Srinagar: In occupied Kashmir, people staged massive poll boycott rallies and anti-India demonstrations in Srinagar and other major towns, today. Indian police subjected the protesters to brute force, causing injuries to several people.The joint resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik has called for complete boycott of the so-called Indian Parliamentary by-elections to be held in Srinagar and Islamabad constituencies on 9th and 12th April, 2017.People staged forceful anti-election rallies and anti-India demonstrations in Srinagar, Badgam, Ganderbal, Sopore, Baramulla, Palhallan, Islamabad, Tral, Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam, Kupwara, Bandipore, Hajin and other areas. The demonstrators raised high-pitched pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans. They also waved Pakistani flags at various places. Severe clashes between the protesters and Indian police erupted in Srinagar and Sopore after police personnel fired teargas shells to break up the demonstrations. Several people were injured in the police action.Meanwhile, the puppet authorities continued to put Hurriyet leaders including Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Aasiya Andrabi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Zafar Akbar Butt and Ayaz Akbar under house arrest or in custody to stop them from leading anti-India demonstrations and conducting the election boycott campaign. Indian police arrested Hurriyet leader, Syed Imtiyaz Haider, during a midnight raid at his residence in Badgam, yesterday.Indian police have arrested more than 150 people from Pulwama, Shopian and Islamabad areas during the past few days.On the other hand, the All Parties Hurriyet Conference and the forum led by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in their separate statements in Srinagar said that India was not sincere in finding a peaceful and durable resolution of the Kashmir dispute. They strongly reacted to the recent assertion of Indian Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, that New Delhi was ready to talk to everyone in occupied Kashmir to normalize situation in the territory. They said that Kashmir was not a law and order problem but an issue pertaining to the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people.
