Announce economic embargo against India: Geelani asks OIC

Srinagar: Chairman Hurriyat (G), Syed Ali Shah Geelani Thursday asked the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to play its role in stopping India’s ‘oppression’ in Kashmir and urged the Islamic body to announce an economic embargo against New Delhi.
Geelani while appealing the OIC secretary general, Akmaluddin Ahsan Ugloo to take a strong notice of the ‘grave situation’ in Kashmir, urged him to take immediate steps to save Kashmiri’s from Indian state “terrorism.”
“Passing resolutions is not enough, the member countries of OIC must devise a strategy and take concrete steps regarding the Kashmir and Palestine disputes,” Geelani said in a statement issued here.
He said the Indian forces had locked up the entire population in Kashmir and severed supplies of essential commodities by imposing a non-stop harsh curfew. “At a time when 108 civilians have been killed in 103 days by the forces and thousands have been injured or arrested passing mere resolutions is akin to rubbing salt onto the wounds of Kashmiris. It could also encourage India’s state terrorism in Kashmir,” Geelani said. “The heads of Muslim states must raise voice in favour of oppressed Kashmiris and form public opinion in their favour by severing economic ties with India,” Geelani added.
Meanwhile, lashing out at the Indian media for quoting army and intelligence sources regarding the possibility of presence of Lashker-e-Toiba militants in the ongoing protests in Kashmir, Geelani said such “false and biased” reporting was part of the Indian army’s plan to intrude its own elements into protests for turning the peaceful protests into violent ones, and “hence justify the killings of Kashmiris.”
“India is worried over the public mood in Kashmir and is trying to repeat the events of 1947 when lakhs of Muslims were slaughtered in the state,” he said.
Referring to the Chatisinghpora massacre of Sikhs on the eve of former American president, Bill Clinton’s visit to India, Geelani said India is once again trying to “label” the peaceful struggle of Kashmirs as a communal and violent one ahead of the President Barack Obama’s visit to India.
“ There is no role of militancy in the ongoing peaceful struggle and even the militants realize and accept that when the masses come out on roads to demand freedom the silence of guns is in favour of freedom struggle,” he said.
Geelani also slammed the state government for imposing curfew today even as his led Hurriyat faction had asked people to observe the day as a “normal” day. He said by imposing the curfew on “normal” days, the government was showing its frustration as it had been defeated on the political front.