Indian forces targeting IIOJK youth to crush Kashmiris’ political aspirations
#BrutalKillingsOfKashmiriYouthInIIOJK
Srinagar: Indian forces’ personnel, empowered by draconian laws, are systematically targeting Kashmiri youth in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in a calculated attempt to suppress the Kashmiris’ legitimate political aspirations and their just demand for the right to self-determination.
According to a report released by the Kashmir Media Service (KMS) on the occasion of International Youth Day, today, Indian troops are deliberately targeting Kashmiri youth for raising their voices against political injustice, widespread human rights abuses, and for demanding their fundamental rights, including their inalienable right to self-determination as enshrined in UN resolutions.
The report detailed that the youth in the occupied territory are being killed, tortured, and unlawfully detained during daily cordon and search operations, house raids, and crackdowns conducted by Indian troops, paramilitary forces, the police, and investigative agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and the State Investigation Agency (SIA).
Since the revocation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government, the situation in IIOJK has deteriorated significantly. The report highlighted that 67 Kashmiri youth have been martyred and at least 3,977 have been arrested this year alone—marking a sharp increase compared to last year’s human rights violations in the territory. It further noted that since 1989, 96,461 Kashmiris, mostly youth, had fallen to the Indian bullets in IIOJK.
The report also drew attention to the plight of over 3,000 Kashmiri youth, along with Hurriyat leaders, religious scholars (Ulema), women, journalists, and human rights activists, who remain in prolonged and illegal detention under draconian laws such as the Public Safety Act (PSA) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). These detainees are held in jails across IIOJK and India, often without fair trial or access to legal recourse.
The KMS report warned that no level of military aggression, coercion, or oppressive policies by the Indian BJP government and its puppet administration led by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in IIOJK can suppress the legitimate political will and spirit of the Kashmiri people. “India can kill the Kashmiri youth, but it cannot defeat their sentiment and struggle for freedom,” it emphasized.
Citing historical precedents, the report stressed that geniune freedom movements cannot be crushed through brute force or state terrorism. It called upon the international community, especially the United Nations, to fulfill its moral and legal responsibility to stop the ongoing human rights abuses, injustice, and merciless killings in IIOJK.
The report concluded with a call for India to be held accountable for its continued violations of international human rights laws and its crimes in the occupied territory. Despite the relentless crackdown, it said the people of Kashmir remain resolute and committed to their cause until complete justice and freedom is achieved.
