Tosamaidan firing range: Organisations to stage protest

Two organisations at the forefront of campaign against extending lease of the Army firing range at Tosamaidan in Budgam district today threatened to stage a sit-in against it.
J&K RTI Movement and Tosamaidan Bachao Front (TBF) also took exception to Hurriyat Conference calling for a strike over the issue.
"TBF will not allow any political party to play politics on Tosamaidan. For more than 50 years, no mainstream or separatist political party has come to our rescue but to our utter dismay political parties have now started playing politics with this sensitive issue," chairman of TBF Mohammed Maqbool Magray said in a statement.

Vice Chairman of TBF Mohammed Akram said the movement is purely a social and people's movement and they will not tolerate any political interference in it.
"We have already announced to boycott political process till Tosamaidan lease is cancelled," Akram said.
The TBF leaders threatened to stage a sit-in at the firing range if the state government extended the lease.
"If the lease agreement is extended to the army for firing purposes, the people from 52 villages of this area will have a sit-in at the place of shelling. We demand complete shifting of this firing range from the government and we will continue our fight till Tosamaidan is vacated," they said.