Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front January 16 said it will soon hold a 48-hour hunger strike in the national capital to highlight the plight of Kashmiri prisoners languishing in different jails in the country. "We will soon hold a 48-hour-long hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to attract attention of the world community towards the plight of Kashmiri prisoners," JKLF chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik told reporters here.
However, the date of the proposed hunger strike is being finalised and will be notified in the due course of time, he said. On December 10, JKLF had sponsored a general strike and staged a token hunger strike after two of its senior leaders were awarded life imprisonment by a TADA court in Jammu. The separatist group also launched a 10-day 'jail bharo' agitation from January 4 to protest against what it called "misuse of judiciary" by New Delhi, claiming that over two dozen Kashmiri prisoners were awarded lifers while four others were given death sentences.
Malik said JKLF will engage with those members of the civil society who, according to him, assured their support if the group transformed their struggle in Kashmir from violent to non-violent means. Malik said JKLF announced unilateral ceasefire in 1994 to launch a political struggle after civil society of India and the governments of USA, UK and European countries asked the group to shun the path of violence and promised a political space.
The JKLF chairman said there is every risk that the next generation will return to arms if the issue is not addressed in accordance with the wishes and aspirations of Kashmiris. Appealing India and Pakistan to address the root cause behind the hostilities between them, Malik claimed that the recent flare up at Line of Control (LoC) was the outcome of the lingering Kashmir issue.
He said JKLF also plans to hold a sit-in and a candle light march every month here to seek the release of political prisoners and appealed all separatist groups to participate in the programme.
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