The people of Indian-administered Kashmir strongly condemned the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) barbaric attack in Peshawar which claimed over 130 lives and injured more than 120 people.
Leaders – cutting across all political and religious lines have also vehemently condemned the attack on the school children and have shown solidarity with the people of Pakistan.
Kashmir’s pro-freedom leaders and students organised funeral prayers, which were held in Srinagar’s historic Jamia Masjid, in absentia for the deceased children.
These prayers were led by the head cleric of Kashmir, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, in the University of Kashmir where hundreds of students participated.
Mirwaiz Umer condemned the attack and said those elements who committed the act are inhuman and are barbarians. Murderers who target innocent school going children can never be well-wishers of Islam and Pakistan.
“[I am] deeply shocked and saddened by this most inhumane act. Strongly condemn attack on school children our prayers and thoughts with the families,” he wrote on twitter.
While expressing his solidarity with the families of the deceased children, Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani said there is no need to prove that people involved in such cowardly acts are in actual the biggest enemies of Islam and Muslims.
“The attacks are inhuman, and those involved must be punished severely.”
Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack was ‘inhuman’ and ‘barbaric’, adding that words were not enough to describe the nature of the perpetrators.
“What terrible, heart breaking images of the attack in #Peshawar. Inhuman and barbaric don’t even begin to describe the perpetrators,” Omar tweeted.
Khurram Parvaiz, a human rights activist, said, “Those inciting, inspiring and defending TTP must be feeling fulfilled today after around 100 children were killed by them. They must know that TTP will soon perish and Pakistan will live.”
In the past few years, pro-TTP graffiti has cropped up in certain parts of the valley, and slogans in favour of the TTP were occasionally raised by some members of the youth during pro-freedom protests. However, after yesterday’s attack in Peshawar, serious questions have been raised against the role of the TTP in Indian-administered Kashmir.
“This should be an eye opener for those people who seek to help groups such as the TTP for the resolution of the Kashmir issue. Involvement of such groups in the Kashmir conflict can only lead to terrorism and bloodshed, keeping the basic issue unsolved,” said Qadri Inzamam, a mass communication student.
Feroz, a student of Kashmir University while condemning the attack said, “We as Kashmiris feel the pain of the innocent killings as we have suffered for decades. There are certain provisions laid by Islam for war. The heinous incident proves that the TTP are not following them, and that their stance and demands are totally rubbish and hoax.”
After offering funeral prayers in absentia, pro-Pakistan slogans were raised and black flags were hoisted in solidarity with the people of Pakistan.
COMMENTS (18)
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@Bewildered: Also, British presence in India is not the same as Indian governance of Kashmir. British were foreigners, who had come from a far away land to occupy India. India's rule of Kashmir is not so black and white wrong. It's only wrong if you look at it from a religious point of view, which only the Muslims of the valley do.
@pro bono publico:
Dear Pro Bono Publico,
Great as your name sounds, though, pl. go and get your brain back. You would have left it somewhere before making these comments. You don't seem to have any remorse or emotional feel for the little children who have fallen, and you have chosen to comment this rubbish during these sad times, when along with Pakistanis, Indians are mourning.
We pity dithered souls like you.
@Fahad People like you are the real reason what you are witnessing around you. sick
Yes, we condemn and curse these insane, BUT what made them so? unrelenting drone attacks, injustices in the failed state/s???????????????????????????
We didn't see them mourning the Mumbai massacre.
Look at the difference in the reaction. The same Peshawar distributed sweets on the streets when 26/11 happened. Look at how the Indians have shown solidarity.
Do not mix up the feelings at the time of murders of the innocent children in Peshawar. The talibans were created by Pakistan to fight Russians in Afghanistan fully paid by the Americans. The talibans have nothing else to do but terror. But the average Pakistani wants to live in peace and harmony. Enough blood has been spilled. Given peace a chance, 99% of the so called Azad Kashmiris will volunteerily join India, let alone Indian Kashmiris. To day we think of nothing but the lives of innocent children. May god bless us all.
Time has come to let mainstream Indians own land in Kashmir valley ..this is the only way this region will be integrated otherwise it will be another mini Taliban state
Love for Kashmiri Freedom Fighters... We all Love you.. Down with TTP, who are indian-funded.. There was no such thing as TTP before 2004... Freedom for Kashmir from ILLEGAL indian occupation! Kashmir Zindabad.
@Bewildered: It's this good terrorist bad terrorist dichotomy that you and many of our compatriots have held on in their minds since the nation's birth that is the single biggest problem preventing Pakistan from coalescing as a nation and joining in the Asian Century. Freedom for India and Pakistan was not won by bloodshed. Geelani is a freedom fighter. The LeT are not. The JuM are terrorist abetters. The sooner we imbibe this recognition the better for our children.
ET mods - please publish what I have written. It is completely factual.
What a pathetic headline. It implies that somehow Indian Kashmir was different from rest of India when the reality is that Indian PM denounced the attack and requested schools across India to have 2 minutes silence. Indian parliament too observed two minutes silence. None of our Arabic ummah have done anything similar.
Dawn has pulished pictures of school children across India praying and lighting candles in solidarity with kids in Peshawar. The hashtag #IndiaStandsWithPakistan was trending on twitter.
But you have chosen to not report on any of it.
Tribune pray tell us what is “Indian Kashmir” because there is Azad Kashmir and an Indian-OCCUPIED Kashmir. India has NO moral or legal claim to even micro-millimeter of Kashmir. Occupation by a million Indian soldiers does make it "Indian" Kashmir. FULL STOP.
The Indian Parliament and millions of school children and many corporate houses have observed a few minutes of silence as solemn respect to the fallen little angels. Millions of Indians had tears in their eyes when they saw the devils and satans in the guise of Taliban butchered little innocent children. We all are standing solidly behind the Pakistani citizens and are praying for the families of those children. This is genuine solidarity spontaneously erupting from the hearts of Indians - which comes naturally if there is a deep bond in the minds and hearts. Tribune would do well to provide more info on this than to single out "Indian Kashmir" only as the section of people who have showed this solidarity.
Bewildered: They did not go around killing innocents. They fought wars with the British army, police & govt. officers. Bhagat singh killed only one man - a police officer who murdered a leader (Lajpat rai) who was going in a peaceful protest. Subash Chandra Bose fought an open, declared war against British army.
And they didn't fight this war in the name of a religion. They didn't ask for an free India because it is Hindu, like Kashmir wants to be free because it is Muslim. They did it because British collected tax, but didn't let them elect their own rulers.
And don't forget the folks you mentioned are not just Indian heroes. They are heroes of Pakistan too. Bhagat singh was born & died in what is today Pakistan. And Pakistan won't exist today, without the sacrifices of these very freedom fighters - who never laid hands on innocents.
@Bewildered: Bhagat Singh did not throw bombs at civilians and neither did Chandra Bose. Do not compare them with these jihadis since there is no comparison.
@Gurion:
Bhagat Singh threw bombs and Subhas Chandra Bose used arms in their struggle for freedom. India conferred upon them heroes status, then how Kashmiris fighting for their freedom and using the same means can be classified as terrorists?
Considering the fact that Kashmiri terrorists too bombed schools in Kashmir?!