Curfew greets all-party team

People stayed inside their homes and the roads and bridges were blocked and hundreds of check points cropped up. A large number of people were also ready to meet the delegation provided they visited their areas, completely sealed by men in uniform.

The 39-member delegation was  brought under tight security cover from the airport to the  SKICC complex, located at the bank of world famous Dal Lake. While  groups of  mainstream parties met one after the other with the delegation, the common people, who are the worst sufferers of the conflict, had no access to meet them or move outside.
Mohammad Yasin, a local resident  wanted to go to a hospital to see his brother. But he was not permitted by the police. He was arguing with cops at the check point. “I wish I meet the delegation and tell them as to what is happening in Kashmir. What is our fault? Why cannot we live a normal life,” he asked.

Ram Vilas Paswan, who was part of the delegation, also expressed his dismay. “I was not expecting curfew today as we reached here. We had come to meet the common people and listen to their heart beat and pain,” he told reporters at the residence of JKLF chairman, Mohammad Yasin Malik.

However, Rayees Ahmad, a student, asked him as to how can they listen to Kashmiri’s heart beat if they would not  meet him.

An independent legislator, Abdul Rashid,  had managed to bring with him a 55-year-old  woman Bibi Jan to relate her story to the delegation. Her son, Wali Mohammad, had crossed over to Pakistan in 1990. Later her house was allegedly  blasted by security forces at Langate and she  moved to Sopore along with her family. Bibi alleged that in Sopore also, her grandson Sameer Ahmad was  recently arrested on the charges of being a stone pelter. “ Even as we paid Rs 20,000 to police, he was not released and booked under public safety act (a law under which a person can be jailed up to two years without any trial in court),”she said.

The delegation met the mainstream parties who reiterated their respective party positions. However, reaching out to separatist leaders like Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik by non-BJP and non-Congress leaders brought some excitement in political circles.
DH News Service