SRINAGAR: 26, May 2013; Advising India to honour the peaceful movement of Kashmir, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman Yasin Malik Sunday said the new generation of Kashmir is being forced to pick up guns as they are continuously being harassed and suppressed on the one or the other pretext. Malik was addressing scores of people at Maisuma soon after he concluded his 48-hour long hunger strike on Sunday. He blamed India for advertently pushing the youth of Kashmir to wall and compelling them to restart armed struggle. Yasin Malik said after suffering for generations Kashmir’s started an armed struggle in 1988. In 1994, the separatists laid down their arms after the international community including European Uninion, Britain, Indian Civil Society and especially the US promised him and other Kashmiri leaders of their help in the resolution of the Kashmir issue if the Kashmiris turn their struggle into a non-violent movement. Malik said the unilateral ceasefire of 1994 was a very unpopular decision at that time when Movement was at its acm. He said 600 of his companions were butchered, and he too was arrested multiple times after the Kashmiri’s opted for non-violence. “We were promised that we will be given proper space. But where is the space. We are being pushed to wall. Our youth are being detained and scores of Kashmiri people have beena warded life imprisonment. I want to ask Government of India why it is forcing youth to pickup guns again,” Malik said adding that India should understand that those who tried to overpower Afghanistan by power are now talking about peace with Taliban. Malik said that government has itself admitted in a reply under RTI that about 5000 Kashmiri youth were arrested between 2009 and 2010. “Government Forces killed 72 of our youth in cold blood in 2008, 45 in 2009 and same was repeated in 2010 when we lost our 124 youth.,” Malik said adding that our youth who are getting killed now in encounters had been forced to pick up guns as government usedto harass them and their families. (CNS)