The Modi-led Indian regime resorted to brutal tactics including arrests and intimidation to keep Kashmiris from holding protest demonstrations against Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine and its aggression on Gaza.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the protest demonstrations were organized at all district headquarters across the Kashmir valley and parts of Jammu region by local opposition parties including Peoples Democratic Party against the massacre of the Palestinian people at the hands of illegal occupier Israel in Gaza and West Bank.
Indian police galvanized into action and arrested most of the leadership at central, district and tehsil levels during overnight raids. Some were were taken into custody early in the morning, today.
PDP General Secretary Ghulam Nabi Lone, who has also served as minister in the Mehbooba Mufti cabinet was put under house arrest ahead of the planned anti-Israel protests in Budgam, today. Police along with armoured vehicles were deployed outside his house at Charar-e-Shareef to prevent him from leading the protest in the town. Lone was asked to stay indoors. Other PDP leaders from the district including Addition General Secretary Agha Syed Mohsin and Mohammad Yasin Butt were also taken into custody during the nocturnal raids and were kept in police lockup.
PDP senior leader and Srinagar district president Abdul Qayoom Butt was also placed under house arrest at his Srinagar residence.
All leaders from Ganderbal including district President Zahoor Ahmed Rather, Sheikh Bilal, Mohammad Yousuf Butt and Shakeel Ahmed were rounded up during overnight raids and kept in police lockup.
PDP’s Baramulla District President Jalaluddin Shah along with Ghulam Rasool Butt, Mir Sheraz, Sajadul Bashir, Merajud Din and many others were also arrested and lodged at Baramulla’s Sharee police station.
Earlier, many social and political activists were also detained in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts of Jammu region to foil peaceful protests under the banner of ‘United Peace Alliance’ to express solidarity with innocent victims of Palestine. Police took into custody whole organizing committee including Sheikh Abdul Rehman, Mir Shahid Saleem, ID Khajuria, Subash Mehta, Sukhdev Singh without any written orders.
Meanwhile, PDP media advisor Iltija Mufti speaking at a press conference here in Srinagar on Tuesday sought clarification from the Modi regime for disallowing the party workers to protest against atrocities committed by Israel on innocent Palestinian people. She said the party had chalked out a program to protest against Israel and show solidarity with Palestine but the administration had put restrictions on party leadership and detained many of them. She deplored that after 2019, nobody in Jammu and Kashmir was allowed to raise his voice.
“PDP is under crackdown. We are not being given freedom to organize functions. Many of our leaders have been put under house detention while others have been lodged in police stations,” Iltija added.—KMS
