By
Irfan Rashid
Once more, the people of Indian controlled Kashmir were left disappointed following the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who only offered them economic packages without speaking a single word about the political solution.
Over the last few days, the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir hinted on a number of occasions that the PM would also talk about political issues but Narendra Modi did not talk of extending friendship with Pakistan nor with the pro-freedom leaders of Kashmir.
During the speech at Kashmir, Chief Minister Mufti urged the PM to walk the same line as former Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said “When Atal extended friendship with Pakistan here in 2003, our state was at peace for 10 years with no firing and killing on the line of control (the border between India and Pakistan). Now you (Modi) also follow the same.”
But Modi responded in his speech that he knows what to do without needing any advice from anybody.
Though the Indian PM announced Rs 80,000 crores for the development of the state, the flood-hit victims of last year were again disappointed. The flood devastated Kashmir with over a hundred thousand houses buried. Therefater, the state government asked the Indian government to provide Rs 44,000 crores as a flood package which was reduced to Rs 21,000 crores by the World Bank and later to Rs 11,000 by Niti Aayog (Indian planning body).
Then immediately just Rs 5000 crores were given to hundreds of thousands of the victims from Kashmir and now just Rs 7800 crores will again be distributed from this new package.
INDIAN ARMY KILLS KASHMIRI YOUNG BOY AFTER PM LEAVES
A youth was killed after being hit by a teargas shell in the head in the outskirts of the capital city.
Gowhar Ahmad Dar, 22, was critically injured as paramilitary CRPF men fired teargas shells on protesters. He was shifted to SKIMS Soura—the best hospital in Kashmir—for treatment where he succumbed to injuries.
Eyewitnesses accused police and paramilitary personnel of resorting to unprovoked teargas shelling on peaceful protesters in the area. He was a computer sciences student in SSM college.
PRO-FREEDOM LEADERS CONDEMN
While expressing his shock and grief over the killing, Chairman Hurriyat (G) Syed Ali Shah Geelani said: “It is a gift on Indian Prime Minister Narinder Modi’s visit. The killing of innocent people, particularly teenage students has been the norm and a tradition of Indian occupational forces in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“Pro-Indian political parties, particularly the ruling PDP, are directly responsible for the innocent killings in Kashmir because they have always played the role of advocates of Indian military occupation in the state,” he added.
Condemning Gowhar’s killing, Hurriyat (M) chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said: “On one hand Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed talk non-stop about empowering the youth of Kashmir but on the other hand trigger-happy forces miss no opportunity in spilling the innocent blood of Kashmiri youth,” he said.
Both leaders appealed to the people to observe a complete shutdown on Sunday against the killing.
