STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: National Conference functionaries, legislators and activists on Wednesday held a protest demonstration outside Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s residence at Gupkar and demanded an immediate end to mass repression and indiscriminate arrests while decrying the Government’s vengeance against employees. The protest was led by NC General Secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar, Additional General Secretary Dr. Sheikh Mustafa Kamal and Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani besides legislators, former ministers, former Members of Parliament and former Legislators as well as senior functionaries of the party.
Hundreds of party activists marched from National Conference Headquarters at Nawa-e-Subha Complex in Srinagar to the Chief Minister’s Gupkar Residence with placards expressing solidarity with families of slain youth, victimized civilians, employees and students. Speaking to reporters, Sagar said the motive of the protest was to wake up the Chief Minister from her deep slumber despite the current unrest going past hundred days. He said the party stood in solidarity with the people of the State and would not allow the PDP-BJP alliance to wreak havoc on account of its opportunism and insensitivity. “Despite nearly a hundred youth being killed and hundreds more maimed and blinded, the Chief Minister is still accusing the killed for getting killed and the blinded for questioning the injustice meted out to them. This government has not even shown the bare minimum shame in acknowledging its utter and complete failure and has stooped to the level of brazenly defending the use of pellet guns in the Court of Law. The Chief Minister has left no opportunity to humiliate and denigrate the victims of the unrest by questioning their motives and attacking their intentions”, Sagar said. The NC General Secretary condemned the State Government’s negative, punitive and retributive approach towards government employees and sought the immediate reinstatement of terminated and suspended employees. Demanding an end to the political stalemate in the State, Sagar said New Delhi should initiate a dialogue with stakeholders of all opinions in the State without any further delay.
Prominent among those who joined the protest include NC Provincial President Nasir Aslam Wani, NC Senior Vice President Chaudhary Mohammad Ramzan, NC North Zone President Mohammad Akbar Lone, NC South Zone President Sakina Ittoo, former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Mubarak Gul, NC Women’s Wing President Shameema Firdous, MLA Pahalgam Altaf Kaloo, MLA Homshalibug Abdul Majid Larmi, Sharif-ud-din Shariq, Ghulam Nabi Ratanpuri, Mir Saifullah, MLC Dr. Bashir Ahmed Veeri, MLC Showkat Hussain Ganai, Javed Ahmed Dar, Peer Mohammad Afaq, Youth National Conference Provincial President Salman Ali Sagar and Provincial Spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar.
