J&K Awami Forum holds march for peace

Srinagar/Jammu: Even as life in Baramulla comes under severe threat following the gruesome rape and murder of a minor girl and further killing of a Hurriyat activist by unidentified gunmen on Saturday, Jammu & Kashmir Awami Forum held its Baramulla convention and also staged a march against crimes and also boycott call of polls by political Parties.

Earlier this month, the Forum also held a march for peace, calling for an end to the gun culture in the strife-torn valley of Kupwara. The march was participated by over 1,000 people.

Baramulla district has been on the receiving end of cross border infiltration and sponsored terrorism over the years and this march by the Forum against social crimes and poll boycott calls by many parties will go down in the history of the district.

Early in the day, large number of people gathered at Dak Banglow where they spoke against the double standard of separatists, political parties, specially National Conference, which announced boycotting of panchayat elections.

They also held these parties responsible for militancy, violence, corruption and addiction in the society.

Many leaders of the Forum including Farooq Ghani, General Secretary Mashhoor

Banday, Spokesperson GN Parwana and I/C Baramullah Sheikh Nazir also spoke during the programme.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Jammu & Kashmir Awami Forum, headed by Farooq Abdul Ghani, is also part of Jammu Kashmir Coordination Committee (JKCC) which comprises of multiple civil society groups. Incidentally, in the month of March 2018, JKCC had invited Art of Living Founder, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar to address and interact with various delegations of youth and local people and gathering of around 12,000 people who came from all corners of the valley.