In its first statement after Aug 5, Hurriyat urges govt to release prisoners, restore 4G

In its first statement after the abrogation of Article 370 last August, a moderate faction of Hurriyat Conference Friday urged the government to immediately release Kashmiri prisoners and restore 4G internet services in the Valley.

The Hurriyat led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a statement said crowded jails are most vulnerable in the spread of the virus among inmates, which is a matter of grave concern. “In view of this global health crisis that has spread to the valley, 4G internet facility should be immediately restored,” a spokesperson of the Hurriyat said in a statement.

“Given the widespread negative impact of the coronavirus disease (for which it was declared pandemic), authorities must impose an immediate ban on the entry of non-locals and foreign tourists to Kashmir,” the statement added.

The Hurriyat also appealed to the people of Jammu and Kashmir to strictly follow the preventive measures and guidelines as suggested by medical experts and concerned agencies, so that precious human lives are saved and the deadly disease is prevented from spreading further. It appealed to people to stay indoors to contain the virus and prevent its spread.

Since the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 on 5 August 2019 and subsequent communication blockade, most of the statements from separatists have stopped. Hardline Hurriyat led by Syed Ali Geelani issued a couple of statements purportedly from Pakistan since last August.

Banned JKLF issued one statement in February asking people to observe strike on the death anniversaries of Afzal Guru and Maqbool Bhat, who were hanged in Tihar Jail in 2013 and 1984 respectively.

Earlier, these organisations would issue statements almost daily in which they would bash the government of India and its policies in Kashmir. The statements would get prominent space in local newspapers. However, post abrogation of Article 370 5, local media has almost not carried any news related to the separatists.