Srinagar: Chairman Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani on Friday rejected the charges levelled against incarcerated Hurriyat leaders and Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmed Watali, saying it is a deliberate ploy to link Kashmir’s indigenous struggle with terrorism.
Geelani in a statement said the charge sheet filed by NIA and number of witnesses listed is “false and fake”. Terming it political vendetta, he said the charges levelled are far from reality.
Referring to recent “threatening” statement of Army chief Bipin Rawat, Geelani said New Delhi is creating a hype of “terror” to justify use of state power.
Commenting over the charges filed by NIA against incarcerated leaders, the Hurriyat (G) chairman said, “The fake allegations and accusation in 13000 pages and lengthy list of 300 witnesses is a ploy to target the leadership and their activists to malign them and link them to subversive activities and prolong their unlawful detention.”
“They have nothing to do with funding case,” Geelani said, adding, “We demand their unconditional release. There is no constitutional and moral justification to arrest these people and detaining them in Tihar jail.”
Geelani said NIA has no role in “disputed territory” as “we are not a part of India”. He blamed “local stooges” for launching crackdown against the resistance leadership and filling “fake” charge sheet against them.
“There is a propaganda blitzkrieg to defame movement and resistance leadership. New Delhi is coercing Hurriyat leadership for dialogue through the barrel of gun,” Geelani said. (GNS)
