Curfew, restrictions in Occupied Kashmir continue on 68th day

SRINAGAR (KMS) – In Occupied Kashmir, the sufferings of the people of Kashmir valley and Muslim majority areas of Jammu region continue without witnessing an iota of relief, on Friday, on the 68th consecutive day of unrelenting military lockdown and communications blackout. The huge presence of Indian troops in every lane and by-lane has made the life of Kashmiri people a hell. The Internet and mobile phone connectivity continues to remain completely suspended, adding to the miseries of the besieged people. The publication of newspapers has been hampered as they have failed to update their online editions while journalists are unable to report from the ground due to the gag on communications leaving the territory virtually cut off from the outside world. Business activities are suspended and public transport is off the road while educational institutions, although open, yet they are devoid of students and staff. Meanwhile, people associated with the tourism industry said that the so-called authorities’ decision to lift travel advisory has failed to attract tourists amid the ongoing suspension of internet and mobile phone services. They said the announcement is, on one hand, a ploy to hoodwink the international community and, on the other, it is meant to facilitate the entry of RSS goons in the gab of tourists to the territory to carry out bloodbath once the restrictions are lifted. On the other hand, an Indian TV channel while rejecting New Delhi’s claim that Kashmir has been peaceful since revocation of its special status on August 5, said there have been 306 incidents of stone pelting over the past two months. The CNN-News18 citing internal documents of the Indian security forces, maintained that around 100 forces’ personnel, including 89 from the central paramilitary forces, were injured in the stone pelting protests sparked by the Indian government’s move to scrap Article 370 of the Constitution. The report also belied the Indian government’s claim that not a single bullet was fired and not a single person died and cited, at least, one example the killing of a Class XI student, Asrar Ahmed Khan, after being hit by pellets on September 4 to prove the worthlessness of the government’s claim.