Curfew, restrictions tightened to prevent anti-India march in occupied Kashmir
Call for the march has been given by the Resistance leaders through posters.
SRINAGAR (Web Desk) - In occupied Kashmir, the authorities have further tightened curfew and other restrictions to prevent people from conducting a march towards the UN office at Sonawar in Srinagar after Friday prayers, today, against India’s anti-Kashmir moves and its illegal occupation of Jammu and Kashmir.
Call for the march has been given by the resistance leaders through posters appearing in Srinagar and other parts of the Kashmir valley. The leaders have urged every young, old, men and women to join the march to convey to India and the world that the Kashmiris would not accept Indian occupation over their territory and Hindu culture.
The march is also aimed at resisting the Indian attempt to change the demography of Kashmir through settlement of the outsiders in the territory. The clerics will raise the issue during their Friday sermons.
The occupation authorities have converted the Kashmir valley particularly Srinagar into a military garrison by deploying Indian troops and paramilitary personnel in every nook and corner. The forces’ personnel have blocked all roads by erecting barricades and using concertina wires and confined the people to their homes to stop them from coming out on road to protest against Indian aggression.
However, people repeatedly flouting the curfew and other restrictions have been staging protests since 5th August when Narendra Modi-led BJP government announced abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution that granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
The authorities also continue to impose information blockade as TV channels and internet links remain snapped and restrictions on media continue since 5th August. Schools in the Kashmir valley continue to register a very thin attendance of students in contrast to staff presence, according to officials.
On the other hand, almost all Hurriyat leaders, including Syed Ali Gilani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, have been put under house arrest or in jails. Over 6,000 Kashmiris including hundreds of political leaders and workers have been detained.
Those arrested also include even pro-India politicians like Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Ghulam Ahmed Mir, Engineer Abdur Rasheed and Shah Faesal. The jails and police stations have run out of space and many detainees have been lodged in makeshift detention centres.
Due to severe blockade, the people of Kashmir valley are facing acute shortage of essential commodities including baby food and life-saving medicines.
