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Furious anti-military demos in occupied Kashmir

ISLAMABAD: In occupied Kashmir, furious anti-India demonstrations paralysed the daily chores in Kupwara. The demonstrations were sparked by killing of two people and torture of another during military crackdown.

According to Kashmir Media Service, a company of 8 Jat Regiment raided Manigam village in Kupwara district, severely tortured a 70-year-old person, Zia Malik, and later shot him to death.

In the same village, the troops arrested a young man, Mohammad Shafi and sprayed him with bullers. One man, Ghulam Qadir, was severely tortured and was left semi-conscious. This infuriated the people of the area who took the dead bodies of the two martyrs in an eight-kilometre-long procession and staged a protest demonstration in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office, Kupwara. They demanded action against the military culprits and also registered an FIR in the police station.

Three-hundred people, including children, were tortured by besieging troops at Daanter, in Islamabad. Fifteen of them were critically injured and had to be admitted in hospital. This provoked anti-India demonstrations. Demonstrations were also held against the arrest of a woman, Raja, in a military raid at Hyderpura, in Srinagar.

Troops carried out wreckage and plunder in two villages in Ganderbal area, which sparked angry anti-India demonstrations.

Mujahideen attacked a military camp in Surankot, Poonch, killing at least two troops and injuring several others. The Mujahideen returned to their hideout safely.

A military patrol was ambushed in Kupwara area and the troops suffered a number of casualties. The trooops carried out vindictive operation in the affected area which aroused forceful demonstrations. Brute force, inlcuding lathi-charge and teargassing, was resorted to disperse the demonstrators. The troops also indulged in firing and two dozen people were reported injured.

Police lines and a camp of renegades were attacked by Mujahideen in Kolgam, Islamabad. Policemen and renegades suffered a number of casualties.

The house of State Secretary, Muzaffar Ahmad Beg, and Congress Party office were attacked and one of the military guards posted there was critically injured.

According to the Srinagar English daily,'The Greater Kashmir', the Indian losses in Mujahideen's attacks in the past few months included several colonels, majors, DIG of Border Security Force (BSF) and a number of DPSs. The paper says that now the Mujahideen enter military camps and storm them which has unnerved the occupation forces.

The paper has also pointed out that Indian prime minister Vajpayee has decided to send more troops to occupied Kashmir to further step up military terrorism and victimisation of struggling Kashmiris.

Meanwhile, glowing tributes were paid to a martyred Mujahid Commander, Syed Shaukat Ali, on his eighth martyrdom anniversary. He laid down his life in a clash with troops in Ganderbal in 1992. APP