Death toll in IHK clashes rises to 32
July 12, 2016
ISLAMABAD: Indian-Held Kashmir (IHK) continued to face a bloodbath on the third straight day on Monday as the death toll mounted to 32 with 444 injured after Indian soldiers fired on mourners protesting the killing of iconic rebel commander Burhan Wani.
Protesters on Monday continued to target police posts and the paramilitary CPRF’s installations seen as symbols of tyranny and torture in IHK while Indian soldiers reacted by firing live ammunition and high velocity pellet guns.Residents told The News that the funeral of Burhan was attended by a record number of people in the history of Kashmir on Saturday and had rejuvenated the Kashmir cause.
“Burhan is our inspiration, his age didn’t deter him from putting up a brave face and fighting our oppressor. All we wanted is to participate in his funeral. The authorities put up curbs and didn’t allow us to proceed. It’s now our time to show a brave face and resist the occupier in every possible manner. His death has rejuvenated our struggle now,” Junaid Ahmed, MCA student, Islamabad (South Kashmir), told The News.
Despite a curfew, road and Internet blockade, the mourners continued to hit the streets.Kashmiri anthropologist Mohamad Junaid told The News that the entire population in south IHK had been denied mobile services, making it impossible to reach out to relatives and friends.
“Many gravely ill people have not been able to reach hospitals or find medicines. Ambulances, carrying injured protesters, have been attacked on the way. A woman injured in my neighborhood, apparently from a tear gas canister, had to be carried to the hospital through winding alleyways on a pushcart because of the curfew,” he said. He said people were screaming in distress over mosque loudspeakers throughout the night, asking for help.
“Early in the morning, before the day’s armed deployment begins and youth came out to protest, the streets looked pockmarked from yesterday’s tear gas shells, bullet casings, and stones and bricks. We have seen much of this before, but the intensity of protests and the sheer anger against state violence this time (especially the IHK police) is turning a new chapter for Kashmir, especially for the south,” he added.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry summoned the Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale to the Foreign Office on Monday evening, where he demanded a fair and transparent inquiry against those individuals (Indian security forces) who had used brutal force to kill more than 30 innocent Kashmiris and injured more than 300, out of which 50 were in a critical condition.
“Such brutal use of force is not acceptable under any circumstances. We have serious concerns over the recent killings of Kashmiri leader Burhan Wani and many other civilians in Indian occupied Kashmir by the Indian military and paramilitary forces,” the foreign secretary was quoted as saying by the Foreign Office.
Reports coming in from the Valley in the aftermath of the killing of Burhan Wani say that defying curfews thousands of Kashmiri protesters tried to storm an Indian Air Force base about 25 kilometres south of the capital Srinagar as the worst civilian unrest since 2010 spread. This has seen the Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval rushing back home from Kenya where he was accompanying Prime Minister Modi on an official trip.
“If there are problems, there are solutions. We are quite confident and competent of finding solutions,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.While there is no word as to what Bambawale told the foreign secretary, the Indian external affairs ministry shrugged aside Pakistan’s concerns saying this was “India’s internal matter and Pakistan should refrain from issuing statements on the recent unrest in Kashmir.
“These (Pakistani) statements reflect Pakistan’s continued attachment to terrorism and its usage as an instrument of state policy,” tweeted Indian MEA spokesman Vikas Swarup.Aizaz Chaudhry reminded the Indian high commissioner that such use of excessive force against innocent civilians protesting peacefully over extrajudicial killings is deplorable and a blatant violation of the right to life, right to freedom of expression and opinion, right to peaceful protest, right to peaceful assembly and other fundamental rights.
Reports from Kashmir in the Indian media speak of brute force where protesting Kashmiris have been blinded by pellets shot by security forces.
The high commissioner was also reminded that such extreme oppressive measures against the Kashmiris cannot deter the valiant people of Jammu and Kashmir from their demand of exercising their right to self-determination in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.
“The Indian government should fulfil its human rights obligations as well as its commitments under the United Nations Security Council Resolutions to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute,” stated the foreign secretary.
Meanwhile, Kashmiris have also taken to social media sites registering their anger under #KashmirSiege, #KashmirNow and #UNforKashmir trends. There were also allegations that Facebook was pulling down videos and comments in response to thousands of Indians reporting it.
Many believe that Kashmir’s movement could face the Indian military without the outside help referring to Pakistan, which has always backed Kashmir’s right to self-determination in all forums.
