HURRIYET LEADERSHIP ANNOUNCES COMPLETE SHUTDOWN TILL SEPT 8

THE Hurriyet leadership has issued a joint protest programme calendar where it has announced a complete shutdown till September 8. According to a press release issued on Thursday, in occupied Kashmir the Hurriyet leadership has extended the joint protest programme till September 8.

Chairman of All Parties Hurriyet Conference Syed Ali Geelani and other Hurriyet leaders Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik, while giving the call for a joint protest, said that tehsil level Azadi march would be held in every mohalla, village and locality towards respective tehsil headquarters. They appealed to the people to massively participate in the Azadi march.

NO JUSTIFICATION FOR USE OF FORCE: Mirwaiz Umar Farooq meanwhile said that there was no justification of use of force on peaceful protesters particularly on a mass public gathering in Sogam area of Kupwara by Indian troops.

The All Parties Hurriyet Conference also condemned the killing of a youth, Danish Manzoor, and use of brute force on protesters by Indian forces in the territory.

In a statement, the Mirwaiz-led forum, said that the use of teargas shells, pepper guns and pellet guns on people, including women, was highly deplorable.

Geelani also addressed a rally over telephone from Srinagar. He said, “We need to rise above our personal egos and with unity and discipline, everybody has to contribute to the strength of this movement.”

DOZENS OF GOVT EMPLOYEES BOOKED IN FAKE CASES: Meanwhile, the authorities in occupied Kashmir booked dozens of government employees, including 33 associated with the Education Department, for participating in pro-freedom protests during the ongoing uprising in the territory.

Kupwara district administration had forwarded a list of dozens of employees to the heads of the departments concerned in the district with the directions to take immediate action against them.

“The list of these employees has been given to the heads of the departments for initiating disciplinary action against them,” senior officials in the district administration told media men.

They said the employees whose names had been forwarded for action included 33 employees of the Education Department.

Confirming the development, the chief education officer (CEO) for Kupwara said names of 33 employees of the Education Department, including some teachers, were forwarded by the district administration with the directions to initiate action against them.

He said an FIR had been already registered against 22 employees of the department while an inquiry would be initiated against eight employees to probe their involvement in protests. He said the employees against whom FIR had been registered would remain under suspension.

Besides the Education Department, police have registered cases against scores of employees of other departments in the district.

INDIAN FORCES KILL 38 IN IOK IN AUGUST: Indian troops in their unabated acts of state terrorism killed 38 Kashmiris, including 11 teenage boys and a woman, during the month of August. According to data issued by the Research Section of Kashmir Media Service, one of those martyred was killed in custody while 23 civilians were killed during indiscriminate firing on mourners and protesters. These killings rendered four women widowed and seven children orphaned. During the month, 4,959 people were critically injured when Indian police and paramilitary personnel used brute force and fired pallets and teargas shells on peaceful demonstrators in the occupied territory while 777 civilians, mostly youth and Hurriyet activists were arrested.

The troops barged into the houses and at least molested or disgraced 150 women and damaged 190 houses during the period.