JAMMU: Ruling National Conference (NC) legislators on Tuesday staged a strong protest outside the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly against what they described as a disturbing and recurring pattern of attacks, harassment and targeting of Kashmiri students, shawl sellers and traders in different parts of the country on religious grounds, and demanding of restoration of Statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Raising slogans and holding placards, the protesting MLAs accused the Union government of remaining silent while Kashmiris continue to face intimidation outside the Union Territory. Placards carried by the legislators read, “Kashmiris are citizens, not suspects,” “Special status was a promise, not a privilege,” “Stop demonising Kashmiris,” and “Patriotism doesn’t mean hating and beating Kashmiris.”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the protest, NC MLA Tanvir Sadiq, as per news agency Kashmir News Corner (KNC), said that yet another incident of harassment involving a senior Kashmiri couple in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, had come to light.
“While I was on my way to the Assembly, I came to know that an elderly Kashmiri couple was harassed in Saharanpur. Sadly, this has become a repeated pattern. Wherever Kashmiris go, especially Kashmiri Muslims, they are being targeted and humiliated,” Sadiq said.
He said such incidents are not isolated but part of a growing and dangerous trend. “In the name of a distorted idea of patriotism, Kashmiris are being beaten, abused and treated as suspects. This is unacceptable in a democratic country,” he added.
Sadiq said the time has come for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to break their silence. “The Prime Minister and the Home Minister must speak out clearly and issue strict directions to all states that harassment of Kashmiris will not be tolerated. Silence is emboldening such elements,” he said.
The protesting NC legislators demanded immediate intervention by the Union government to ensure the safety, dignity and constitutional rights of Kashmiris living, studying and doing business across India. (KNC)
