Srinagar, Sep 19 :
Awami Itihaad Party (AIP) Chief Spokesperson Inam Un Nabi on Friday released a letter written by incarcerated Member Parliament Baramulla, Er Rashid, to the Director General Prisons, Tihar Jail, New Delhi. In the letter, Er Rashid announced his decision to undertake a two-day hunger strike inside the jail, beginning on September 20 at 11 am, lasting for a maximum of 48 hours.
According to a statement issued to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), in his letter, Er Rashid termed the hunger strike as a symbolic protest to “call out the hypocrisy of Indian and Pakistani governments” who, according to him, are “befooling their people with fake cricket tamashas in the name of Asia Cup, while ignoring the sacrifices and sufferings of people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
Er Rashid reminded that around 70,000 lives have been lost in J&K since 1989 due to hostility between the two neighboring countries who, he said, “share similar genes, values, origin and traditions.” He stressed that people of Jammu and Kashmir need peace more than anyone else, but unfortunately, the region continues to be treated as a “laboratory for immoral and illogical political experiments.”
The incarcerated MP questioned why India and Pakistan can play cricket, share stages on international platforms and engage in Track-2 dialogues, but fail to hear “the voice of pain of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
He asked civil society, judiciary, media and political parties on both sides to rise above rhetoric and respect the political and human rights of the people.
Er Rashid also called out Pakistan, recalling how Kashmiri voices close to the establishment were once dismissed as “Indian agents,” while now “Pakistani leaders are begging for handshakes with Indian cricketers who dedicated their victory to Operation Sindoor.”
“This hunger strike is to wake the conscience of people of India and Pakistan towards the unending sufferings and denial of legitimate political and human rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Er Rashid wrote, adding that the strike is also meant to “call out the cricket hypocrisy of both hate mongers and so-called peace lovers.”
The letter has also been sent to his legal counsel, Adv Vikhyat Oberoi and Adv Javeed Hubbi, as well as to his family—(KNO)