Hurriyat leaders call for peaceful protests after Friday prayers in IoK

SRINAGAR: Hurriyat leaders called for peaceful protests after Friday prayers (tomorrow) in the Indian occupied Kashmir, as contention continued to rise in the valley after Indian security forces martyred four Kashmiri youth.

The hurriyat leadership said that the Indian forces are carrying out planned genocide of the Kashmiri youth.

The leaders said that the Indian brutality in the region has peaked and the violence has turned the valley into a battlefield.

Today, people in the IoK observed a complete shutter-down strike as all the shops and businesses remained shut, bringing a halt to the commercial activity.

On Wednesday, four youth were martyred by Indian troops in the occupied valley's Kulgam district.

The youth were killed during a protest against a cordon and search operation launched by the troops in Khudwani area of the district, in which four houses were also destroyed.

Indian troops opened fire at more than a 100 protesters who were injured by bullets and pellets.

Violence in the valley has seen a surge this year as Kashmiris renew their demand for independence. Over 20 other youth have been martyred in April alone.