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Kashmir News Update – 27th and 28th August

Srinagar (Indian Occupied Kashmir),

August 28:

In Occupied Kashmir the Indian troops have unleashed terror in Bandipura, Pulwama and Sopore areas, making the life of the people miserable. Delegations from these areas told newsmen in Srinagar today that Malangan and Koel Magam in Bandipura, Kaller and Shadimerg in Pulwama and Pathoka in Sopore are particular targets of military repression. They said, youth are being tortured in military camps, troops burst into houses and harass women, school going girls are teased and people made to undergo forced labour.

Reports from Lolab say, 16 youth were grabbed taken to military amp and severely tortured. The Indian troops are not allowing shopkeepers in Sopore to carry on their business. Two minor boys were arrested at Yusmerg, in Budgam while another minor student was reported missing in Islamabad (Anantnag). Seven women were reported disgraced at Mergo, in Doda area.

Meanwhile, the military authorities were greatly unnerved by seven bomb blasts last night in the high security zone around Kot Balwal, in suburbs of Jammu. The blasts destroyed two electric towers plunging the area into darkness. This is the first incident of its kind in the suburbs of Jammu. The troops besieged a vast area after the blast and carried out violent search operation.

The All Parties Hurriyat Conference has strongly denounced detention and torture of an APHC leader, Abdul Samad Wani Inqilabi. On the other hand, the President of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Party, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, now visiting Kargil area, has asked Buddhist community to be on guard against Indian conspiracy to create communal rift. He assured them that the struggle for liberation was aimed at liberating all Kashmiri people from Indian bondage. He was addressing a rally at Zanskaar, 150 kilometers from Kargil which was largely attended by Buddhists.

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According to the delegation, these areas, with population of 35 thousand people remain deprived of medical facilities. Those who travel to Gool or Riasi for obtaining medicine are robbed of it on way back by troops. The delegation said, subjecting to forced labour of youth and even 80 year old people is order of the day. Shops have been closed by troops and there is dearth of foodstuff. Killing of people has become a routine and recently one Abdul Majeed Malik of Tranga was sprayed with bullets by troops. The APHC spokesman strongly denounced the atrocities by the military officers and personnel and urged the world human rights organistaions to send their teams to the far flung areas of Gool Gulab Garh to get thepeople there rescued from military's cruelty.

The Chairman of APHC, Professor Abdul Ghani Butt has said, the compulsion of economic globalization propels the United States to ensure that there is a lasting peace in Kashmir. In a media interview in New Delhi, he reiterated the APHC's stand that the Kashmir dispute is a tripartite issue and can be resolved only by involving India, Pakistan and the people of Jammu and Kashmir. At the same time, he believed in the efficiency of US interest and intervention in helping to find a way out.

Professor Abdul Ghani Butt said, the APHC's stand on inclusion of Pakistan in Kashmir parleys is in conformity to the Indian government's policy that Pakistan is a party to the dispute. He recalled that India has been carrying on talks with Pakistan for the past 52 years. Professor Abdul Ghani Butt said, the APHC's insistance on Pakistan's participation in talks is in no Way contrary to Indian government's policies. He emphasized that inclusion of Pakistan in the talks on Kashmir can in no way be ignored.

Srinagar, (Indian Occupied Kashmir),

August 27:

The Amnesty International has called for respecting the fundamental rights, particularly the right to life and the security of person in occupied Kashmir. The call has been made in a letter, addressed to the puppet Chief Minister, Farooq Abdullah, following the Pahalgam massacre. The Amnesty objects to the Indian Defence spokesman's statement after the Pahalgam massacre that searches would continue until the "ultras' are traced and killed. The letter says, the government's policy in Indian held Kashmir appears, for some time, to have been killing, rather than to arrest and bring to trail members of the armed forces. The letter also points out that "firing in panic by security personnel speaks of institutional failures, training, communications and control. The letter described as sham, the government's effort to conduct high-level inquiry into massacres as the involvement of governm

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The amnesty says, statements about security operations consistently mention the number of "militants" killed as part of the achievement of the security forces. It refers to reports that members of the Special Task Force are given cash rewards based on the number of "militant" killed. This, the amnesty says, may have contributed to th upsurge of killings in occupied Kashmir. The letter also questions the official announcements which use revealing terms like 'eliminating militants', 'santizing areas' and 'search and destroy operation mission' of security forces. The Amnesty describe the use of such terms as "aggressive language by the government in describing its policies against "insurgents" in occupied Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the Indian military authorities have banned Namaz (prayers) in six mosques while in other mosques in the far-flung areas of Gool Gulab Garh, Azan is not allowed for the past three years. This was stated by a delegation from these areas at the APHC headquarters in Srinagar. The delegation narrated hair-raising tales of torture and terror in the administration and the military's control is total. The troops have made life of the people miserable. Even the construction of a mosque was stopped by the military authorities in Kanthaan. The Border Security Force Commander, R K Mishra and the CID Officer, Rajish Kumar, subjected the school teachers to severe violence and then closed the schools in these areasof the jungle prevails in these areas.


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