Srinagar: In occupied Kashmir, people staged massive anti-India demonstrations, today, while Indian forces’ personnel used brute force on the demonstrators, injuring many of them.
Call for the demonstrations was given by the joint resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik to protest against the surge in killings and raids by India’s National Investigation Agency on the residences of Hurriyat leaders.
People took to the streets in Srinagar, Budgam, Islamabad, Bijbehara, Arwani, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Sopore, Pattan, Hajin, Bandipore and other areas of the territory. The protesters raised high-pitched pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans. They also waved Pakistani flags at various places. Indian police resorted to brute force on the protesters in Nowhatta and many other areas of the territory, injuring several of them. The troops also fired pellets inside Jamia Masjid Srinagar. Earlier, the Chairman of Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, telephonically addressing the Juma congregation at the Jamia Masjid said that India’s repressive measures would not be able to force the Kashmiri people and Hurriyat leadership to give up their freedom struggle.
Thousands of people participated in the funeral prayers of a martyred youth, Yawar Nisar, in Janglat Mandi area of Islamabad district, today. He was laid to rest in Achabal Adda in Islamabad town amid pro-freedom and anti-India slogans. Intense clashes broke out between people and Indian forces at many places in the district soon after the funeral prayers of Yawar Nisar. Indian forces’ personnel fired teargas shells to disperse the protesters. Yawar Nisar and another youth were killed by Indian troops during a violent crackdown operation at Kanelwan in Bijbehara area of the district, last night. Funeral prayers in absentia for the youth killed by Indian troops recently in different parts of the Valley were offered in Beerwah and Pamore towns after Friday prayers, today.
Complete shutdown was observed in Islamabad, Shopian and Kulgam districts against the killings. The puppet authorities suspended train service from Srinagar-Islamabad-Qazigund to Banihal.
The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement at a function in Jammu and Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society in a statement in Srinagar demanded justice for the victims of Sailan massacre on their 19th anniversary. Indian troops had killed 19 members of a family including 11 children and women on the intervening night of 3rd and 4th August, 1998 at Sailan village in Surankote area of in Poonch district.
In New Delhi a court has extended the remand to NIA of illegally detained Hurriyet leaders Altaf Ahmed Shah, Peer Saifullah, Merajuddin Kalwal and Nayeem Ahmed Khan till 14th August. The court sent Hurriyat leaders, Shahid-ul-Islam, Farooq Ahmed Dar and Ayaz Akbar, to judicial custody till 1st September. Dr Bilquees Shah, the wife of APHC General Secretary Shabbir Ahmad Shah, in an interview in New Delhi said that her incarcerated husband was being humiliated, harassed and ill-treated in custody. She said that Shabbir Shah, a world-renowned public figure, was brought to the court like a criminal and as such could be attacked by fanatic Hindus anytime and this way he was facing a threat to his life.
