SRINAGAR: Authorities in India-Occupied Kashmir tightened restrictions on people’s movements on Saturday to prevent possible protests triggered by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speech at United Nations General Assembly.
PM Khan, in an address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, warned there would be a bloodbath once India lifts its restrictions in Occupied Kashmir which have been in force since the Modi government revoked the region’s decades-old autonomy in August and detained thousands of people.
Soon after the speech, hundreds of Kashmiris came out of their homes, shouting slogans in support of Khan late on Friday night and calling for the independence of Kashmir.
On Saturday, police vans fitted with speakers made public announcements in some parts of Srinagar about movement restrictions, while additional troops were deployed to prevent any protests, according to officials and two witnesses.
The troops also blocked access to the main business centre of Srinagar with razor wire.
“This was necessitated after protests across Srinagar city last night soon after Imran Khan’s speech,” said a police official, who declined to be identified.
India’s crackdown as it revoked Kashmir’s special status was accompanied by severe restrictions on movement, as well as disconnection of telephone services.
In some areas in Kashmir — including the Soura region near Srinagar which has witnessed protests in the past against India’s decision — people clashed with security forces by pelting stones on Friday night, forcing police to use tear gas to disperse them, said the Indian official.
A Kashmiri while speaking to BBC Hindi said: “After Almighty Allah, we have our trust in Imran Khan […] we thank him for [supporting our cause].”
In his address to the UNGA, PM Khan expressed fear that Narendra Modi-led Hindu nationalist Indian government would launch a massive genocide of Kashmiris once the curfew is lifted.
Indian occupation forces have already constructed dozens of bunkers only in Srinagar and sharpshooters have been deployed at ramparts.
The Kashmir valley is under strict lockdown since August 5 when Modi-led government in New Delhi stripped occupied Kashmir of its special status by abrogating Article 370 of the Indian Constitution through a rushed presidential decree.
The occupation authorities have converted the Kashmir valley into a military garrison by the deployment of such a large number of Indian troops and paramilitary personnel in every nook and corner of the Muslim-majority Himalayan region.
However, in several towns and areas, people defying the curfew and other restrictions have been staging protests to express their resentment and anger against nefarious move of Modi government. Hundreds of incidents of protests have been reported in the occupied territory so far during which hundreds of people have been injured by the firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells by Indian occupation forces. A senior government official told media that dozens of people have received pellet injuries since August 5. He said that the numbers were based on records available with hospital authorities in Srinagar. The data from other hospitals of the valley was not available.
While people have been confined to their homes, the patients with critical ailments are not being allowed to move to hospitals. The medical stores and pharmacies have run out of stocks. The residents are facing immense hardships due to acute shortage of essential commodities like baby food and the valley is giving an impression of a critical humanitarian crisis. People are not being allowed to participate in the funeral prayers of their dear ones who pass away.
All internet and communication services and TV channels are closed in the Kashmir valley and in many areas of Jammu region. Local newspapers could not update their online editions while majority of them could also not hit the stands all these days due to restrictions. Schools in the Kashmir valley continue to remain shut as parents are not ready to risk the lives of their children in the prevailing grim situation.
It is also worth mentioning, that the Kashmiris are unable to stock the essential commodities for winter season. It will cost huge number of deaths even if curfew is lifted in later part of summer. The Kashmir valley remains cut off from the rest of the world due to closure of the Srinagar-Jammu Highway due to snowfall during winter.
Kashmir has been an epicenter of wars between Pakistan and India for several decades since the partition of the sub-continent in 1947 after getting independence from the British rule.
Over 13,000 Kashmiris including hundreds of political leaders and workers like Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai continue to remain under house arrest or in jails.
Soura is a region near Srinagar where violent clashes often erupt between protesters and Indian troops during protests against New Delhi’s aggression and illegal moves.
