Resistance leadership calls for valley wide protests tomorrow

Srinagar: The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) has called for protests after Friday prayers to protest the US action of branding Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin as a terrorist.

“This unjustified move by the US government to appease the Government of India and their (US) silence regarding the oppression and human rights situation in Kashmir is not acceptable to the people of Kashmir who will also strongly protest against it across the valley post Friday prayers tomorrow,” the JRL said in a statement today.

“Protests will also be held against the illegal and arbitrary arrests and detention of resistance leaders, activists and youth and raid on homes being conducted across the valley,” the statement further said.

They rued that the US government has strangely designated the veteran freedom fighter Syed Salahuddin as a terrorist, who “supports the people’s right to self determination and was forced to take up arms to fight India’s military occupation and oppression”.

JRL said the US is well aware that for the past 70 years, the people of J&K are engaged in a long and peaceful struggle for achieving their basic human and political right, the right to self determination, guaranteed by the UN, but ruthlessly resisted and suppressed by the Indian state through use of extreme force.