Forceful Demos Despite Curfew Restrictions In IOK

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th july, 2016) : Thousands of people defied curfew and other restrictions in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) to protest against the recent killing of innocent civilians by Indian forces and tried to march towards Srinagar's historic Jamia Masjid on Friday . Call for the march was jointly given by the Hurriyet leadership to pay tributes to the 59 people martyred and pray for the speedy recovery of over 6,000 others injured during the ongoing Intifada, KMS reported. Despite curfew and other restrictions, people took to the streets in Srinagar, Badgam, Ganderbal, Pattan, Sopore, Baramulla, Bandipora, Kupwara, Islamabad, Kulgam, Tral, Pulwama, Shopian, Rajouri and other areas and shouted pro-freedom, pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans.

Indian police and troops fired pellets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters at various places, injuring many of them. Indian police arrested the Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Syed Ali Gilani and Hurriyet leaders, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi Al-Safvi, to prevent them from leading a march towards Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, today.

The police took into custody Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Agha Syed Hassan Al-Moosvi Al-Safvi as they defied their house arrest, stepped out of their residences and tried to march towards the Jamia Masjid.

The puppet authorities kept all other Hurriyet leaders including Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Zafar Akbar Butt, Mukhtar Ahmed Waza, Bilal Siddiqui and Ayaz Akbar under illegal detention to prevent them from leading the march. Syed Ali Gilani talking to media persons before his arrest said that the Kashmiri people would continue their struggle till they achieved their inalienable right to self-determination.

He also asked the people to exhibit steadfastness and follow the protest programmes announced by the Hurriyet leadership to carry forward the ongoing movement. The occupation authorities continued to impose strict curfew and other restrictions in the Kashmir Valley on the 21st consecutive day, today, to stop people from conducting the march. The authorities also sealed the Jamia Masjid and Khanqah-e- Mualla in Srinagar preventing holding of Juma prayers. Renowned eye-surgeon, Dr S Natarajan, who led a three-member team of eye-specialists from India to Srinagar in an interview said that he had never seen such a situation like the one that arose in occupied Kashmir due to the use of pellet guns by Indian forces on protesters.

The team has conducted over 40 surgeries of pellet victims at Srinagar's SMHS hospital during the past four days.