Srinagar,
On the day when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against 12 persons for secessionist activities in J&K, Kashmir’s separatist leadership claimed the move was aimed at forcing the Hurriyat into submission.

Separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik sought immediate release of “political prisoners.”

“India is giving an impression that the 2016 unrest was orchestrated by Pakistan. You tell me who killed Burhan Wani and later civilians. After civilian killings, we (Geelani, Mirwaiz and Yasin) started issuing protest calendars…Those arrested by the NIA had no role in these. If we had been issuing calendars why have we not been arrested,” JKLF chief Yasin Malik said at a joint press conference.

Mirwaiz said the Centre was “misleading the people of India and pushing youth to the wall.”

“India continuously projects our political struggle as sponsored and wants to mislead people…Kashmir is a political problem and these tactics will not force us into submission,” he said.

Geelani said nothing had been proven against the arrested men. “They have not done any crime and should be released,” Geelani said.

Meanwhile, the family of photojournalist Kamran Yousuf, named as a stone thrower in the chargesheet, was in the state of shock. “I have lost hope and am convinced that my son has been framed,” said Rubina Akther, mother of Kamran, adding, “He was working for news outlets as a photographer. He had nothing to do with stone-throwing.”