Srinagar – In a fresh act of state-sponsored terrorism, three Kashmiri youths were martyred in the Kupwara district by Indian troops on July 10, during a violent military operation in the Nawgam area, as reported by the Kashmir Media Service (KMS).
Assaults on innocent Kashmiris continue, along with the angered, turbulent responses by thousands who persistently protest against the onslaught of a decades-long systemic genocide in Jammu and Kashmir and the illicit denial by the Indian government to grant Kashmir the right of self-determination. KMS documented: “several people including two women were injured after Indian forces’ personnel fired teargas shells on protesters in Pantha Chowk area of Srinagar, on July 10. The protests erupted in the area after Indian paramilitary personnel thrashed a driver, Firdous Ahmad, and resulted in a massive traffic jam on Srinagar-Jammu highway, leaving thousands of vehicles stranded. A complete shutdown, marked by anti-India demonstrations, was observed in Kulgam, Shopian and Trehgam areas against the brutalities of Indian forces on the civilian population. Indian police arrested a Hurriyat activist from Islamabad town.”
In further coverage published by KMS, it documented: “In occupied Kashmir, thousands of people, including women and children, carried out a huge protest march against the reign of terror unleashed by Indian army on Eid-ul-Fitr day. The rally was led by independent member of so-called Kashmir Assembly [so termed due to the fact that some members of the assembly are apparently resigned to do the bidding of the Indian government], Engineer Abdur Rasheed to condemn ransacking of houses, beating up of inmates and cricket-playing youth by Indian troops and police personnel in Handwara on the day of Eid. In a dastardly incident, Army men of the 6 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), [a ruthless counter-insurgency force of the Indian Army under the authority of the Indian Ministry of Defence], along with Indian Special Operations Group(SOG) cops pounced on the secluded hamlet Sarmarag on Eid afternoon, beat up the passersby, ransacked homes and thrashed the residents. They rammed into the village playground where youth of Sarmarag and adjoining villages were playing cricket. They were beaten ruthlessly and their cell phones were snatched,” Rasheed said in a statement.”
In another abrasive and oppressive move, the passing of a constitutional amendment has permitted the implementation of a comprehensive indirect tax levy on the manufacture, sale and consumption of goods and services nationwide. It replaces all indirect taxes levied on goods and services by the Indian Central and state governments. “The Goods & Services Tax Act has finally been applied on the State of Jammu & Kashmir. After receiving concurrence from the State Government, the president of India has issued an order under Section 370(1),” reported KMS. “Legal experts, Zafar Shah and Sheikh Showkat Hussain, while terming the Indian Presidential Order on Goods and Services Tax (GST) as ‘constitutional deceit’, have said that the extending of the GST regime to the territory was a step towards surrendering the powers to Indian government, eroding whatever powers were left with Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of Indian Constitution. The ‘puppet administration’ approved the GST Bill on July 7, following the presidential order.” This sweeping law adds further economic oppression to the sever conditions already existing in Jammu and Kashmir.
The KMS report continues: “The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Syed Ali Gilani, has expressed serious concern over the increasing tension between Pakistan and India on the Line of Control. In a statement issued in Srinagar, Syed Ali Gilani said that the tension between Pakistan and India could lead to a war between the two countries in which no one would be a winner. The APHC Chairman further stated that the unresolved Kashmir dispute had been a permanent threat to peace in South Asia and the disputed nature of Jammu and Kashmir was a sore wound for both India and Pakistan. It is not a mere border issue between the two countries. Kashmir relates to 15 million people and unless the aspirations of the Kashmiri people are taken into consideration, no peace and tranquility is possible in the South Asian region,” he said. He expressed grief over the loss of precious human lives along the LoC, condemning the Indian authorities for their haughty and stubborn approach towards the Kashmir dispute and said that they were relying on their military might and their unrealistic attitude was the main obstacle in its peaceful and amicable settlement. “We (Kashmiris) are peaceful people. We have no enmity with Indian people, nor (do we) nourish any animosity against their faith. We are pursuing our fundamental right. However, Indian rulers are denying our right which they have promised to us on international forums,” he added, again appealing to the international community to help resolve the lingering dispute in accordance with the Kashmiris’ aspirations for ensuring durable peace in the region.”
kmsnews.org
Compiled and edited by The Islamic Post
