Feel our pain: Geelani tells Indian tourists

Srinagar: Hurriyat Conference (G) chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Friday said tourists from India were welcome as “our guests and brothers” but while they cherish the natural beauty of the Valley they “should also feel the pain of Kashmiris and convey our sufferings back home.”“Tourists from any part of India irrespective of religion, caste, colour or creed visiting Kashmir are our brothers on humanitarian basis and honorable guests. But even though they enjoy Kashmir’s natural beauty they are not aware of the sufferings and miseries inflicted upon us by the Indian occupation, how we have been chained in slavery, or how India muzzles our voice through force because the Indian media portrays us as terrorists, trouble makers and being responsible for the expulsion of minorities from Kashmir,” Geelani said  while addressing a press conference at his Hyderpora residence.“ We welcome tourists with open arms but appeal them to feel our pain, become the ambassadors of our peaceful and just struggle in India. We appeal them to tell our plight to others in India, tell the Indian masses that Kashmiris want freedom, fulfillment of promises made by the Indian leadership,” he said.The Hurriyat (G) chairman also appealed locals to “behave well with tourists.”  “Particularly local shopkeepers, traders shouldn’t take undue advantage by selling goods to tourists at exorbitant rates.”“Sell them (tourists) original Kashmiri products, and do not dupe them,” Geelani said. “We must especially ensure that tourists do not feel a trust deficit while purchasing things because trust, as Socrates has said is like soul— it cannot be retrieved once it dies,” he said.Geelani also released a pamphlet— “Tourists and Pilgrims Welcome to Kashmir”— which he said would be distributed among the tourists visiting the Valley.  The pamphlet written in English, Urdu and Hindi, appeals tourists “ ( to) become my(Geelani’s) ambassador in people of India and raise your voice against suppression of about ten million people. And I am equally confident that you will garner support of all justice loving people for my just cause.”Geelani termed the government’s allegations that pro-freedom leaders were against peace as baseless. “ The fact is that we are for peace while the government, the police, army and other forces are trouble makers, they don’t want peace in Kashmir. “Referring to the unrest of last three summers, Geelani said Kashmiris have been protesting peacefully against “injustices being done to them but New Delhi and its allies in Kashmir have killed hundreds of youth, arrested thousands.” “If india would have been sincere, the Kashmir issue would not have been lingering on for 63 years , there would have been no rigged elections and our youth wouldn’t have been forced to pick up the gun. But the truth is that India has broken promises, it did not even spare its friends, a leader was put in jail for 11 years and released after he surrendered.”“ I wany to ask the self-proclaimed champions of peace who allotted land to Shrine Board in 2008, and killed hundreds of youth when people took to streets peacefully against it, who allowed the perpetators of Shopian  double rape and murder case to go scot free,” he said.“Even last year when people protested against the killings of teenagers like Wamiq Farooq, Zahid Farooq, Machil Killings, 118 people were killed by government forces. Today, jails in Jammu and crammed with Kashmiri youth and political activists and they are treated as criminals.”Geelani said New Delhi was mistaken “ if it thinks that people will accept status quo because of btute force .”