Handwara 22 May (KNO) : Condemning firing on masses in Shopian yesterday evening, AIP Supremo and MLA Langate Er. Rasheed has called the Army’s attempt to hold Iftaar Party in the area a cruel joke, unwanted and adding salt to the injuries of locals. In a statement issued today Er. Rasheed said “Hearts and minds of Kashmiris can never be won by holding Iftaar parties, carrying Sadh Bhawna operations, opening good will schools and arranging tours for innocent villagers of remote areas to various cities of India.
The political aspirations of Kashmiris can never be replaced or substituted by cosmetic measures especially under circumstances when someone not less than the stature of PM Narinder Modi threatend Kashmiris just few days back and rather addressing the real dispute asked them to fall in line and surrender”. Er. Rasheed added that Army officers should have kept in mind that while Shopian is being blood bathed on daily basis and people like Major Aadatiya get rewarded for ordering the massacres how would have anyone betrayed his conscience and agreed to be part of the Iftaar Party. The army’s drama of the Iftaar party was nothing but an attempt to provoke the locals and then cry victim and find an excuse to use violence against the unarmed population”.
Er. Rasheed ridiculed police version and said “On one side police claims that it had no information about army holding the Iftaar party and on the other side is justifying the use of force against civilians. It speaks volumes how police is trying to justify every atrocity on unarmed civilians and the act is highly deplorable”.