‘Transition from short term agitation to long term initiatives and sustainable modes of protest has to be made’
Resistance leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik on Wednesday said that “people of Kashmir have won a moral victory by refusing to yield and submit to oppression.” They stated that transition from short term agitation to long term initiatives and sustainable modes of protest has to be made.
“We have made it clear to India that come what may we will be masters of our destiny. 130 days of continuous protest with wholehearted support and participation of people and offering of tremendous sacrifices has no parallel in the current world. It gives us a measure of our strength.
Only a nation which has deep commitment, resilience, determination and courage can sustain this kind of struggle. The people of Kashmir have shown to the world that they have a deep thirst for freedom for which they are prepared to stake their lives, their livelihood, their education, everything,” the resistance leaders said in a statement.
“The Indian State along with its ethically and morally bankrupt local facilitators stand totally exposed before us and the world. It is quite evident that the only way that they can control us is through brute force. Surely that is unsustainable.”
“We have a long struggle ahead of us, we have to prepare ourselves, we have to survive and sustain ourselves to be able to fight this cunning and brutal oppression. We are face to face with an enemy who refuses to acknowledge and recognize the truth and uses every means – lies and obfuscations to undermine our just struggle,” they said.
“This enemy is not going to yield easily. Not only do they control us militarily they also control our means of livelihood, our education, our channels of communication. How we move forward and carry our struggle towards its goal is a serious question as our sacrifices are immense. On the one hand is the unbroken spirit of our youth who are on the streets resolute and continue to offer sacrifices. Their resistance and their passion for Azaadi is immense and is our most valuable and enduring resource. On the other hand, are the demands and needs for survival, for sustenance,” they said.
“What is most important is that we do not lose initiative. While leadership has to take control to be proactive and devise a long term strategy, people have to inculcate resistance culture within and make resistance a way of life. The meaning and understanding of protest has to be extended, mechanisms for public participation in decision making and implementation have to be created educating people about the history of our movement specially our youth has to be fore-grounded to ensure the continuity of our movement. A transition from short term agitation to long term initiatives, programs and sustainable modes of protest has to be made. The leadership is working at making this transition,” the resistance leaders said.
They said in the meantime, some days back, a meeting with a cross section of people and organisations was held and suggestions invited. “The response was overwhelming. While there was unequivocal support by one and all to continue the protests, pressing concerns of students and sustenance of certain segments of society greatly affected during the last four months was brought to the fore and discussed. These concerns have to be addressed while simultaneously carrying our struggle forward.”
“The current struggle has taken our movement forward by opening out the possibilities and the scope of our struggle. The road has got cleared, we have moved closer to our goal. We now have to consolidate our gains and Insha Allah by the grace of Almighty Allah and by the power of our commitment, victory will be ours,” the resistance leaders added.
