Kashmiris being subjected to slow death, says CPI(M) leader Mohd Yousuf Tarigami

CPI(M) leader from Kashmir Mohd Yousuf Tarigami on Tuesday slammed the Centre for detaining former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah under PSA and said that he, Abdullah and others are not terrorists. “It is such a horrible time. I am very disturbed”, The Kashmiri leader said with tears in his eyes.

Addressing a press conference with party’s General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, the former member of Jammu and Kashmir Assembly said that they (Kashmiris) do not want to be killed, they are suffocating and being subjected to slow death.

"How can they say that everything is under control? They are claiming that no one has been killed. I say people are dying, there is suffocation in there," Tarigami said.

"It has been 40 days of restrictions but the government claims there is normalcy. Do this in Delhi or any other city and see what is the situation of business, hospitals, schools and media,” Tarigami added.

Tarigami slammed the government over scrapping of special status to Jammu and Kashmir and contested its claim of normalcy returning to the Valley.

He said that militancy can be tackled with the help of people but the government's policy is not helping in building trust.

"I want to ask, can you build trust among people by beating them, putting them in jails, suspending internet and telephone lines, crippling the daily life? Isn't it playing into the hands of the enemies of this country?” he asked.

"There is no public transport and also there have been reports of shortage in medicines and treatment at hospitals. The situation needs to be improved," Yechury said.

"Today Kashmiri politicians are in jail... people sitting across the border are clapping that you have done what we could not," he said and hit out at the government for detaining NC leader Abdullah and added that the situation was "very serious".

"What is happening in Kashmir is not in the interest of the country. Now Kashmiri people do not have much expectations with today's regime," he said.

Tarigami said he was under house arrest since August 5, when the Centre announced abrogation of the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated it into Union territories.

He was brought to the AIIMS here for treatment on the direction of the Supreme Court after it allowed Yechury to meet him in Srinagar and submit a report on his health condition.

Alleging that the "very foundation of the unity of India with Kashmir is under assault", Tarigami said, "Listen to our version, the version of the people of Kashmir. We all want to live peacefully". People of Jammu and Kashmir had decided to remain with secular India, he added.

On Sunday night, Farooq Abdullah, the 81-year-old patron of the National Conference (NC), was detained under the stringent Public Safety Act (PSA).

With PTI inputs