Mirwaiz Writes To International Leaders Over Indian Atrocities In

ISLAMABAD,(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -24th Augst,2016) : Protests and rallies continue in held Kashmir on Wednesday despite the imposition of curfew in the valley for the past 47 days. Dozens of protesters were injured in pellet firing by Indian armed forces' personnel on anti-India protest rallies in Shopian, Nowgam, Bandipora, Sopore, Rafiabad, Baramulla, Dapan and other areas of the territory, private news channel reported. The protesters waved Pakistani flags and raised anti-India and pro-freedom slogans.

Liberation leaders including Sikh leader, Narender Singh addressing thousands of people during a protest rally in Badgam urged the international community to stop India from committing violence in Kashmir.

An official residence of an Indian army-backed Ikhwan's member was attacked in Bandipora. In another development, two Special Police Officers publicly resigned from the police jobs in Sopore and announced to join the Intifada in Kashmir. The Chairman of Hurriyet forum, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, sent an SOS letter to Pope Francis in Vatican, the Dalai lama , Imam Kaba, Shankaracharya and ambassadors of various countries in New Delhi, UN, EU and OIC regarding the urgent and grave situation in J&K. Appealing to the international community and to civil society that they cannot remain silent spectators to what is happening in Kashmir, Mirwaiz in the letter said "APHC believes that a war is being waged against us by the `democratic' Indian state, in total violation of all democratic norms." The letter reads, "The entire population of the Valley is barricaded inside their homes.

Mobile phones and internet connectivity has been disconnected. The Press has been gagged. Journalists are attacked and harassed on a daily basis. Families are in intense distress without information about their loved ones.

Hospitals have been attacked and ambulance drivers shot at with grave consequences for expectant mothers and those needing emergency medical attention. Essential supplies have been blocked, and media operations banned." "Kashmir is akin to a tinder box at present, with extreme volatility in the political situation and without timely international intervention the consequences are bound to be ghastly.

The Indian state is also making the citizens of India complicit in this brutality by obfuscating and denying them information. There is an embargo on information coming out from Kashmir. Social network sites like Facebook have been forced to remove vital information from their sites under pressure from Indian netizens.

No international human rights organization is being allowed into Kashmir for fear of exposure." "The Indian PM attempts to delegitimize our long term struggle - which began even before India's struggle for freedom - by equating it with terrorism, through an irresponsible and false discourse.

Unfortunately, the Indian state constructs its foreign policy on this bluster. 9/11 provided the Indian state an excuse to put the Kashmir struggle under the rubric of terror. In the post 9/11 Islamophobic environment it fits well with the broader narrative.

Kashmir happens to be a Muslim majority territory and India is using it as a pretext to demonize people as terrorists and miscreants." "This is a call for help to find a solution to this seemingly intractable problem which is taking a massive human toll.

India and Pakistan cannot and are not able to do this on their own," the letter reads. The occupied territory is on the boil since the extra- judicial murder of the top commander of Hizbul Mujahideen, Burhan Wani, by Indian troops on July 8. Atleast 83 people have been killed while over 80,00 injured so far in the firing of bullets, pallets, and teargas shells on peaceful protesters by Indian troops and police personnel It is being termed as the worst violence to hit the Himalayan region since 2010. Kashmir is split between India and Pakistan along a UN- monitored line of control, but both claim it in full and have fought two wars over its control. Freedom fighters have fought Indian security forces in Kashmir since 1989 for the independence of the region or for it to be made part of Pakistan. The conflict has left tens of thousands, mostly civilians, dead.