——– New Delhi further intensifies surveillance in held Kashmir
——– Justice continues to elude Gaw Kadal massacre victims held Kashmir
By Asghar Ali Mubarak
ISLAMABAD: Indian forces’ personnel have further intensified checking, frisking, surveillance and patrolling in the name of security measures in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) ahead of its Republic Day on January 26. According to Kashmir Media Service report on Sunday, additional personnel have been deployed in Srinagar and surrounding localities to fortify key areas, including the venue for the main Republic Day function.
Stringent checks and surveillance measures have been put in place to monitor and control the movement of people and vehicles. The strategic deployment of forces includes paramilitary personnel, police, and specialised units equipped to handle any contingencies.
Checkpoints have been set up at key entry points, and forces’ personnel are conducting thorough inspections. In addition to the ground-level measures, technological advancements are being utilised to enhance surveillance capabilities. CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor public spaces and the intelligence network has also been activated to respond swiftly to any potential threats. The Indian military authorities have set up huge makeshift bunkers and deployed bullet proof armed vehicles everywhere to monitor the daily life of the Kashmiris. The forces’ personnel are also continuing their cordon and search operations (CASOs) in all cities, towns and villages of the territory, subjecting the residents to severe harassment.
Justice continues to elude the victims of Gaw Kadal massacre victims in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) despite the passage of 34 years. A report released by Kashmir Media Service on Sunday, said that over 50 people were martyred in Gaw Kadal area of Srinagar on January 21 in 1990 when Indian troops had resorted to indiscriminate firing on peaceful demonstrators who were protesting against the molestation of several women by troops, the previous night.
Indian troops had committed scores of brutal massacres since 1989 in IIOJK, it said, adding that over 96,287 Kashmiris had fallen to the Indian bullets in the past 35 years and that the memories of Gaw Kadal like bloodbaths were still fresh in the minds of Kashmiris.
The report pointed out that the aim of committing massacres was to instill fear among the people of Kashmir, adding that the large-scale killings of the Kashmiris were also meant to change the demography of the territory by turning its Muslim majority status into a minority. The Gaw Kadal and other massacres are a reminder of the criminal face of the occupation troops, the report deplored and added that the RSS-backed Indian regime had planned to carry out more Gaw Kadal-like carnages in the occupied territory. It lamented that the Hindutva-inspired Modi had broken all records of atrocities in the occupied territory.
However, the report said, wanton killings would not deter the Kashmiris from pursuing their struggle for right to self-determination and they would not rest till achieving freedom from Indian yoke. The report urged the international rights bodies to probe massacres committed by Indian troops in IIOJK. The world must play its role to punish culprits of Gaw Kadal and other massacres in the territory, adding that the killing fields of Kashmir was a challenge to the so-called civilized world. Meanwhile, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference Azad Jammu and Kashmir (APHC-AJK), including General Secretary Sheikh Abdul Mateen, Imtiyaz Ahmed Shah, Shameem Shawl, Javed Ahmed Butt, Syed Aijaz Rehmani, Syed Gulshan Ahmed and Mushtaq Ahmad Butt, have paid glowing tributes to the martyrs of Gaw Kadal massacre on their 34 martyrdom anniversary.
