Pamphlet released by Syed Ali Shah Geelani for tourists and pilgrims

Syed Ali Shah Geelani urged the Kashmiri youth to behave well with the tourists and pilgrims visiting Jammu & Kashmir and to make them aware about the Kashmir dispute, Miseries and Suppression Kashmiris are facing since past 64 year at the hand of Indian occupational forces. He released a pamphlet, written in English, Urdu, Hindi and Kashmiri which is to be distributed among the tourists as a part of awareness campaign. This step of Syed Ali Geelani has been admired and appreciated by the masses.


"WELCOME TO KASHMIR


My dear tourist and pilgrim,


I welcome, welcome you to sylvan and salubrious Kashmir valley. Whatever your faith, whatever language you speak and to whatever region you belong to, we are bound by a common bond, the bond of humanity. You are our honoured guest, respecting and protecting guests is not only our moral obligation but article of faith.


Would you like to know something about your host? Can you spare some minutes to know about the Kashmir dispute? We have full faith; you will spare some minutes to know about this problem that has brought the entire region to the precipice of a nuclear war.


Dear Brother, your hosts are not terrorists or extremists. I and my fellow countrymen are not up in arms against any faith, belief, caste or creed. We nurse no grouse against people of India or for that matter any other country. Live and let live, is the cardinal principle to our philosophy of brotherhood. And on this rationale we want to strengthen our relations with others. You must know that we have been coerced into servitude, same way as British had enslaved people of India.


Dear Brothers, you must know Jammu and Kashmir is not a part of India. It was never a part of India. Till 1947, this country had a distinct position in the comity of nations. On 27th of October 1947, sorties after sorties of Indian army landed on this land and occupied it. And on the strength of share military power it snatched freedom of the people and has perpetuated its occupation till date. The people of this land of great tradition of religious tolerance and humanism are suffering for past sixty three years.


Dear Brother, It is not a fable, an imaginary story; I am just sharing history with you. To this day comity of nations recognizes Kashmir as a dispute. The United Nations Security Council has passed as many as eighteen resolutions guaranteeing right to self determination to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. These resolutions explicitly state providing of an opportunity to the people of the state to decide their future and holding of a plebiscite under the aegis of the United Nations.


My dear Brother, The first Prime Minister of Independent India, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, has pledged to the people of the state in Indian Parliament and at Lal Chowk, Srinagar that they would be given an opportunity to decide their future. His words, “we do not believe in forced marriages. If people of Kashmir don't want to remain with us, we cannot force them and after holding of plebiscite whatever is people's decision, we will happily accept”are a part of proceedings of Indian Parliament.


Dear Brother India betrayed its own pledges and forgot its own commitments. It continues to occupy our land forcibly. For past sixty three years people of Jammu and Kashmir have been struggling against this forcible occupation same way as Gandhi, Subash Chander Bose, Baghat Singh and Sukh Dev fought the British imperialists.


Dear Brother, India claims to be a largest democracy. As a democratic country it should have upheld rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. But instead it has been using state power to suppress people of the state and trample down their just and genuine rights under heavy military boots. Since 1947, half a million people have been killed and during past twenty years over a hundred thousand have been done to death, ten thousand have got disappeared in custody, seven thousand women have been dishonored and molested. In North Kashmir 2700 mass graves have been discovered. Fifty thousand children have been orphaned, thirty five thousand women widowed and fifteen hundred women forced to live lives of half-widows. Confinements, detentions without trial under draconian laws like Public Safety Act are order of the day. Thousands have been jailed and subjected to third degree tortures in interogation centers. And as on date 1465 Kashmiris are languishing in different jails within and outside the state. Hair raising agonizing stories inside hundreds of tortures centers across the state melt even the stone hearted but it is yet to prick the conscience of Indian establishment and leadership. I am confident that my woeful story must have touched your heart and stirred your soul. It is my trust, my unflinching belief that from now on you will become my ambassador in people of India and, raise your voice against suppression of about ten million people. And I am equally confident that you will garner support of all justice loving people for my just cause.


Thank You
With Regards
Syed Ali Geelani
Chairman APHC