*SRINAGAR: In occupied Kashmir, over 500 political leaders and workers havebeen detained since India announced to repeal Article 370 of the IndianConstitution and divide the territory on communal line on Monday.*
Almost all Hurriyat leaders including the All Parties Hurriyat Chairman,Syed Ali Gilani, and the Chairman of Hurriyat forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq,have been put under house arrest or in jails, Kashmir Media Servicereported.
Political leaders and activists across the political spectrum have beendetained in Srinagar as well as other parts of the Valley. As per thelatest reports, about 560 such workers have been lodged in makeshiftdetention centres in Srinagar, Baramulla, Gurez and other areas, as jailsand police stations of the valley were already overcrowded with thelodgment of hundreds of Hurriyat leaders and activists already booked underfalse cases.
This time around, the occupation authorities did not spare even pro-Indiapoliticians like Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and SajjadLone – who always advanced India’s interests in the territory even at thecost of the sufferings of the Kashmiri people – and detained them.
There are reports of clashes between protesters and Indian troops fromacross the Kashmir valley but details are still not known because of theclampdown on communication links. At least six people have been martyredand over 100 injured so far due to the firing of Indian troops ondemonstrations against the abrogation of Article 370.
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Meanwhile, amid strict curfew, an eerie silence prevails in Srinagar withconcertina wire barricades laid on deserted streets and heavy deployment ofIndian police and armed forces’ personnel. People remain confined mostlyindoors due to stringent restrictions as communication links have beensnapped by the authorities to prevent anti-India demonstrations.
Aadil Dar, a Systems Engineer at a multi-national company in Gurgaon, onhis return from the Kashmir valley to join duties after a brief visit tohis parents said, “There is a complete restriction on information flow –telecommunication facilities like data, voice and landline are snapped.”
“We do not know how long this will continue. There is no way we can knowthe welfare of our near and dear ones. There is no contact with anyone fromoutside Kashmir or even within the city,” said Imtiyaz Beig, manager of thehotel, who wants to know about his family in the border town of Kupwara.