Valley Sikhs get threat letters
Leaders of Kashmir’s Sikhs said on Thursday that many families of the minority community in various parts of the Valley have been receiving unsigned threat letters over the past couple of weeks asking them to “embrace Islam or leave Kashmir”.
“We do realise this could be the handiwork of vested interests and the intention of the hate campaign undoubtedly is to drive a wedge between the majority Muslim and minority Sikh communities, but it has created a fear psychosis among the people,” said Jagmohan Singh Raina, a community leader. He urged the Kashmiri Muslim political leadership to take serious note. He said one of these letters stated: “‘It is good for you to embrace Islam or leave Kashmir and go to India.’”
The All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee, Kashmir, has discussed the prevailing situation in the Valley where separatist-sponsored political unrest has claimed 60 lives in security force firings and brought life to a standstill. The meeting held here on Thursday with Mr Raina in the chair, voiced serious concern at the threats contained in the unsigned letters, which were also found placed at some gurdwaras besides the houses of Sikhs at different places, including in Srinagar’s Aulchibagh, Rawalpora and Barazulla, and at Trail in southern Pulwama district. The letters asked Sikhs to embrace Islam or leave Kashmir.
Ajeet Singh Mastana, president, Akali Dal (Badal) in the state, blamed antisocial elements for the undercover campaign but said this would not break the will of the Valley’s Sikhs or their love of the motherland. Others who spoke on the occasion included Diljeet Singh of Rajwant Sabha, Bikram Singh, regional head, Akali Dal (Mann), Harjeet Singh, president, Sikh Student Federation (Mehta), Dr Mohan Singh Shant, president, Gurdwara District Pulwama. Later these leaders in a joint statement urged the Sikh community “to remain united and be ready to face all odds, and also to break the evil intention of anti-social elements”. Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq blamed the incidents on Indian intelligence agencies and other vested interests wanting to “defame the freedom struggle”.
Mr Geelani said, “The Indian government has failed to break the will of the people or their urge to achieve freedom even after killing so many people and letting loose a reign of terror through its so-called security forces, now it is trying to defame our struggle.”
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