Call for march towards Tral tomorrow
Srinagar, May 29 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, normal life remained crippled for the second consecutive day, today, due to complete shutdown, marked by strict curfew and other restrictions, against the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Sabzar Ahmad Butt and his associate by Indian troops.
All shops and business establishments were closed while traffic was off the road. The authorities had closed all educational institutions besides postponing the Kashmir University exams scheduled for today. Mobile and internet services continued to remain suspended.
Meanwhile, curfew and other restrictions were enforced in Srinagar, Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama, Badgam, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Kupwara and Baramulla districts to prevent anti-India protests. The joint resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yasin Malik had called for the two-day strike. The leadership has also called for a march towards Tral, tomorrow, to pay tributes to the Commander Sabzar Ahmad Butt and other martyrs.
The Chairman of Hurriyet forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq in a statement issued in Srinagar said that the statements coming out from New Delhi showed that the Indian government had decided to openly admit that it had handed over Kashmir and the people of Kashmir to its army. The Mirwaiz criticized the remarks of Indian Defense Minister Arun Jaitley and Army Chief and said that such statements had proved that India wanted to keep Kashmir with it no matter if all Kashmiris had to be repressed, killed or humiliated for that.
Shutdown was observed in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on the eighth death anniversary of two Kashmiri women Aasiya and Neelofar. They were abducted, molested and subsequently killed by men in uniform in Shopian on this day in 2009. The All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, in a statement demanded a probe into the gruesome incident by an international investigation agency.
On the other hand, reacting to the statement of Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on the issue of human shield, Human Rights Watch Executive Director Keneth Roth, today, said that Indian Army Chief showed ‘Criminal Leadership.’ General Bipin Rawat had termed the infamous act of strapping a Kashmiri to an army Jeep as “innovative” and said that commending the Army officer was to boost the morale of his army in Kashmir.
