Srinagar
In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference has called for complete shutdown on Tuesday, 11th August, to pay glowing tributes to senior Hurriyat leader, Sheikh Abdul Aziz, on his martyrdom anniversary.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Sheikh Abdul Aziz was shot dead by Indian troops while he was leading a procession from Srinagar to the Line of Control on August 11, 2008 against the economic blockade of the Kashmir Valley by Hindu extremists of Jammu.
The APHC spokesman in a statement in Srinagar said by observing the shutdown the people of the occupied territory will convey the message to India and the world that they are determined to accomplish the mission of their martyrs at all costs. He condemned the occupation authorities for shifting the Kashmiri political prisoners from Srinagar Central Jail to jails in Jammu region. He urged New Delhi to stop its military aggression and stubbornness on the Kashmir dispute and adopt a pragmatic approach to resolve it in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations and the UN resolutions.
Meanwhile, the APHC General Secretary, Molvi Bashir Ahmed, in a media interview in Srinagar welcomed the renaming of Kashmir Highway as Srinagar Highway by the government of Pakistan. He said that such moves showed Pakistan’s commitment to the cause of liberating the occupied territory from the Indian subjugation.
Indian police have shifted the illegally detained General Secretary of Tehreek-e-Hurriyat Jammu and Kashmir, Ameer Hamza Shah, from Sopore Police Station to Kot Bhalwal Jail after booking him under draconian law, Public Safety Act.
Srinagar-based human rights activist, Khurram Parvez, in an article in the US-based Time magazine, wrote that Indian government made full use of coronavirus lockdowns by passing the domicile rule. He pointed out that in just more than a month, around 400,000 people have already acquired domicile certificates and added it could alter the results of any referendum seeking people’s opinion for the resolution of the larger, international dispute over control of the territory.
Renowned Kashmiri journalist, Yousuf Jameel, in an article wrote that while people from all walks of life have been facing severe difficulties after the repeal of Kashmir’s special status by Narendra Modi government on August 5, last year, the journalists are also facing hurdles in performing their professional duties. He maintained that several journalists, who opposed the Indian government’s measures, were charged with sedition and some are still imprisoned.
On the other hand, eminent citizens of India and Pakistan have said that India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was bent to overturn the Muslim majority character of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. They stated this in a report, titled ‘The Siege: A Year Since Abrogation’ drafted by the members of Jammu and Kashmir Solidarity Group and Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy. The comprehensive report based on eyewitness accounts and findings of fact-finding teams, which visited the region, said that New Delhi was committing grave injustices, ranging from kidnapping and torture of minors to decimating the identity of people.—KMS
