Fresh reign of terror unleashes in IHK: Indian troops martyr 11 Kashmiri youths

HELD SRINAGAR: In their fresh acts of terrorism, the Indian troops on Saturday martyred 11 innocent and unarmed youths and injured dozens of others in Pulwama district of Held Kashmir, the Kashmir Media Service reported. The fresh killings drew a strong condemnation from Pakistan.

Three youths were killed during a cordon and search operation launched by troops in Kharpora Sirnoo area of the district. The killing sparked protests by residents resulting in clashes between the demonstrators and the Indian occupation forces. The India troops fired bullets, pellets and teargas shells to disperse the protesters which led to martyrdom of eight more youths.

The authorities have suspended train service and shut down mobile internet services to try to prevent the unrest from spreading. Many people were seen struggling to ferry the injured people to hospitals in Srinagar for specialised treatment. “The forces unleashed hell in our village,” said a person accompanying an injured protester at the Srinagar's SMHS hospital. At the hospital, tempers flared and people raised slogans as injured were being taken for treatment. By afternoon, 11 fresh graves were dug up in different parts of Pulwama.

Pakistan strongly condemned the abhorrent and ruthless killings of innocent Kashmiri youths, including the father of a three-month baby, by direct Indian firing. “The Indian firing also left another 200 people injured,” said the Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal in a tweet. He said from blinding 18-month-old baby Hiba to murdering 14-year-old Kashmiri boys, India has made a mockery of human rights in the Held Kashmir.

He said the establishment of a commission of inquiry as recommended by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights was imperative for bringing an immediate halt to the Indian state-sponsored terrorism and human right abuses in the IHK. The Hurriyat leaders opposed to the Indian occupation of Kashmir called for a three-day general strike to protest Saturday's killings. They also announced a march on Monday, Dec 17 to the military headquarters in Srinagar.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a senior member of the unified Joint Resistance Leadership group, took to twitter to vent anger at the government action, saying “Indian forces should kill all of us at one time rather than killing us daily".