Mirwaiz urges people to ensure safety of Kashmiris living across country

Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Wednesday appealed to the people across the country to not fall prey to the media propaganda and ensure the safety of Kashmiris living in different states of the country.

He was reacting to the reports that shawl sellers from Kashmir had to allegedly leave Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie town after two of them were assaulted by three people in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack last week.

“The physical and verbal assault on Kashmiri shawl vendors in Mussoorie, who had to flee when police refused to guarantee their safety, is very disturbing. After large-scale detentions, demolition of homes, and crackdowns inside Kashmir, ordinary citizens, students, and small traders outside of J&K are being attacked and forced to return,” the Mirwaiz said in a post on X.

“Being themselves at the receiving end of all forms of violence and subsequent suffering for decades, Kashmiris’ condemnation, empathy, and grief for the victims of the Pahalgam bloodbath is straight from the heart, yet they are being vilified and targeted,” he said.

“I appeal to the people of India not to fall prey to hatred and media propaganda creating mistrust of Kashmiris, and reciprocate in ensuring their safety, as they have always done in times of crisis towards all visitors and tourists,” Mirwaiz added.

The Mirwaiz said the “collective punishment” being meted out to Kashmiris both inside and outside Jammu and Kashmir is “unjust and inhuman”.

On Tuesday, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti said she was receiving distress calls from Kashmiri students from across the country living in fear due to the ongoing unrest. She urged Home Minister Amit Shah and chief ministers of all states to intervene and ensure the safety of all students until they can safely return home.