Botanical garden hub of immoral activities: Geelani

Srinagar: Chaiman of his faction of Hurriyat Conference, Syed Ali Shah Geelani Saturday termed the Botanical Garden on the banks of Dal Lake as a “hub of immoral activities”. In a meeting with a traders’ delegation at his Hyderpora residence, Geelani said that India wanted to “strengthen its military occupation of Kashmir through cultural aggression.” The veteran leader alleged that under a well-planned strategy, liquor, drugs and moral waywardness were being promoted in Kashmir in order to “corrupt the minds of young generation away from the freedom movement.” He said the Botanical Garden was “a hub of immorality, where the collective honour of Kashmiris is being violated through immoral actions every day.” “All this has the patronage of authorities and police has been deployed at this garden to prevent the possibility of any conscientious person raising his voice against this open debauchery,” he said. Geelani alleged that the army and forces camps across Kashmir were the biggest suppliers of “drugs and liquor to youth and police is not unaware about all this.” “The situation is getting worse with each passing day, and we cannot remain silent on it for too long. I appeal every conscientious person to keep a close eye on youth and take every possible step to stop them from falling into bad company,” he said.