India briefly detains Kashmiri leaders ahead of Sartaj Aziz visit

In a move indicating utter confusion, Indian authorities briefly detained and then released senior Kashmiri Hurriyat leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yaseen Malik on Thursday ahead of an upcoming high-level meeting between the national security advisers of Pakistan and India.

According to reports from Indian media, authorities in Occupied Kashmir launched a crackdown in Srinagar this morning after the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi invited Hurriyat leaders to meet with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's National Security Adviser Sartaj Aziz during his upcoming visit to New Delhi.

But Yaseen Malik was arrested while Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq were placed under house-arrest for only about two hours this morning before being released by Indian police.

Sartaj Aziz will be in the Indian capital for talks with his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, on August 23 and 24th August as part of efforts to resume the dialogue process between the two countries.

The Hurriyat leaders had accepted the invitation and said they would meet Aziz to discuss their issues.

According to further reports from Indian media on Thursday, police in Occupied Kashmir had also raided the residence of Kashmiri leader and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief Asiya Andrabi, who was recently booked by Indian authorities for hoisting the Pakistani flag in Srinagar on August 14, Pakistan's Independence Day.

The latest moves by Indian authorities raised tensions ahead of the NSA-level talks between the two countries, with India cancelling foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan when a similar situation developed last August.

The developments come amid a spike in tensions at the Line of Control (LoC) and working Boundary.

On Wednesday, Pakistan lodged a protest with the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad against recent unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian Security Forces in Harpal Sector of the LoC due to which a Pakistani civilian Mr. Muhammad Shareef embraced martyrdom.

Indian Security Forces also resorted to unprovoked firing at Jandrot, Nikhial and Karela Sectors, as a result of which one more civilian embraced martyrdom and four civilians were injured.

"The Deputy High Commissioner was conveyed Pakistan's concern over the continuous unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian security forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary. Pakistan urged India to immediately stop the violations and observe the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding," said a statement issued by the Foreign Office on Wednesday.