Geelani demands army’s evacuation from Tosa Maidan

KL Report

SRINAGAR

Demanding evacuation of Tosamaidan by army and making the entire area ammunition free zone, chairman All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Geelani said that the 19 May incident have proven that the innocent lives will continue to lose until and unless the whole area is not checked and searched by the bomb disposal squads and the unexploded shells are not properly disposed off.

According to a statement issued on Monday to KNS, while terming the presence of army firing range and ammunition in civilian areas as a clear violation of international laws and agreements, Geelani appealed UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to pay his attention towards this grave issue and press upon Indian government to fulfill their responsibilities of properly disposing off these unexploded shells which are left over by Indian army in Jammu and Kashmir to save the innocent and precious lives.

Hurriyat (G) chairman said that although the lease of Tosamaidan has ended but army neither vacated it nor has been live ammunition cleared from the area. “The incident of 19 May in which a innocent girl Simran lost her life and his brother Fayaz Ahmad lost his limbs, have set an alarm of a big danger that this area is not a safe place even if army leaves this place,” he said.

Geelani said that though the Hurriyat Conference is demanding the demilitarization of entire Jammu and Kashmir but the presence of army camps and firing range in or near civilian areas is an important and serious issue which should be immediately addressed. “Presence of Army and military exercises not only costs the precious human lives but the people of that area are forced to live under constant fear. Due to the war like situations, people are becoming the patients of mental illness and it has severely affected their social life. The presence of army camps and military exercises/drills are also becoming the major reason of environmental pollution which directly affects the agriculture production. Army camps have also become on common shops for liquor and alcohol sale and which is adversely affecting the moral society of Kashmiri people.”

He said that besides the thousands of land mines which are hidden on the separation line of the two parts of Jammu and Kashmir, “all those areas including Tosamaidan are located over the heap of ammunition where these army camps are situated or where they (army) are present.”

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