237 Kashmiris martyred by Indian troops during 13-month siege in IIOJK

SRINAGAR (KMS) – In Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), unrelenting military siege imposed by Narendra Modi-led fascist Indian government since August 5, 2019, has made the life a hell for the residents of the territory. A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the completion of 13 months to the military siege, on Saturday, revealed that Indian troops martyred 237 Kashmiris including 5 women during the period. It said that most of the victims were killed by the troops in fake encounters during cordon and search operations in the length and breadth of the territory. It said youth are picked up from their homes and then eliminated after falsely labeled as mujahideen or over-ground workers of mujahid organizations. It said that the killings by the troops during the last 13 months rendered 9 women widowed and 22 children orphaned. The report maintained that at least 1,482 people were critically injured due to the use of brute force by Indian troops on peaceful demonstrators in the territory. “The troops damaged over 954 houses and structures and molested or disgraced 89 women and arrested 13,936 persons including aged woman and girls during cordon and search operations across the occupied territory in the period,” it said. The report said that the daily life of the Kashmiris has been made miserable since New Delhi illegally abrogated special status of IIOJK on August 5, 2019. The move, it added, was aimed at snatching away the identity of the Kashmiris through changing the Muslim-majority status of the occupied territory into a minority. The report pointed out that as the entire occupied territory has been turned into an open-air prison, thousands of Kashmiris including Hurriyat leaders, political and human rights activists, religious heads, journalists, businessmen, lawyers, civil society members, youth and activists were arrested after or before 5th August 2019 and they still remained lodged in Tihar and other jails of India and Kashmir. “Prominent among them are Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Masarrat Aalam Butt, Aasiya Andrabi, Naheeda Nasreen, Fehmeeda Sufi, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Ayaz Muhammad Akbar, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Pir Saifullah, Merajuddin Kalwal, Farooq Ahmed Dar, Dr Abdul Hameed Fayaz, Maulana Mushtaq Veeri, Farooq Ahmed Tawheedi, Ameer Hamza, Abdul Samad Inqilabi, Abdul Ahad Parra, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Muhammad Rafiq Ganai, Feroz Ahmed Khan, Dr Muhammad Qasim Fakhtoo, Zahoor Watali, Syed Shahid Yousuf, Syed Shakeel Yousuf, Maulana Sarjan Barkati, Bashir Ahmed Qureshi, Hayat Ahmed Butt and Aasif Sultan,” it added. The report said that senior Hurriyat leaders, Syed Ali Gilani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, continued to remain under house detention in Srinagar. It said at least, 1500 people have been detained under black law, Public Safety Act. The continued ban on high-speed internet has deprived the Kashmiris of useful local and world information regarding education, business, and coronavirus, the report said. India had snapped the 4G internet service in IIOJK on August 5, 2019. The report pointed out that Narendra Modi-led fascist regime is engaged in changing the Muslim majority status of the occupied territory. For this purpose, it has granted domicile certificates to thousands of Indians, it added. The report said that Indian plans to change IIOJK demography was aimed at affecting the results in New Delhi’s favour if a plebiscite was held in Jammu and Kashmir at any point of time in future. It said the Kashmiris are committed to resist Indian plans to change demographic composition of the territory. The report deplored that press freedom is under a constant threat in IIOJK where journalists are detained and harassed. The report pointed out that fascist Modi cannot silence the Kashmiris cry for freedom through the ongoing military siege as they are determined to keep fighting for freedom from Indian yoke. The report said that the international community must press India to end its military siege in IIOJK to mitigate the sufferings of the oppressed Kashmiris.