SRINAGAR — Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, on Friday, urged the governments across the country to immediately stop the alleged “harassment” of Kashmiris in their states or Union territories, saying such reports were “very disturbing”.
“The news of harassment keeps coming in from all over, which is very disturbing. Reports have come from Himachal and some other places where Kashmiris have been harassed. Kashmiris are being singled out and questioned simply because of their identity,” Mirwaiz said while addressing the Friday congregation at Jamia Masjid here.
He urged the authorities to ensure that the “harassment of Kashmiris” studying or working across the country, after the Delhi blast, is immediately stopped.
It is the responsibility of the authorities that the people from Kashmir, who are facing harassment, which has put their lives in danger, are ensured safety and security, he added.
He described last week’s accidental blast in Nowgam police station, which claimed the lives of nine persons, as an extremely painful incident.
“This tragedy could have been averted if the seized material had been handled and stored in a responsible manner. It is imperative that those responsible for this preventable loss of life be held to account and the investigation be completed and made public soon,” he demanded.
Referring to the raids on Jammu-based daily Kashmir Times, Mirwaiz lamented that press freedom has become “a target of authorities and every dissenting voice from that of the authorities is seen as anti-national and a threat”.
A free and fair media is essential for democracy, and silencing it weakens democratic values, he said.
“Kashmir Times has a great legacy of Ved Bhasin ji, which the current management is carrying forward, and resorting to such tactics is extremely unfortunate and uncalled for,” he said. — (PTI)