‘I was forced to take this extreme step’

Srinagar, Sep 22 (KNS): Member Parliament and the founding member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tariq hammed Karra on Thursday said that he has sent a copy of his resignation to the Lok Sabha secretariat.
On Sep 15 this year, Karra in addressed a presser here at his Shivpora residence where he announced his resignation from party as well as Lok Sabha citing “naked atrocities committed on people in Kashmir” during the past two-and-a-half months of uprising that started following the killing of Hizb commander, Burhan Wani in a ‘gunfight’ in Bumdoora village of Kokernag area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Karra said that he has also sent an annexure, detailing the reasons behind his resignation.
Karra in a letter to Speaker said that he was forced to take this extreme step to register a protests against the unabated killings, grievous injuries, repression and suppression let loose on people of Kashmir and the failure of Parliament, the Government of India and the Jammu and Kashmir government to find a way out of this painful situation for my people.
He in a letter further stated that, “The prevailing situation in Kashmir is not only alarming but tragic as well. Every single day Kashmir’s are being butchered, father carrying coffins of their young loved ones, hundreds being blinded and thousands are injured. The number of injured is outnumbering hospital capacities and the number of arrested are outnumbering hospitals. Kashmiri blood is being spilled on walls, lanes and drains of the valley. For the first time in the history of Jammu and Kashmir, people of Kashmir were forced not to offer Eid prayer.”
Karra said that in the prevailing situation, which is very critical, there is an urgency of responding to it beyond the party politics. “The present situation can’t be allowed to dither any more as it could have dangerous consequences for the state and the region. It has already threatened the gains of peace process which were so painstakingly made earlier,” Karra said.
He said that while the public outrage is justified over so many killings and brutal use of forces against unarmed civilians in Kashmir, it is ultimately the people of Jammu and Kashmir who suffer the most form the violence and destruction. “The need of the hour is that the Government must reinforce its resolve to work through peaceful means and public participation towards peace and restoration of peace and resolution of Kashmir issue. The view of the people of the state, cutting across political divide, have to be respected and responded to for the permanent settlement of the issue instead of restoring to hegemonic mindset,” he said.
“In the prevailing agonizing situation, I have decided to stand by my people instead of continuing as a member of forum which is yet to make any tangible move to end the state sponsored violence in Kashmir,” the founding member of PDP who resigned from the party as well as Lok Sabha said. (KNS)