India turns Occupied Kashmir into ‘an open-air prison’

Kashmir endures loss of billions of dollars since New Delhi's clampdown, says Altaf Ahmad Bhat

BIRMINGHAM: Since the Modi government scrapped Article 307 in August last year turning Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) into an open-air prison, the region — famous for producing delicious apples suffered loss for almost $2.5 billion, said Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement President Altaf Ahmad Bhat on Tuesday.

While highlighting the miserable situation in the disputed territory, Bhat said that during the clampdown that has lasted for over six months, both internet and telecommunication suffer blockade penalising Kashmiris who want their basic and political rights in accordance with the United Nations resolutions.

PHOTO: EXPRESS

Speaking at the seminar held in Birmingham, UK titled ‘Occupation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir: What is going on?’, the president said that the abrogation of Article 370 was a heinous step to crush the economy of IOK. "Due to the spun-out internet shutdown,  students are unable to complete their research projects on time... students of Birmingham can be the voice of besieged students of Occupied Kashmir."

Referring to New Delhi’s false claims of democratic rights in the disputed valley, Bhat said that in 1987 the Indian government rigged their assembly elections and genuine winning candidates were not declared victorious.

“Our elections in 1987 were rigged by India to favour their handpicked and New Delhi backed political candidates against the winners,” he said, adding that India has been violating human rights since long.

The Jammu and Kashmir Salvation Movement's president went on to say that genocide of Kashmiris started on November 6 1947 when India killed nearly 3 million Kashmiris and the massacre continues, with rape bids still being used as weapon of war to crush the genuine political struggle permeating in the Himalayan valley.

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“From Maqbool Bhat to Afzal Guru all are extra judicial killings to satisfy the collective conscience of India,” he added.

Pointing out at the endless atrocities on the besieged people of Kashmir, Altaf Ahmad Bhat regretted that women in the disputed region have suffered the most as their husbands were arrested by Indian occupational forces, however, nobody knows whether they are dead or still alive.

“These thousands of women who are waiting for their missing husbands are already called half-widows.”

PHOTO: EXPRESS

Highlighting that Kashmir is a flash point that may put the peace and security of South Asia at stake, Bhat warned that the nuclear clock between New Delhi and Islamabad is continuously ticking, leading the world towards an inevitable war — only if the world doesn’t resort to a common consensus on immediate basis.

“India is not only targeting civilians along the Line of Control (LoC) but does not even allow the United Nations Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to meet Kashmiris in order to hear their ordeal,” he said, adding that 180,000 people have been killed by India since 1990s only because they were demanding their right to self-determination.

Earlier, the organiser and Kashmir Society Birmingham University President Hassan Khan welcomed the guests to the session — also attended by Tehreek-e-Kashmir UK President Raja Fahim Kayani and other journalists.

“Kashmir runs in their blood and young British Kashmiris want to know more about Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir following the lockdown and siege laid by Indian army in the occupied territory”, Khan said.