Shutdown observed in Kashmir valley today
Bulldozers roll across IIOJK as thousands face eviction
Srinagar, February 09 (KMS): In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, complete shutdown was observed in Srinagar, Sopore and other areas of the Kashmir valley, today, to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Kashmiri son of the soil, Muhammad Afzal Guru.
According to Kashmir Media Service, call for the shutdown was given by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front. Despite warnings to shopkeepers by Indian military and police to keep their shops open, they kept their businesses closed while movement of traffic was thin in down town area of Srinagar city, Sopore and at other places. Indian troops and police personnel were deployed in strength to prevent people from holding protests. The shutdown was aimed at pressing the demand for the return of the mortal remains of Muhammad Afzal Guru and renowned Kashmiri liberation leader, Muhammad Maqbool Butt, from New Delhi’s Tihar Jail to occupied Kashmir for a decent burial. India had sent Muhammad Afzal Guru to the gallows in New Delhi’s Tihar Jail on this day in 2013 while Muhammad Maqbool Butt on February 11 in 1984.
Rallies were held in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to pay homage to the martyred prominent Kashmiri leaders. A march was conducted from Afzal Guru Chowk to Srinagar Highway in Muzaffarabad. The participants of the protest march carried banners and placards containing the photos of the two martyrs. Another rally was taken out in Jhelum Valley.
Senior APHC leaders Shabbir Ahmed Shah in a message from Tihar jail and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq who is under house detention in Srinagar in a statement said that India cannot suppress the Kashmiris’ freedom movement through gallows, illegal detentions and other brutal tactics. The leaders maintained that the martyrs are the real heroes of Kashmiris and a great asset of the ongoing freedom movement. The APHC leaders took strong exception to Narendra Modi regime’s eviction and demolition drive in IIOJK terming it as a part of conspiracy to cripple Kashmiris economically and render them homeless in their own homeland.
A Delhi-based media channel, NDTV, reported that the ongoing so-called anti-encroachment drive in Jammu and Kashmir has snowballed into a major controversy, with opposition parties saying the Modi regime is targeting the poor and political opponents. The NDTV reported that the massive bulldozer action across the occupied territory has triggered protests at several places. Many arrests have been made in connection with protests against the eviction drive. The Indian TV channel citing the opposition parties said the bulldozers are being used on communal lines in the territory.