SRINAGAR – In occupied Kashmir, a peaceful protest demonstration was heldin Srinagar, today (Tuesday), to condemn the killings, cordon and searchoperations carried out by Indian forces in Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam andIslamabad districts.

The protest was organized by the Joint Resistance Leadership and wasattended by resistance leaders including Bashir Kashmiri, Sheikh RasheedAhmad, Imtiaz Haider, Omar Aadil Dar, Showkat Ahmad Bakhshi, Noor MuhammadKalwal, Mukhtar Sofi and Advocate Yasir Ahmad.

In a statement referring to Delhi High Court’s report on the ill-treatmentof the detainees lodged in Tihar jail, the Joint Resistance Leadershipcomprising Syed Ali Gilani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malikexpressed concern about the safety of the inmates.

A three-member committee, constituted by Delhi High Court, in its reporthad said that the prisoners lodged in the infamous jail were living underconstant fear of getting killed on one pretext or the other. The reportmentioned that in November, Shahid Yousuf, the son of Syed Salahuddin, washit on his head many times until he started bleeding. Four other Kashmiriswere also tortured and thrashed by police.

Meanwhile, complete shutdown was observed on the sixth consecutive day,today, in Shopian district against the recent civilian killings.Contingents of forces were deployed at sensitive places in the district toprevent protests. Mobile Internet service remained suspended in Shopian andPulwama districts.

In his statement, APHC Chairman Syed Ali Gilani condemned the re-invokingof draconian law, Public Safety Act, against Tehreek-e-Hurriyat leaders andactivists including Abdul Ghani Butt, Abdul Subhan Wani, Muhammad AfzalButt and Zafar-ul-Islam.