Indian SC questions IOK lockdown, Kashmiris’ arrests

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India expressed its displeasure with the Narendra Modi-led government and authorities in Indian Occupied Kashmir on Wednesday over failure to file replies justifying the lockdown and curtailment of civil liberties in the disputed valley, reported India Today.

You cannot take us for granted, said the Indian SC expressing its dismay at the delay in filing affidavits by the Centre and the Occupied Jammu and Kashmir government. Appearing for the petitioners Advocate Huzefa Ahmadi stressed that if the Indian government does not want to show the orders to the petitioners, they should at least show them to the court. They have to justify every detention made in Kashmir, said the petitioner’s counsel.

Hearing one of the petitions filed by Asifa Mubeen who challenged the detention of her husband (a Non-Indian Resident or NRI), the Indian apex court inquired about unfilled affidavit as the matter pertains to an individual’s liberty.

The authorities of IOK responded that the required affidavits would be filed within five minutes. Justifying the delay the Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta told the Indian SC that he is surrounded by interveners.

India’s top court further directed the Indian government and authorities in occupied Kashmir to submittheir replies along with the copies of all detention orders.

The Indian government was also instructed to speak to mobile service providers asking people to pay their bills as India had cut access to mobile networks in the occupied valley in early August.

On behalf of petitioners senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said now mobile service providers are asking users to pay bills and are also refusing to restore phones. We want the government to tell service providers to restore connections. The matter will next be heard on October 24.

HELD SRINAGAR: In occupied Kashmir Indian troops in their fresh acts of state terrorism martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district on Wednesday. The youth were martyred in a fake encounter by the troops during cordon and search operations at Pazalpora area of the district.

Meanwhile a labourer was shot dead by unknown attackers in south Kashmir’s Kakpora area of Pulwama district on Wednesday, police said. Meanwhile Indian police arrested Hurriyat leader Muhammad Hayat Butt in Srinagar and shifted him to some unknown location. Muhammad Hayat Butt led many anti-India protests at Anchar Soura in Srinagar since India imposed lockdown after 5th August.

Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League’s AJK chapter Convener Ishtiaq Hameed in a statement expressed concern over his arrest.