India urged to take steps for Kashmir settlement

Srinagar, January 15 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chief, Muhammad Yasin Malik have urged India to take steps towards creating a conducive atmosphere for resolving the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq talking to media men in Srinagar deplored that India was suppressing the Kashmiris’ struggle for right to self-determination through use of force, continuation of draconian laws and other repressive tactics. He pointed out that Kashmir dispute was the main impediment in the development and prosperity of the region.

Muhammad Yasin Malik in a media interview in Srinagar said that the Kashmiris were being victimised for continuing their just liberation movement. He demanded an impartial probe into all incidents of custodial killings, fake encounters and enforced disappearances in the territory.

On the other hand, the veteran Kashmiri Hurriyet leader, Syed Ali Gilani, who is in New Delhi, in a statement issued in Srinagar, said that Kashmir would continue to suffer economically and politically as long as it remained under illegal occupation of India.

The Chairman of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Freedom League, Muhammad Farooq Rehmani, in his statement expressed concern over continued siege and search operations in different areas of Bandipore district.

Meanwhile, heavy snowfall in Srinagar and other parts of the occupied territory resulted in the closure of Srinagar-Jammu Highway and cancellation of all flights from Srinagar airport, today.