ISLAMABAD – At least 70 Kashmiris, including two women and four young boys, were martyred by Indian troops during the last 200 days of military siege in the territory in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
According to the data issued by Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, of those martyred, 11 were killed in fake encounters or custody. At least 942 Kashmiris were critically injured due to the use firing of bullets, pellets and teargas shells on peaceful demonstrators by Indian military, paramilitary and police personnel in the occupied territory since August 5, 2019 till date, Kashmir Media Service reported.
Thousands of Kashmiris including Hurriyat leaders, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Aasiya Andrabi, Masarrat Aalam Butt, Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Dr Abdul Hameed Fayaz, High Court Bar Association President Mian Abdul Qayoom, Nayeem Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Aiyaz Akbar, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Peer Saifullah, Merajuddin Kalwal, Farooq Ahmad Dar, Naheeda Nasreen, Fehmeeda Sofi, Maulana Sarjan Barkati, Qazi Yasir Ahmad, Advocate Zahid Ali, Maulana Mushtaq Veeri, Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar, Abdul Samad Inqilabi and High Court Bar Association General Secretary Muhammad Ashraf Butt are under illegal detention in different jails of occupied Kashmir and India.
The Indian authorities also recently booked Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti, Dr Shah Faisal and several other political leaders under black law, Public Safety Act, in occupied Kashmir.
Kashmir Civil Society and pro-freedom organizations while expressing serious concern over continued illegal detention and deteriorating health of the political detainees have appealed to the international community and world human rights bodies to play role in the early release of all Kashmiri political detainees.
Meanwhile, daily life remains badly affected and economy adversely hurt in occupied Kashmir due to continued military siege, harassment, cordon and search operations and internet gag imposed by the Indian authorities in the territory.
