People will hold peaceful protests in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir tomorrow in response to blasphemous remarks made by Hindutva priest Yati Narsinghanand.
According to a Kashmir Media Service report on Thursday, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference has called for these protests, emphasizing the need for collective action. In a statement issued in Srinagar, APHC spokesman Advocate Abdul Rashid Minhas urged both the Kashmiri people and religious scholars to take to the streets after Friday prayers to vocally oppose the priest’s heinous comments. He condemned the provocative remarks, asserting that they have deeply hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community, not only in India and IIOJK but also globally. Minhas further underscored the importance of unity in the face of rising incidents of Islamophobia in India, attributing this trend to the broader anti-Muslim agenda of the BJP-led government. Additionally, posters urging protests against blasphemy have emerged across various locations in Kashmir.
The APHC has also reiterated its demand for the immediate release of thousands of Kashmiris languishing in jails across India and IIOJK. Expressing concern over their illegal detention, it emphasized that poor prison conditions are severely affecting the physical and mental health of these prisoners. The APHC called for urgent action from the international community and human rights organizations to address this critical situation.
Meanwhile, Indian forces’ personnel have intensified cordon and search operations in various areas of Kupwara, Islamabad, Rajouri and Poonch districts. Residents reported to the media that the troops often invade homes, vandalize property, and intimidate occupants during these operations. Also, continuing its colonial policies against the people of Kashmir, the BJP regime has suspended yet another Muslim government employee in Baramulla. Mushtaq Ahmad Rather, who served as the Principal of Boys Higher Secondary School in Sopore, has been targeted in this latest move, raising concerns about discrimination faced by Muslim officials in IIOJK.
On the other hand, National Conference Vice President Omar Abdullah in a media interview asserted that the results of the recent Assembly elections reflect a clear rejection by the Kashmiri people of the Indian government’s decision to revoke the occupied territory’s special status on August 5, 2019.
Additionally, the indefinite hunger strike initiated by Ladakhi climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and his supporters in Delhi has entered its fifth day. Launched on Sunday afternoon, the strike aims to secure rights for the people of Ladakh. Speaking at the protest site, Wangchuk criticized New Delhi for treating Ladakh as a ‘colony’, emphasizing that the voices of the people remain unheard.