Release of Kashmiri detainees demanded
Srinagar, April 09 (KMS): In occupied Kashmir, thousands of people defying military siege and lockdown took to the streets and participated in the funeral of a martyred youth, Sajjad Nawaz Dar, in Sopore town of Baramulla district.
The body of martyr Sajjad was recovered from the debris of a house which was destroyed by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Arampora area of the town, yesterday. Thousands of people, mostly youth and women, joined the funeral of the youth in his native Saidepora area of the town. Amid high-pitched anti-India and pro-freedom slogans, the mourners carried the body of Sajjad Dar from Arampora to Saidepora in a big procession.
Hurriyat leaders, Shabbir Ahmad Dar, Umar Aadil Dar and Islami Tanzeem-e-Azadi, in their separate statements in Srinagar paid glowing tributes to the martyred youth. They urged the world community and the international human rights organizations to take notice of the killing of the Kashmiris by Indian troops on daily basis.
Meanwhile, the troops continued cordon and search operations in different areas of Kupwara, Baramulla, Bandipore, Shopian, Islamabad, Pulwama, Kulgam and Rajouri districts. As many as 30 people were arrested in Srinagar and Handwara areas on the charges of defying restrictions.
The High Court Bar Association of occupied Kashmir has called for the release of all illegally detained Kashmiris including its President, Mian Abdul Qayoom, lodged in different jails in view of the fast spreading coronavirus pandemic. The Executive Members of the Bar Association at a meeting through video-conferencing in Srinagar said, the jails throughout India are overcrowded, and urged the Indian Supreme Court to take notice of the potential threat to the lives of inmates, particularly those suffering from ailments. Hurriyat leader Farooq Ahmad Towheedi also demanded the release of Kashmiri detainees.
The people in the occupied territory are facing severe shortage of food including milk, bread and fresh vegetables as India has further tightened the eight months long lockdown in the name of coronavirus outbreak. The residents of Srinagar told media that on one hand Indian rulers were asking people to take precautionary measures against coronavirus, while they were starving at home, on the other.
On the other hand, Indian authorities, in violation of the internationally disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir, accorded sanction to the transfer of 40 kanal of land in Deegam area of Shopian district for construction of colonies for non-local employees.
