In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the residents of Poonch and Rajouri are living in an atmosphere of constant fear as Indian troops continue their violent cordon and search operations in the two districts. According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian Army, paramilitary and police personnel had launched the massive searches in the districts on December 21 after the killing of five Indian soldiers in an attack in Surankote area of Poonch. The situation worsened after Indian troops arrested several persons from Surankote, subjected them to severe torture and later killed three of them in custody after taking them to Bafliaz area of the district. The residents of the two districts told the media that the troops have made their life a hell as they barge into their houses, terrorize the inmates and vandalize their belongings. The mobile internet services also remain suspended in Rajouri and Poonch for the last eight days, adding to the sufferings of the locals. Meanwhile, the occupation authorities kept senior leader of All Parties Hurriyat Conference, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, under house arrest, today, on the 12th successive Friday and disallowed him to offer Juma prayers. The APHC spokesman in a statement in Srinagar condemned the upsurge in Indian state terrorism in occupied Kashmir.

He said that the people of the territory were being punished by India for demanding their internationally-recognized right to self-determination. He urged the world community to come forward and hold India accountable for its brutalities on the Kashmiris. Senior leader of National Conference, Sheikh Mustafa Kamal, in a statement in Srinagar expressed concern over the plight of the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir due to the policies of the Modi-led Indian government. He said the Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party’s reluctance to hold polls in the territory reflects its fear of a political setback due to its anti-Kashmir policies. Mustafa Kamal said that the BJP’s model of democracy was authoritarian, having no place for democracy. The High Court of occupied Kashmir quashed the illegal detention of four persons booked under draconian law, Public Safety Act, for their affiliation with the ongoing freedom movement. The court directed the occupation authorities to release them forthwith. On the other hand, the APHC-AJK chapter Convener, Mehmood Ahmed Saghar, in a statement issued in Islamabad deplored that the Indian troops were engaged in the genocide of the Kashmiris to change the demographic composition of occupied Kashmir. He appealed to the international community to force India to settle the Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN resolutions and Kashmiris’ aspirations.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)