Indian troops martyred 95,238 Kashmiris since January 1989: report

ISLAMABAD: Indian troops, in their unabated acts of state terrorism in occupied Kashmir, martyred 95,238 innocent Kashmiris, including 7,120 in custody, since January 1989 till date.

A report released by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the World Human Rights Day, today, revealed that these killings rendered 22,894 women widowed and 107,551 children orphaned.

The report said that the troops molested or disgraced 11,107 women and damaged 109,191 residential houses and other structures during the period.

Indian troops and police subjected at least 8,000 people to custodial disappearance in that time.

The report pointed out that during this year alone, Indian forces and police martyred 350 Kashmiris including PhD scholars, engineering students and Hurriyat leaders. Among those martyred were Professor Dr Muhammad Rafi Butt, Dr Manan Bashir Wani, Dr Sabzar Ahmad Sofi , Dr Abdul Ahad Ganai, M-Phil student Aedimad Fayaz Mali, Muhammad Esha Fazali (24-year-old engineering graduate), Syed Oais Shafi Shah (engineering graduate ), Aasif Ahmad Malik (28-year old B-Tech engineer), THK leader Mir Hafizulla, Muslim League leader Tariq Ahmad Ganie, Hurriyat leader Mohammad Yousuf Rather alias Yousuf Nadeem and THK leader Hakim-ul-Rehman Sultani.

Over 2,348 people were arrested including minor boys, youth, students, women and Hurriyat leaders and activists.

Resistance leaders including Shabbir Ahmad Shah, Nayeem Ahmad Khan, Syeda Aasiya Andrabi, Fehmeeda Sofi, Nahida Nasreen, Altaf Ahmed Shah, Aiyaz Muhammad Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Raja Merajuddin Kalwal, Shahid-ul Islam, Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate, Mohammad Aslam Wani, businessman Zahoor Watali, Syed Shahid Shah and Ghulam Muhammed Butt have been detained in Delhi’s Tihar jail.

Over 500 people including Hurriyat leaders Masarrat Aalam Butt, Ghulam Muhammad Khan Sopori, Mushtaqul Islam, Maulana Barkati, Muhammad Yousuf Mir, Farooq Ahmad Tawheedi, Mohammad Yusuf Falahi, Hakim Abdu Rashid, Gulzar Ahmad Gulzar, Nisar Hussain Rather, Umar Adil Dar, Hakim Showkat, Merajudin Nada, Zahoor Ahmad, Sirajidin, Shakeel Ahmad Bakshi, Mohmmad Amin Mangloo, Abdul Ghani Butt, Ghulam Muhideen Peer, Assadullah Parray, Fehrooz Ahmad Khan are languishing in different jails across the occupied valley and in India under the black law, Public Safety Act.

The report maintained that the puppet authorities had kept the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Chairman Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Muhammad Yasin Malik, Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai, Zafar Akbar Butt, Mukhtar Ahmad Waza, Hilal Ahmad War, Bilal Ahmad Siddiqi under detention either in their houses or in jails, time and again. They were not allowed to carry out their political activities and were also not allowed to offer Friday prayers and address public meetings.

The report said that after the extrajudicial killing of popular youth leader, Burhan Wani, on July 8, 2016, over 846 people have been killed and more than 25,909 injured so far due to the firing of bullets, pellets, PAVA and teargas shells by Indian troops, paramilitary forces and police on peaceful protesters and mourners.

Eyesight of over 2,830 young people has been partially damaged due to the pellet firing by Indian forces.

Meanwhile, Hurriyat leaders in their separate statements have appealed to the United Nations and other human rights organisations to send their teams to monitor the plight of human rights in occupied Kashmir.