Srinagar, August 05, 2018 (PPI-OT): In occupied Kashmir, life came to a standstill due to a complete shutdown, today, against the Indian attempts to abrogate the Article 35-A of the Indian Constitution that grants special rights to the permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir and bars non-locals from purchasing land and property in the territory.
Call for the two-day strike commencing from today was given by the Joint Resistance Leadership and supported by legal, trader bodies and civil society organizations. All shops and business establishments were closed while traffic was off the road. Indian army and police personnel were deployed in strength to prevent anti-India protests. Train service was suspended in the territory. The two-day shutdown is aimed at expressing resentment against the hearing in the Indian Supreme Court, tomorrow, of the petitions seeking the repeal of the Article 35-A. A 14-member team of IOK Bar Association will appear before the Supreme Court to oppose the petitions.
Indian authorities placed Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Ashraf Sehrai under house detention and arrested Muhammad Yasin Malik in Srinagar in a bid to stop them from leading protests. The authorities also arrested Ghulam Ahmad Gulzar, Mohammad Yousuf Naqash, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza and Molvi Bashir Ahmad Irfani and put Engineer Hilal Ahmad War, Bilal Ahmad Sidiqui, Zafar Akbar Butt and Javed Ahmad Mir under house arrest. Kashmiri traders and manufactures, today, held a sit-in protest at Lal Chowk in Srinagar to protest the Indian attempts to scrap Article 35-A of the Indian constitution.
Meanwhile, Indian troops martyred one more civilian and critically injured another in firing in Gool area of Ramban district in Jammu region. The locals told media that the martyred Muhammad Shafi Gujjar and injured Shakeel Ahmad were engaged in cattle trade. Funerals in absentia were held for six youth martyred by Indian troops in Shopian district, yesterday. Scores of people assembled at Maisuma in Srinagar after Zuhr prayers and offered the funeral prayers.
For more information, contact:
Kashmir Media Service
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