the areas where they are diploid, then let us see is government speaking truth about the situation under control, can government release all the 9000 persons and vacate PSA on those who are slapped by it.
If government does this, then we can say really situation is under control. By force nothing is brought under control even it makes the situation worst, nothing can be suppressed for long by force, today or tomorrow it may burst or explode with even more force that may engulf whole valley with more innocent deaths and blood shed. Police have said that situation is under control but does their consciousness speaks so. To clamp curfew on Fridays in downtown areas and in different volatile districts, rebuts their own statements of valley in control.
Has strike been lifted or ended by separatists, have schools, colleges and universities started working and reopened, are banks open for whole day, has passenger transport started plying on the roads normally. The private traffic that is seen on the roads in Lalchowk, Residency road, Batamaloo, Dalgate and Sonawari and other areas are under the strict surveillance of security forces and CRPF, everywhere forces are deploid in these areas to restrict people from throwing stones. All inner and outer lanes of the civilian areas are sealed by the forces. The most volatile area of Lalchowk is Maisuma, where police is deploid 24 into 7, and nobody is allowed to litter there. If police and government says situation is under control let police and government agencies stop deploiding forces in these areas, then monitor the situation, will it improve or it will deteriorate and worsen.
The tall claims of government and police will be proved, if all security forces would be sent back to their barracks to rest, as it was before the death of Burhan Wani. And allow the congregation Friday prayers in all the Jamias of the city and in the whole valley. Then it can be said and said right that situation is under control and improving.
The views presented in this articles are the authors own, and does not depict the vices of Kashmir Digest. ts an Op Ed.
Syed Abadi Hamadani
Freelance Writer