ISLAMABAD - The Indian authorities have sent the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chairman, Muhammad Yasin Malik, who was arrested by Indian police, on Monday, to jail on seven-day remand.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the authorities arrested JKLF chairman to prevent him from leading protests, today, on the completion of three years to the secret hanging of Muhammad Afzal Guru in New Delhi's Tihar Jail.
The All Parties Hurriyet Conference (G), the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, the All Parties Hurriyet Conference and other Hurriyet groups had called for a complete shutdown and peaceful protests, today. A police contingent raided the JKLF office in Srinagar and arrested Muhammad Yasin Malik along with party leaders, Mushtaq Ajmal, Ashraf-Bin-Salam and Ghulam Muhammad Dar. They have been imprisoned in Central Jail, Srinagar.
Talking to journalists before being taken into custody, Muhammad Yasin Malik said that the JKLF had decided to stage peaceful protest on Wednesday to draw attention of the world community towards India's denial of mortal remains of Muhammad Afzal Guru and Muhammad Maqbool Butt to their family members.
"It's unfortunate that we are now being disallowed to even put forth our views through peaceful means. We strongly condemn the criminal silence of the world community over this," he added.
"It is the right of every Kashmiri to demand the mortal remains of their heroes. We will continue to press for this demand as long as we are alive," he vowed. Later, a JKLF spokesman said that Yasin Malik and three other arrested leaders were presented before a magistrate in Srinagar who sent them on a seven-day judicial remand to Central Jail Srinagar.
Meanwhile, complete shutdown was observed in Indian occupied Kashmir to mark the third martyrdom anniversary of prominent Kashmiri martyr, Muhammad Afzal Guru. Call for the strike has been given by the All Parties Hurriyet Conference (G) Chairman, the All Parties Hurriyet Conference Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front Chief, Muhammad Yasin Malik, and other Hurriyet leaders and organizations, Kashmir Media Service reported.
They have also called for peaceful demonstrations to demand the mortal remains of the martyred liberation leaders, Muhammad Afzal Guru and Muhammad Maqbool Butt, who remain buried in New Delhi's Tihar jail.
All shops and business establishments are closed while traffic is off the road. On the other hand, the authorities have imposed undeclared curfew in many areas of Srinagar and strict restrictions in other towns, deploying Indian troops and police personnel in strength, to prevent people from staging anti-India demonstrations.
The authorities have also detained or put under house arrest most of pro-freedom leaders to stop them from holding protests against the unjustified hanging of Muhammad Afzal Guru and Muhammad Maqbool Butt.
The police have arrested around 60 Hurriyet activists from Baramulla, Kupwara and Sopore districts. The police personnel are also conducting raids on the houses of Hurriyet activists in Islamabad, Pulwama and Kulgam districts.
Muhammad Afzal Guru was executed in New Delhi's Tihar Jail on the 9th February, 2013, while Muhammad Maqbool Butt was hanged in the same jail on the 11th February in 1984.
Both the leaders remain buried in the premises of the jail and India has not handed over their bodies to their families.