HELD SRINAGAR: It has been two months since misery was unleashed in the Indian held Kashmir with children as young as nine being detained with wide ranging allegations of torture amidst massive protests against annexing of Kashmir. During the massive lock down, businesses have remained largely shut and people remained cut off from the outside world as the Indian government has suspended the mobile and internet connectivity.
India stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its autonomy on August 5 and announced splitting the state into two after sending in tens of thousands of troops to impose a lock down and detaining top politicians.
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the move was to end “a vicious cycle of terrorism, violence, separatism and corruption” and to make Kashmir a “paradise once more”.
Since 1989 tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, have died in an uprising against Indian rule by militants wanting all of Kashmir to be part of Pakistan or an independent state.
Evidence on the ground suggests the locals are livid about India´s latest move, with regular demonstrations, business houses remaining shut and children being kept out of schools. The Indian security forces have killed several militants in gun battles and police said they have intercepted weapons bound for Kashmir.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan last week told the UN General Assembly that India could unleash a “bloodbath” in the Muslim-majority region, warning of the risk of nuclear war. More than 4,000 people have been arrested since August 5, including 144 minors, around 1,000 of whom remain in custody, some under a law that allows suspects to be held for up to two years without charge. Landlines have been restored but mobile phones and the internet remain snapped in most of the Kashmir Valley. India insists “normalcy” is being restored. The locals have blamed the authorities for the death of four civilians — including a mother who was choked to death after tear gas was fired into her home. Outside the main city of Srinagar, young men told AFP last month that soldiers tortured them. The UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has said she is “deeply concerned” while Washington has called for a “rapid” lifting of restrictions.