— PHOTO: Nissar Ahmad

``STRUGGLE WILL CONTINUE'': Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik ends his hunger strike in Srinagar on Thursday.

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik on Thursday ended his three-day-long hunger strike with an appeal to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to fulfil his promise of ensuring zero tolerance vis-à-vis human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir.

Amid emotional scenes, with the kin of missing persons joining the protest at the JKLF headquarters, Mr. Malik broke his fast. He, however, vowed to continue his struggle against human rights violations stating that all Kashmiris were with him.

Mr. Malik had launched a campaign after the unearthing of a fake encounters scandal. Bodies of five civilians were exhumed recently in connection with the case.

`People harassed'

Talking to reporters, the JKLF chief pointed to a number of waling women and other relatives saying "a daughter is looking for her father and a wife for her husband." He said that a young Kashmiri woman whose husband was missing for so many years was in a dilemma to whether call herself a widow or not. He alleged that people were being harassed and warned that they would ultimately be forced to take recourse to the gun.

Mr. Malik said that he would shortly go to Delhi and meet human rights activists to tell them what ordeal the "Kashmiris are facing." He reminded the Prime Minister about his May 22 promise about zero tolerance. "I hope the Prime Minister will personally look into the issue and come to the rescue of the hapless people of this State."

Mr. Malik reiterated his stand on a fast-unto-death in case the violations did not stop within 45 days. "Each and every Kashmiri is worried about security. There is no guarantee. This is not a peace process but an agenda to kill Kashmiris."

Responding to a question whether such cases since 1990 were being reopened, he said: "In case they reopen cases from 1990 and there is genuine and transparent investigation, I will support that."

The Special Investigation Team, headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) Farooq Ahmad, has arrested three more policemen involved in fake encounters. He said the three — Bansi Lal, Manzoor Ahmad and Zahir Abbas — who were part of the Special Operations Group of Ganderbal Police, were arrested on Wednesday and put to sustained interrogation. "Investigations are going on in full swing and we are not going slow on the matter," he said, adding that the case would be taken to its logical conclusion.

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