‘Kashmiris need to stand up to root-out growing liquor, drug abuse’

Srinagar, Jan 25: While as the people of India take pride to celebrate January 26 as the Republic Day, the day is not less than a doomsday and the most unfortunate day for the people of Kashmir who are being subjected to worst form of harassment on in run-up to this day as Kashmiris including those living in Kashmir or outside the State are being harassed in the name of crackdown while as massive frisking operations are being conducted resulting in the endless miseries to the people of the ill-fated region, said Karawan-e-Islami patron Alama Ghulam Rasool Hami while addressing Paigam-E-Insaniyat Conference at Jamia Masjid Kulbug, Budgam.

Alama Hami said that Kashmir apart, a massive crackdown has been launched on the hoteliers outside the New Delhi’s Jamia Masjid where Kashmiris are asked to leave the hotels and to spend nights under the open sky along with the patients and attendants. He said that back home, Kashmiris are facing worst form of harassment as people are asked to remain out of their homes in the bone chilling cold for hours together in the guise of search operations.

Alama Hami said that he has time and again apprised the international community about the gravity of the situation in Kashmir besides stating that bloodshed and bullets can’t resolve the Kashmir issue as no issue has been resolved by means of confrontation and bloodbath across the globe so far. He said that Kashmir issue has to be resolved by putting in serious efforts on social and political fronts so that people of Kashmir too can have a right to live in peace.

Alama Hami said that one on hand, people of Kashmir are craving for the essential supplies, and on the other than government and semi government institutions are neck-deep in corruption, adding more to the woes of people of Kashmir. He said that instead of paying heed to the genuine demands of people of Kashmir, the corrupt officers are fleecing the innocent people through corrupt practices.

Alama Hami said that the growing menace of liquor and drug abuse is eating the Kashmir’s young population irrespective of the faith or religion they belong to. He said irony was that all the successive regimes failed to curb the liquor use and instead took steps to promote its usage and given such a scenario, the only choice left with the people to stand up on their own toes and take concrete steps to eradicate the menace of liquor and drug abuse. Alama Hami urged people to support the leadership that can pull out the Kashmiris from the bloodshed, social and moral degradation.