All vernacular, English dailies forced to suspend publication for second day
Strict curfew continued for the 10th day on Sunday in the Kashmir Valley after violent protests and unrest in the region increased the death toll to 44 following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Wani in a gunfight with the Indian occupation forces on July 8.
“Curfew shall continue in all the ten districts of the Valley,” a senior police official said.
“Security forces have been instructed to allow movement of patients along with their attendants.”
“People going to the airport will not face any hardship as air tickets were being treated as curfew passes,” the official added.
All vernacular and English dailies were forced to suspend publication for the second day on Sunday. State government officials said newspaper owners were asked to suspend publications till July 19.
Cable television operations were allowed on Saturday evening after remaining suspended for a day.
The resumption of cable television operations was allowed after the operators agreed to take off all Pakistani TV channels and two private Indian channels.
Mobile phone internet and call operations remained suspended in south Kashmir areas for the eighth day while the same remained suspended for the second day in central and northKashmir areas on Sunday.
On Saturday a mob torched a police picket in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district after which Police opened fire resulting in the death of a youth.
Train services between north Kashmir Baramulla and Bannihal town in the Jammu region also remained suspended.
All schools, colleges and universities in the Valley continued to be shut.
Senior separatist leaders including Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabir Ahmad Shah and others have been either placed under house arrest or taken into preventive custody to restrain them from participating in protests.
Separatists have appealed the people to continue the shutdown till Monday.
Meanwhile, Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference Syed Ali Geelani has appealed to international community to pave the way for an International inquiry led by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights into the mass killings by Indian armed forces in the territory.
Syed Ali Gilani has made the appeal through a letter sent to the United Nations Security Council, heads of UNSC permanent members, European Union, Organization of Islamic Cooperation and South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation.
A copy of the letter was also sent to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Prime Minister of Turkey, King of Saudi Arabia, President of China and President of Iran.
Syed Ali Gilani urged the international community to intervene in order to challenge the behavior of India and stop its reign of terror in Jammu and Kashmir.
He asked the international community to prevail upon India to create an atmosphere conducive for settlement of the Kashmir dispute as per UN resolutions.
