Srinagar, July 21 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, one youth was killed and several others were injured, today, due to the firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells on peaceful protesters by Indian army, police and paramilitary personnel.
A patrolling party of Indian Army fired open protesting youth in Beerwah area of Badgam district killing one of them Tanveer Ahmad Wani. Eyewitnesses said that Tanveer Ahmed received a bullet in his head.
Indian police arrested the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik, along with many party activists at Dalgate in Srinagar when he was leading a march towards the UN office at Sonawar where a sit-in protest was to be held. Call for the sit-in was given by the joint resistance leadership to draw attention of the UN towards surge in the killings by Indian forces in the territory. The authorities had put other Hurriyat leaders including Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi Al-Safvi, Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza, Zafar Akbar Butt and Qazi Yasir under house arrest or in custody to stop them from leading the sit-in. The authorities once again sealed Jamia Masjid, Srinagar, and disallowed Juma prayers at the mosque on the 5th successive Friday. The occupation authorities had also imposed curfew and restrictions in Srinagar and other areas to prevent people from marching towards the UN office and holding the sit-in. All roads leading to the UN office were sealed.
Despite curfew and restrictions, people took to the streets in Srinagar, Badgam, Ganderbal, Islamabad, Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam, Baramulla, Sopore, Bandipora, Kupwara and other areas. The protesters raised high-pitched pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans. They also waved Pakistani flags at various places. Indian police resorted to brute force on the protesters in many areas, injuring several people. Complete shutdown was observed in the territory to register protest against the killing spree by Indian forces in the territory. All shops and business establishments remained closed while traffic was off the road.
The joint resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, mailed a memorandum to the UN Observer office in Srinagar and to the UN headquarters in New York. The leaders in the memorandum urged the UN Secretary General, António Guterres, and all the member nations of the World Body to take serious note of the prevailing situation of the grotesque abuse of human rights in occupied Kashmir and come forward to play an effective role to end atrocities on the people especially the systematic killing of youth in the territory.
On the other hand, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman, Syed Ali Gilani, in a statement in Srinagar said that some unseen and mysterious forces had started a feverish campaign against pro-freedom leadership and the ideology of Pakistan. He expressed concern over reports about desecration of Pakistani flag and undesirable propaganda against the resistance leadership.
