News Analysis |
Parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir were under curfew, businesses and schools were also shut down on Monday to contain anti-India protests that spilled into the streets overnight. This was followed after soldiers killed four civilians and an armed pro-independence fighter recently. The unrest is the latest on the cycle of violence in the Indian occupied region.
The Indian troops opened fire on a car near a military camp in Pahnoo area of the district, resulting in the death of six innocent people. The killings led to massive clashes between protesters and the occupational forces in Shopian, Pulwama and other areas.
Massive clashes erupted at several areas in south Kashmir on Monday morning to protests the Shopian killings. According to reports several people, including women and children, took to the streets in Tral, Awantipora, Pulwama, Shopian and many other villages, triggering massive clashes with Indian forces.
Indian-origin first turban-wearing Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi is also part of the parliamentary group. The Indian government used an article in the Hindustan times to degrade the body.
Meanwhile, complete shutdown is being observed across the Kashmir Valley, today, as protest to the innocent killings. Call for the strike was given by the Joint Resistance Leadership comprising of Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik. The Indian authorities have imposed strict restrictions in Srinagar, Islamabad, Shopian, Puwlama, Kulgam districts and have suspended internet mobile services in south Kashmir to prevent further protests.
Territory’s Public Service Commission (PSC) has postponed the examination for four papers which were scheduled to be held on Monday. The J&K government has decided to close all the schools and colleges for today across Kashmir. Education minister Syed Muhammad Altaf Bukhari has confirmed that the schools and colleges will remain closed for today.
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On the other hand, Indian police launched major search operations at two separate places in the Rajouri district. The forces conducted searches in Chawa, Mochi Mohalla, Crusher Morh, Tandwal, Thandikassi, Iran Khanetar, Gambhir and Kakora areas.
Indian Occupation Authorities on Monday morning suspended the high-speed mobile Internet service across Kashmir valley following the killing of four civilians and a militant in yesterday’s Shopian shootout. An official said that Internet speed was throttled to 128 kbps to “prevent the spreading of rumors on social media”.
Indian state brutality has been increasing in Occupied Kashmir due to two factors: a resurgence in the Kashmiri Independence movement after the death of famous freedom fighter Burhan Wani and the election of the Hindutva fundamentalist BJP to power.
Armed fighters have been fighting against the Indian occupationsince 1989, demanding the Himalayan region to be united under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. Majority of the population in the portion occupied by India support the rebels’ cause.
India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, which Pakistan denies. Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown. Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday expressed anguish over the civilian killings in south Kashmir’s Shopian village. Mehbooba in her message twitter wrote: “Deeply distressed by more deaths of civilians caught in the crossfire in Shopian. My heartfelt condolences to the deceased’s families”.
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Deeply distressed by more deaths of civilians caught in the crossfire in Shopian. My heartfelt condolences to the deceased’s families.
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) March 5, 2018
Demanding probe into the Shopian killings, opposition party National Conference on Monday said “Killings cannot be justified with an arbitrary, unproven pronouncement of the youth being OGWs (militant over ground workers)”. On its official Twitter handle, NC wrote: “We are deeply shocked and grieved at the continued and unabated bloodshed in Kashmir.”
We are deeply shocked and grieved at the continued and unabated bloodshed in Kashmir. The Shopian killings cannot be justified with an arbitrary, unproven pronouncement of the youth being OGWs. The circumstances and details should be probed and made public by the State Govt.
— JKNC (@JKNC_) March 5, 2018
Hurriyat (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Monday accused army of spreading “propaganda and lies” over the civilian killings in south Kashmir’s Shopian. Mirwaiz’s reaction came after another civilian’s body was recovered by locals near the shootout site this morning.
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“Lies and propaganda being spread by the Indian Army as another civilian Gowhar Ahmed Lone found brutally killed behind his steering wheel in the mayhem let loose by them at Shopian yesterday night taking the toll of killings to 6!,” Mirwaiz wrote on Twitter.
Lies and propaganda being spread by the Indian Army as another civilian Gowhar Ahmed Lone found brutally killed behind his steering wheel in the mayhem let loose by them at Shopian yesterday night taking the toll of killings to 6! pic.twitter.com/pHDPzvA6jm
— Mirwaiz Umar Farooq (@MirwaizKashmir) March 5, 2018
Indian state brutality has been increasing in Occupied Kashmir due to two factors: a resurgence in the Kashmiri Independence movement after the death of famous freedom fighter Burhan Wani and the election of the Hindutva fundamentalist BJP to power.
India has also started facing extreme resistance on the global level. Recently, the Indian government has tried to cast aspersions on the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Kashmir which organized a conference at the British Parliament last week where human rights abuses of Kashmiris by Indian occupation forces were discussed and a demand was made for India to abide by international norms and end atrocities in Kashmir.
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The APPG chaired by Labour MP Chris Leslie, has more than a dozen MPs from Labour and Conservative parties of the UK. Indian-origin first turban-wearing Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi is also part of the parliamentary group. The Indian government used an article in the Hindustan times to degrade the body.
However, it seems that with each passing moment Indian state brutality is causing the Indian jackboot to weaken internally as well as externally.