PRESS RELEASE
HCBA/PR/09-59/10 DATED:06/02/2010

Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association condemns the killing of 13 year old student Zahid Farooq of Brain Nishat who was killed by the CRPF Personnel on 05.02.2010, and describes the killing as unabated spate of killings of the youth especially of tender age. These killings are taking place as a process of genocide perpetuated by the Indian forces according to the set genocide policy devised by the Govt. of India to subjugate the will of the people of J&K fighting for freedom of the state of J&K. Zahid Farooq’s killing by the Indian occupational forces is seventh incident since 1st January 2010 till date in which young boys especially school going children have been targeted to death by the occupation forces.

The Bar Association views the situation as grave and provocative and calls upon the Indian Govt. to desist from perpetuating the policy of genocide of Kashmiri Muslims. It is a serious development with regard to rights violations, the soil of the graves of the martyrs including college student Anayat-ul-lah of Dalgate and Wamik Farooq of Rainawari are yet to dry, the CRPF personnel have killed Zahid Farooq a 13 year old school boy at Brain. These killings are condemnable and Bar Association appeals the international community to intervene and force the Govt. of India to desist from perpetuating the policy of genocide in J&K. in this regard the Bar Association has written SOS to UN Secretary General Bank-i-Moon and other international leaders, the text of which will be circulated for publication on Monday i.e., 08th February 2010.

The Bar Association condemns the random arrests of the youth fighting for the liberation of their motherland. The Bar Association is in receipt of reports across the state in view of which more than 500 young boys and Hurriyat Activists have been arrested and tortured in police stations, interrogation centres and other concentration camps. Round about 100 among them have been detained under the Public Safety Act in preventive detention and have been sent for lodgment to different jails outside the valley. The Bar Association condemns the arrest and detention of pro-freedom leaders including Shabir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Bilal Sidique, Firdous Ahmad Shah, Rafiq Ahmad Ganai, Mushtaq-ul-Islam and others and warns the Govt. of India that these arrests will not deter the people of Jammu and Kashmir from their chosen path for liberation of their motherland. The Bar Association proposes an all party meet of pro-freedom parties to take stock of the situation obtaining due to fresh spate of killings and random detentions in the prelude of resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association requests the media community to reconsider its policy in describing the freedom fighters as stone palters (Sangbaz) as the official expression coined by the occupational authorities for freedom fighters fighting without guns brings a disrepute to the freedom struggle. The world community is conscious about the fact that the people of Jammu and Kashmir are in Intifadah and are giving resistance to the Indian occupation without guns by and large. The Bar Association is equally disgusted with the attitude of Indian National Electronic and Print Media for their non-professional journalistic ethics as the Electronic and Satellite news channels and the Indian Print Media blacks out the Kashmir coverage though their respective correspondents are regularly feeding their respective news agencies. The Bar Association views this dereliction of their duty in presenting true picture of Kashmir situation as unfortunate, improper and feels that this act on the part of the India Media cannot change the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

G.N.Shaheen,
Secretary,
J&K High Court Bar Association.
Dated : 06-02-2010