Kashmiri commentator Najeeb Mubariki says that “one aspect in this entire killing and despair is that of Kashmiris demonstrating an inner will, periodically, often when forced to a wall, border fences, ‘foreign hands’ are shown to be the talking points they are; this is also Kashmiris, in a state of tragedy, showing they can and will stand up against a massive military and savage repression sans any outside help”.
Kashmiri journalist Baba Umar, who covered massive anti-India protests in 2008 and 2010 when scores were killed and thousands injured in the disputed valley, sees a recurrence of previous carnages.
“As we talk, I am told over 31 people have been shot dead. Some 444 are injured. Another 40 may lose eyesight after being hit by pellets banned in many countries. And with Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif condemning the Indian action in Kashmir and calling for a plebiscite, New Delhi has begun to create a narrative through its jingoistic media that the protests are being fuelled by Pakistan. India is in a denial mode. It doesn’t want to accept that the current protests against Burhan’s killing are purely indigenous,” he said.
“Since 2008 Kashmiris chose to protests for independence non-violently but in return they received coffins and bullet-riddled bodies. July 2016 is a repetition of the previous unabated killings,” he said.
The killings in different districts were registered as follows:
Islamabad: Aqib Manzoor, son of Manzoor Ahmed, R/O Khundroo Achabal, Muhammad Ashraf Dar, son of Ghulam Muhammad, R/O Halapora Kokarnag, Showkat Ahmed, son Mir, s/o Ali Muhammad, R/O Hasanpora Bijbehara, Safeer Ahmed Bhat, s/o Sanaullah, R/O Chirigam Ashmuqam, Muhammad Amir Khan, s/o Bashir Ahmed, R/O Batapora Verinag, Ajaz Ahmed Thokar, s/o Wali Muhammad, R/O Siligam Mattan, Danish Ayoub S/O Muhammad Ayoub, R/O Achabal Anantnag, Habibullah Malla, s/o Abdul Majid, R/O Brenti Achabal Anantnag, Jahangir Ahmed Ganaie, s/o Mushtaq Ahmed Hasanpora Bijbehara, Imtiyaz Ahmed Mandoo, s/o Muhammad Shafi, R/O Nundpora Khanabal Anantnag, Sajad Ahmed Thokar, s/o Abdul Rasheed, R/O Kreeri Utarsoo Anantnag, Mushtaq Ahmed Dar, R/O Halpora, Ajru Dooru, Abdul Hamid Mochi, s/o Gul Mochi R/O Arwani Bijbehara, Muhammad Shahid Magray, s/o Fayaz Ahmed, R/O Larnoo Kokarnag, Ifroz Ahmed Lone, s/o Muhammad Shafi, R/O Mattan.
Kulgam: Shahid Hussain Ganaie, s/o Asadullah, R/O Chekcholan Kulgam, Feroz Ahmed Mir, s/o Ghulam Ahmed, R/O, Nilo Begam Kulgam, Zubair Ahmed Khandey, s/o Ghulam Rasool Khandey, R/O Kolpora Kulgam, Abdul Rasheed Kumar, s/o Abdul Gafar, R/O Dh Pora Kulgam, Khurshid Ahmed Mir, s/o Abdul Razak, R/O Hariwath Kulgam, Yasmeena Akhtar, d/o Abdul Rehman, R/O Dh Pora Kulgam, Mashooq Ahmed Sheikh, s/o Muhammad Ramzan, R/O Kralokund Kulgam.
Pulwama: Muhammad Altaf Rather, s/o Muhammad Akbar, R/O Rajpora Pulwam, Irfan Ahmed Malik, s/o Manzoor Ahmed Malik, r/o Arwan Pulwama, Fayaz Ahmed Waza, s/o Muhammad Shaban, r/o Nikpora Pulwama.
Shopian: Manzoor Ahmed Bhat, s/o Muhammad Ahsan, R/O Kaigam Shopian, Muneer Ahmed Pandit, s/o Gulzar Ahmed, R/O Mohanpora Shopian, Shahid Gulzar, s/o Gulzar Ahmed, R/O Chiripora Zainpora Shopian, Azad Ahmed Thokar, s/o Ghulam Muhammad, R/O Pudus Shopian, Jahangir Ahmed Pandit, s/o Gulzar Ahmed, R/O Mohandpora Trenz Shopian, Bilal Ahmed Shan, s/o Ghulam Muhammad, R/O Zawoora Shopian, and one from Srinagar Shabir Ahmed Mir, s/o Abdul Rehman, R/O Tengpora Srinagar.
Similarly, a total 444 people have been injured in the protests, including 123 in Islamabad, 59 in Kulgam, 42 in Qazigund, 85 in Pulwama and 135 in Tral.
- Originally appeared in The News
