While launching an “awareness campaign” by distributing pamphlets, chairman Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani Friday darted a letter to tourist visiting the Kashmir valley from the Indian mainland and other parts of world.
“The main motive behind distributing pamphlets is to aware all tourists about real story of Kashmir,” Geelani told a press gathering at his residence in Hyderpora, here.
“We welcome tourists with open arms but appeal them to feel our pain, become the ambassadors of our peaceful and just struggle in India. We appeal them to tell our plight to others in India, tell the Indian masses that Kashmiris want freedom, fulfillment of promises made by the Indian leadership,” he said.
The Hurriyat (G) chairman also appealed locals to “behave well with tourists.” “Particularly local shopkeepers, traders shouldn’t take undue advantage by selling goods to tourists at exorbitant rates.”
“Sell them (tourists) original Kashmiri products, and do not dupe them,” Geelani said.
“We must especially ensure that tourists do not feel a trust deficit while purchasing things because trust, as Socrates has said, is like soul— it cannot be retrieved once it dies,” he said.
“Besides the beautiful view of Valley there is a suffering of every Kashmiri which tourists need to know so that they could convey our messages to their native lands,” Geelani wrote in the letter that has been imprinted on the pamphlet.
The booklet titled “Tourists and Pilgrims Welcome to Kashmir” systematically mentions the history of Kashmir from 1947 onwards, “This country had a distinct position in the comity of nations. On 27th of October 1947, sorties after sorties of Indian army landed on this land and occupied it. The people of this land of great tradition of religious tolerance and humanism are suffering for past sixty three years,” it reads.
The pamphlet that has been written in three languages- English, Hindi and Urdu also talks about the various United Nations resolutions passed on Kashmir.
“The UNSC has passed as many as eighteen resolutions guaranteeing right to self determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. These resolutions explicitly state providing of an opportunity to the people of the state to decide their future and holding of a plebiscite under the aegis of the United Nations,” the pamphlet reads.
Geelani also released a pamphlet— “Tourists and Pilgrims Welcome to Kashmir”— which he said would be distributed among the tourists visiting the Valley. The pamphlet written in English, Urdu and Hindi, appeals tourists “ ( to) become my(Geelani’s) ambassador in people of India and raise your voice against suppression of about ten million people. And I am equally confident that you will garner support of all justice loving people for my just cause.”
Geelani termed the government’s allegations that pro-freedom leaders were against peace as baseless. “ The fact is that we are for peace while the government, the police, army and other forces are trouble makers, they don’t want peace in Kashmir. “
Referring to the unrest of last three summers, Geelani said Kashmiris have been protesting peacefully against “injustices being done to them but New Delhi and its allies in Kashmir have killed hundreds of youth, arrested thousands.”
“If india would have been sincere, the Kashmir issue would not have been lingering on for 63 years , there would have been no rigged elections and our youth wouldn’t have been forced to pick up the gun. But the truth is that India has broken promises, it did not even spare its friends, a leader was put in jail for 11 years and released after he surrendered.”
“ I wany to ask the self-proclaimed champions of peace who allotted land to Shrine Board in 2008, and killed hundreds of youth when people took to streets peacefully against it, who allowed the perpetators of Shopian double rape and murder case to go scot free,” he said.
“Even last year when people protested against the killings of teenagers like Wamiq Farooq, Zahid Farooq, Machil Killings, 118 people were killed by government forces. Today, jails in Jammu and crammed with Kashmiri youth and political activists and they are treated as criminals.”
Geelani said New Delhi was mistaken “ if it thinks that people will accept status quo because of btute force .”
