SRINAGAR – A complete shutdown is being observed today in occupied Kashmir,on the first phase of the so-called Indian parliamentary elections as wellas brutal measures against the Kashmiri people and their leadership.
The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) comprising Syed Ali Gillani, MirwaizUmar Farooq and Yasin Malik gave the call for the strike.
The JRL in a statement said that the strike is aimed to protest against the“National Investigation Agency (NIA) aggression which includes the shiftingof JKLF Chairman Muhammad Yasin Malik to Delhi’s Tihar jail under thepretext of questioning by the NIA, rigorous questioning of Mirwaiz UmarFarooq at NIA headquarters in Delhi and sustained interrogation andrepeated summoning of two sons of APHC Chairman Syed Ali Gilani to Delhi byNIA.”
The shutdown is also being observed against the closure of Kashmir’s mainhighway for civilians and a recent attack by Indian police and forces oninmates in Srinagar Central Jail.
Indians started voting on Thursday in the first phase of a huge generalelection, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi gunning for a second term.
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Voting in the first of seven rounds is being held in 91 parliamentconstituencies across 20 states and federally administered regions. Thereare 543 seats at stake.
The main opposition Congress party is trying hard to defeat the BJP overits record on the economy. The opposition has looked for allies amongregional parties.
The election will continue for over 39 days as the final phase of theelection will be held on May 19. The result will be announced on May 23.