Srinagar
In occupied Kashmir, Grand Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam has urged the local police to shun callousness and behave with the people of Kashmir in a compassionate manner especially at a time when pandemic COVID-19 is fast spreading in the territory.
Mufti Nasir-ul-Islam in a media interview in Srinagar said that he had been receiving lot of complaints against police who had been beating, thrashing and misbehaving with the common masses.
He said if someone goes to masjid to offer prayers he is beaten and thrashed. ‘I ask local police to behave compassionately with the people as they too are part of the same society and all of us are sailing in the same boat in these challenging times,’ he added.
He also expressed resentment over the reports about extortion of hefty amount by transporters from the Kashmirs, released from Indian jails, in the name of travel charges.
Modi-government in India continues to use strong-arm-tactics to strangulate media in the occupied territory.
According to a report released by Research Section of Kashmir Media Service on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day in occupied Kashmir is one of the most dangerous places of the world where people associated with the press and media are performing their professional duties in the most difficult circumstances and situation.
The report pointed out that the Indian government wants to hide ground realities in Kashmir by blackmailing journalists as the media in Kashmir is the most oppressed in the world.’Media is under a constant threat in the territory where journalists are booked by the occupation authorities
Trump’s trade war costing US influence in Intl 5G bodies as China, Huawei lead in contributions under draconian laws for reporting the truth,’ the report added.India is using arrest, harassment, intimidation and surveillance to stop journalists from showing its atrocities in occupied Kashmir to the world. They are also facing murder attempts, threats and victimization on daily basis, it maintained.The 30-year-old Kashmiri journalist
Aasif Sultan is facing illegal detention since 2018 and another journalist Qazi Shibli was arrested kn July last year and was booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA) on 8 August 2019 and was released on 23 April 2020.
This year Indian police beat up and harassed Kashmiri journalist including Waseem Andrabi, Sanam Aijaz, Naseer Ahmad Ganie, Haroon Nabi, Kamran Yousuf, Qisar Mir, Qayoom
Khan, Kamran Raashid Bhat, Wasim Khalid and Mushtaq Ganaie while three Kashmiri journalists including Gowhar Geelani, Peerzada
Ashiq and Massarat Zahra were booked in the last month under strict laws for their writings and social media the procession and update postsThree Kashmiri journalists including
Ashiq and Massarat Zahra were booked under strict laws for their writings and social media posts in the last month alone. ‘Kashmiri journalists are called to police stations and are questioned and harassed for hours,’ the report said.’Although India has snatched every right including right to freedom of press in the occupied territory,
Kashmiri journalists are determined to fight India’s assault on media freedom. Local journalist bodies have called upon the international community to come to the rescue of Kashmiri journalists.’
Victimization of journalists in Kashmir has increased manifold since Aug 5, last year.About 20 journalists have been killed while performing their duties during the Kashmiris’ ongoing.—KMS
