Srinagar:Kashmir’s chief Muslim cleric and chairman of Hurriyat Conference Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Wednesday made a passionate appeal to the people of India to reject hatred and not to become a part of “collective punishment” being imposed on the Muslims of Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack.
While expressing his deep concern over the assault on the Kashmiri handicrafts traders in Mussoorie (Uttarakhand), the video of which has gone viral, the Mirwaiz said the Kashmiris are being targetted in and outside the Valley to impose “collective punishment” on them following the April 22 gory act.
Terming the behaviour “unjust and inhuman”, he said, “The physical and verbal assault on Kashmiri shawl vendors in Mussoorie, who had to flee when police refused to guarantee their safety, is very disturbing.” He added, “After large-scale detentions, demolition of homes, and crackdowns inside Kashmir, ordinary citizens, students, and small traders outside of J&K are being attacked and forced to return”.
He asserted that being themselves at the receiving end of all forms of violence and subsequent suffering for decades, the Kashmiris’ “condemnation, empathy, and grief for the victims of the Pahalgam bloodbath is straight from the heart, yet they are being vilified and targeted”. He appealed to the people of the rest of the country “not to fall prey to hatred and media propaganda creating mistrust of Kashmiris, and reciprocate in ensuring their safety, as they have always done in times of crisis towards all visitors and tourists.”
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