ISLAMABAD - The Hurriyet forum Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has said the joint resistance leadership will observe May 21, the martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed-e-Millat and Hawal martyrs as Youme-e-Tajdeed and will pledge to remain steadfast and commit to take the mission of the martyrs forward.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq addressing a meeting of Awami Action Committtee (AAC) at Mirwaiz Manzil in Srinagar said the loss of life in every situation was highly regrettable and people of Kashmir continue to suffer and pay with their lives due to unresolved Kashmir dispute, Kashmir Media Service reported.
He also strongly denounced the decision of the authorities to ban religious and news channels, saying the authorities were not only muzzling the voice of people through brute force but also trying to block all information and communication.
Expressing grief over the killings in Qazigund shootout on Saturday, Mirwaiz extended condolence with the bereaved families and prayed for speedy recovery of the injured.
Apart from discussing the ongoing deteriorating situation, growing human rights violations, state sponsored terrorism and assault on students, the meeting gave final shape to the programme to commemorate Hafta-e-Shadat (Martyrdom Week) the 28th martyrdom anniversary of Mirwaiz Mohammad Farooq and 62 martyrs of Hawal massacre.
Paying rich tributes to the founding father of AAC, Mirwaiz M Farooq, Hawal martyrs and all the martyrs of Kashmir for sacrificing their lives for the better tomorrow of Kashmir, the participants stated that the mission of martyrs would be taken to forward at any cost.
Mirwaiz stated that Kashmir struggle was at a crucial juncture. He said Kashmiri students were being subjected to state terrorism, resistance leadership, workers, activists, and Kashmiri youth were being harassed and the authorities were leaving no stone unturned to push the people, especially youth, towards the wall.
"Our religious, human and political rights are being usurped by the authorities but they failed to break the will of Kashmiri people."
Brute force used on protesting students Indian forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir, used brute force on students during their protests in Srinagar, Badgam and Tral areas against the arrest of members of student community.
Indian forces fired bullets after the students of Higher Secondary School, Zainkote, staged protest demonstrations in HMT area of Srinagar on Monday morning. Massive clashes were reported between students and Indian police in Zainkote area of Srinagar, Kashmir Media Service reported.
The students of Boys Higher Secondary School and Degree College, Tral, in Pulwama district also staged protests and clashed with Indian forces at Bus Stand. Indian forces used teargas shells on students and arrested many in injured condition. Students also held protests in Badgam.
Kashmir is in grip of student protests after Indian forces forcibly barged into the premises of Pulwama College on April 15 in which over 60 students were injured. Since April 15, more than 200 students have been injured across Kashmir in various Indian forces' violent action.
Meanwhile, the Muzaffarabad-Srinagar bound bus carrying 17 passengers has been stopped short of Islamabad in Uri. The bus was stopped near Bandi on the directions of the Indian army, local police said.
16 out of 28 officers reject to join BSF
Sixteen of 28 officers selected to join the Indian Border Security Force have declined this year, an English daily in New Delhi reported. This comes amid escalated tension between India and Pakistan and forceful anti-India protests in occupied Kashmir. Earlier this year, a BSF officer had also uploaded videos saying that the force did not feed its troops well, KMS reported.
The report said, 28 candidates were selected to join the BSF after they had taken the Union Public Service Commission examination. Sixteen of them declined to join. They risk not being allowed to ever appear for the paramilitary exams ever again.
The force has 522 vacancies currently, for gazetted officers in the Assistant Commandant post or above. Last year, only 17 of 31 officers who were selected joined the force, while out of those who had taken the exam in 2013, 69 of the 110 selected officers had joined. Fifteen had resigned during training, the report added. The BSF had sacked Tej Bahadur Yadav, who had shot videos criticising the paramilitary force.