Malik on hunger strike; Pandits launch counter agitation

New Delhi, Feb 22 (UNI) As Yasin Malik led families of missing people from Jammu and Kashmir on a day-long hunger strike here today against alleged human rights violations in the state, Kashmiri Pandit youth launched a counter agitation against the JKLF chief, demanding his ''arrest and retrial'' for sedition.

Sixty family members of the missing people, mostly women who arrived here on Monday from Srinagar, participated in the strike.

Carrying pictures of their missing kin, the families demanded constitution of a time-bound commission of inquiry to investigate their complaints.

The hunger strike, held at Jantar Mantar, was part of the three- day public support mobilisation campaign, organised by the Kashmir Solidarity Committee (KSC).

The Pandit Youth, under the banner of 'Roots in Kashmir', held the demonstration just across the road where the JKLF chief was staging his hunger strike.

The youth said their demonstration was aimed at highlighting the human rights violations by militants in the state.

It accused Mr Malik of ''running fake campaign'' to gain symphathy and asserted the RIK had nothing against these families.

''Yasin Malik , who has admitted killing Kashmiri Pandits is now running fake campaigns in the name of humanity to gain sympathy... he himself is a killer and should be retried,'' RIK coordinator Pawan Durani said.

The RIK reaffirmed that it sympathised with the families of the missing people and hoped that they get justice.

''What Human Rights is Malik talking about....What moral right does he have to speak about such issues when he and his party-men are known to be murderers and supporters of senseless violence in the Kashmir Valley?'' asked RIK activist and Kashmir militancy victim Amal magazine.

The Kashmir Solidarity Committee as part of its campaign had organised sit-in, public hearings and demonstrations in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University and other venues in the capital over the past three days.

''We have come here with hope for justice.... we don't want money just support to get out people back this is all we want,'' as a distraught 70-year-old Hajra Begum whose son Bashir Ahmed Sofi is missing for the past 11 years.

Halima, wife of Abdul Rashid Ghanai, who is missing since 1999, urged the people to help her find her husband.

''I have four children.... They want to know where their father is. I have nothing to tell them,'' said an anguished Halima.

Mr Malik said the KSC was trying to mobilise public opinion against disappearances, fake encounters, atrocities and human rights violation so that the victims get justice.

''My friends in Delhi and I want the people of India to see for themselves what the Kashmiri people are going through. So I have brought these families here,'' Mr Malik said.

The pro-independence Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chief said the KSC will also try to approach political parties in the capital to garner support for the campaign.

Demanding immediate repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the Disturbed Areas Act, he said the guilty must be punished and the victims and their families must get justice.

The families also demanded immediate end to rewards for ''catch and kill policy''.

Though the campaign coincides with the official three-day India-visit of Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, who arrived here on February 20, Mr Malik denied any link between them.

''There is no connection between the demonstrations and Mr Kasuri's visit.... We wanted the campaign to take off before the budget session of Parliament, which commences on February 23,'' he claimed.

UNI