Lawyers and separatists joint protest in Kashmir

Srinagar, May 29 (UNI) Lawyers in the Kashmir courts today struck work after they joined separatist leaders to protest against alleged Human Rights (HR) violations by the security forces and re-arrest of detenues being released by courts.

Chairman of the breakaway Hurriyat Conference (HC) Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (Javid) group chief Javid Ahmad Mir, Mushtaq-ul-Islam, Shabir Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan and Shakeel Bakshi were among the prominent separatist leaders who joined the lawyers.

The lawyers took out a procession from District Court complex here raising slogans against the HR violations by the security forces.

They were joined by the separatist leaders at historic Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the summer capital. However, traffic on the busy road was not disrupted.

The demonstrators alleged that despite court orders, several detainees, lodged in different jails in and outside the state, were being re-arrested.

Mr Geelani addressing the demonstrators alleged that peace process between India and Pakistan has not changed situation on the ground.

People are being killed in fake encounters, women being molested and youths put behind bars, he alleged and said that such peace process will not help to reach anywhere on the Kashmir issue.

Mr Geelani urged people to stay away from any election process and said it was a futile exercise.

Without naming anyone he said people must expose the leaders who are wearing a turban here and do tilak on their forehead outside Kashmir.

The other separatist leaders besides President of the Kashmir Bar Association Mian Abdul Qayoum also addressed the gathering.

UNI