Major crackdown against Hurriyat leaders, activists

ISLAMABAD - Indian police and troops have launched a massive crackdown against pro-freedom leaders and activists in Indian occupied Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Indian police took the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik, into custody after raiding his Maisuma residence in Srinagar and lodged him at Kothibagh police station.

Indian troops and police arrested dozens of leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami of the occupied territory from their residences during nocturnal raids across the occupied territory.

Those arrested included JI Ameer, Dr Abdul Hamid Fayaz, Advocate Zahid Ali, Ghulam Qadir Lone, Abdur Rauf, Mudassir Ahmed, Abdul Salam, Bakhtawar Ahmed, Muhammad Hayat, Bilal Ahmed and Ghulam Muhammad Dar.

The JI in a statement termed the crackdown a well-designed conspiracy to further add to the already deteriorated situation in occupied Kashmir. It said that something seemed fishy at this moment when petitions challenging Article 35-A were listed in Indian Supreme Court.

Article 35-A grants special rights and privileges to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir and debars non-Kashmiris from purchasing property in the territory.

Narendra Modi-led BJP government through its agents wants to abrogate the Article 35-A by using the judiciary to pave way for settling Indian citizens in occupied Kashmir thus changing the demographic composition of the territory.

“Any attempt of eroding or tempering with Article 35-A is unacceptable for people of Jammu and Kashmir,” it added.

On the other hand, India is airlifting 100 additional companies of paramilitary soldiers to Srinagar to be deployed in the occupied territory on an urgent basis.

There has been a considerable build-up of Indian forces across occupied Kashmir after last week’s Pulwama incident in which over 40 soldiers were killed. Since then, the situation has been tense across the territory, especially in the Kashmir Valley.