Ours is genuine freedom struggle: Kashmiri separatists

Three Senior Kashmiri separatist leaders on Thursday accused Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat of deliberately trying to dub Kashmiris engaged in "freedom struggle" as terrorists.

Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik jointly addressed the media at the former's residence.

"The Indian Army chief is deliberately trying to paint the genuine freedom struggle of Kashmiri people as terrorism to justify the massacre of Kashmiris. If he wants us to be killed by his men, we will feel proud," Malik said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader added that howsoever mighty the Indian pressure might be, the people of Kashmir won't give up their fight.

The leaders of the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL), a conglomerate of separatist leaders headed by Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer and Malik were reacting to Gen Rawat's comments that the people of Kashmir had realized they won't be able to achieve what they desired.

Addressing the press conference on phone, Geelani said: "Kashmir is a dispute accepted by the world community. Self-determination is the birthright of Kashmiris which nobody can deny."

He said "threats" by the Indian Army chief won't work. "Our struggle will continue on all fronts. Ours is a peaceful movement and connecting us with the terrorism is a ploy to defame our struggle."

--IANS

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