Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism, martyred two more Kashmiri youth and injured many during a 14-hour long military operation in Tral area of Pulwama district, today in occupied Kashmir.
The troops during the violent military operation killed the youth in Hafoo Nazneenpora area of the district. Police claimed that the youth were killed during an encounter and that one of the deceased youth, Aquib Moulvi, was commander of Hizbul Mujahideen.
The killings triggered massive protests in Tral. People defying curfew and restrictions came out of their houses in a large number and raised anti-India and pro-freedom slogans. Many youth were injured in clashes with the forces, on the occasion. Earlier, a policeman was killed and four army men including a major were injured in an encounter in the area.
The Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Syed Ali Gilani in a statement issued in Srinagar, today, paid glowing tributes to the martyred youth. He said that India’s intransigence was the main cause of bloodshed in the occupied territory.
Anti-India protests were held in Kulgam and Islamabad districts against highhandedness of Indian army and police. The protesters raised pro-freedom and anti-India slogans on the occasion.
An Indian soldier committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in Lower Krishna Ghati area of Poonch, this morning. This raised the number of such deaths amongst Indian troops and police personnel to 379 since January 2007.
Meanwhile, a Washington-based think-tank, the Brookings Institution, while releasing a report at the end of its 15-month study project said, despite various UN resolutions, the longstanding unresolved Kashmir dispute lies at the heart of tensions between India and Pakistan. The report said that New Delhi, emboldened by a Western-supported military build-up, was less willing to pursue a negotiated and peaceful resolution of the historic Kashmir dispute, while the Kashmiri people continue to struggle for their UN recognized right of self-determination. The report cited the Indian reluctance to hold a plebiscite in Kashmir despite its commitment to the UN, Kashmiri people and the international community in 1948 and warned that the possibility of another war could not be ruled in the region.
On the other hand, the US State Department in its 2016 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices said that restrictions on religious freedom along with corruption and police and security force abuses were among the most significant human rights problems in India.
