Srinagar - Insisting people of Kashmir to boycott all the products of Jammu, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader, Simranjeet Singh Mann on Friday said that economic blockade is an international humanitarian crime and right wing Hindu fanatics of Jammu can repeat it any time again.
Addressing a news conference here Mann said, "Kashmiris should establish direct contacts with the companies like TATA, Birla, Reliance and others so that they can get rid of the intermediate expenses."Mann said, SAD will be preparing a report on Jammu and Kashmir which will be forwarded to rights body, Amnesty International and all the embassies in New Delhi.
The Sikh leader also condemned National Security Advisor, M K Narayanan statement about the killing of Hurriyat Leader Sheikh Abdul Aziz in which the former had absolved police of the allegations of the killing.Terming the attempt to starve Kashmiri people as genocide, Mann said, "Government of India is perpetrating genocide in Kashmir and Punjab and that is why Amnesty International and ICRC are not allowed to work in Kashmir."
He added that India is not a signatory to the International Convention for Genocide. Mann said that international democratic forces like United States should intervene in the issue of Kashmir as they did in the case of Zimbabwe, Somalia and other conflict ridden areas. "India allows war mongers like Israeli Army Chief Avi Mizrahi to visit Kashmir," he added.
After Mann was not allowed to meet the detained Hurriyat leader, Shabir Ahmed Shah, he said that New Delhi fears unification process between Hurriyats.
"New Delhi claims that there is no single representative in Kashmir, and if Shah unifies the leadership they again have a problem. It is shame on the part of democratic state of India," he said.Reiterating his stand on Kashmir issue, the Sikh leader said that India has no legal political and moral justification for staying in Jammu and Kashmir even for a minute.
Accusing New Delhi of double standards, Mann said that while as Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Leftist organizations are often threatened to be banned, organisations like BJP, RSS, VHP, Bajrang Dal and others are spared despite their anti-people activities.Rejecting elections as a solution or a step towards solution, Mann said, "Nothing short of right to self determination can be substitute for solving the Kashmir problem."
Recalling the Chattisingpora massacre in which 43 Sikhs were murdered, Mann said, "Clinton in a forward of his Secretary's book writes that Sikhs were killed by Hindu government."
He added that seven Muslims were killed after wards to cover the crime, and there is no development in the case even after eight years.
Stressing on the importance of alternate trade routes, he said, "Opening of Muzaffarabad-Srinagar road, Punjab-Lahore road is necessary for the development of the region and we are all for the opening of all such roads."
Coming down heavily on Indian media, Mann said, "When democratic power is toppled in Pakistan, Indian media terms it as the death of democracy but when democracy is obliterated in Kashmir Indian media is silent or comes on a defensive."
He suggested editors of New Delhi based newspapers to be professional and unbiased while covering and commenting on Kashmir.
General Secretaries of SAD, local Sikh leaders including Indumeet Singh were also present in the press conference. Mann is scheduled to visit Chattisingpora, Batwota, Kud, Doda, and Poonch.
