Srinagar
In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred three Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district.
The troops martyred the youth, Jahangir Rafiq Wani, Uzair Ahmed Butt and Raja Umar Maqbool Butt, in a fake encounter in Tral area of the district. As per reports, Jahangir Rafiq Wani and Uzair Ahmed Butt were arrested by Indian troops on 12th January, this year, and were kept in custody. They were killed in cold blood by the troops in a fake encounter, last night. Thousands of people attended the funeral prayers of the martyred youth in Tral. The participants of the funerals raised high-pitched anti-India and pro-freedom slogans.
Indian police arrested Sirajuddin Ganai, who was working as a domestic help at the residence of ailing All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, from outside the house of the veteran leader and shifted to a police station
Meanwhile, Kashmir Valley continued to remain under Indian military siege and suspension of broadband and high speed cellular internet services on 199th consecutive day, today. A report released by Turkey-based Anadolu Agency suggests that the communication clampdown in occupied Kashmir over the past six months has crippled research activity in over 100 academic and scientific institutions of the territory.
Another report by Al-Jazeera says that panic has gripped the people as the authorities have filed a police case against social media users under black law for defying a social media ban using proxy servers. An open FIR has been filed against unnamed users under the black law, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, and a person booked under this Act can be jailed for months without trial.
On the other hand, a petition has been filed by 24 advocates in Karnataka High Court challenging the resolution passed by the Hubli Bar Association, deciding that non of its members would appear for three Kashmiri students arrested on sedition charges for allegedly raising pro-Pakistan slogans and posting a video on social media. The petition filed by advocate B T Venkatesh and others will be taken up for hearing tomorrow.
The All Parties Group on Kashmir in the European Parliament was re-launched during a function in Brussels. A statement issued by the Group’s members said that from 2004 to 2014, the European Parliament had an All Party Group on Kashmir to highlight the Kashmir dispute especially the issue of human rights violations by Indian troops in occupied Kashmir. The statement said as most of those Members of European Parliament were from the UK which has now left the EU, it was necessary to re-launch the Group. The launching ceremony was attended by MEPs Klaus Buchner, Maxette Pirbakas, Carles Puigdemont and Bernhard Zimniok, as well as Barrister Abdul Majeed Tramboo of Organisation of Kashmir Coalition, Professor Josep Lluis Alay and former MEP Frank Schwalba-Hoth.—KMS
