Kashmir News Weekly Roundup: 10/1-10/8

Exclusive:

Over 3,000 Kashmiri Muslim government employees denied salaries

The occupation authorities have withheld paychecks from more than 3,000 Muslim workers in government agencies and have demanded that the workers upload all their appointment, transfer, and promotion paperwork effective from the moment they started working for the government.

“I was hired 32 years ago, and I’m almost ready to retire. We have subsequently moved since the floodwaters ruined my home. How should I present these documents? By introducing these additional regulations every day, they are penalizing us for being Muslims. How can they expect us to have records if the government has lost them over time?” a forest department’s employee, whose pay has been withheld, told us. 

Employees across departments are having a difficult time because of the new regulation. “If I don’t present these documents, they’ll assume  that my appointment was fraudulent, and I won’t only lose my income in the future but also my pension. All my paperwork was lost when the Indian occupation forces set my house on fire in 2007. Another government worker in the power department inquires, “How am I expected to support my family at this point?

News Updates:

JK police granted access to track people on WhatsApp, X, Instagram, and Telegram

Indian police in occupied Jammu and Kashmir claim that social media giants have given the Jammu and Kashmir Police access to their systems, allowing them to monitor users they believe to be “anti-national” on such platforms. The police department is actively tracing the IP addresses of anyone engaged in such actions, according to sources there.

What sets this initiative apart is the direct cooperation the Jammu and Kashmir Police have secured from social media giants, including WhatsApp, X (formerly known as Twitter), Snapchat, Instagram, Telegram, and TikTok. This came to light when the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Cyber Investigation Kashmir (CIK) wing apprehended a civilian from Srinagar allegedly found to be operating a fake Instagram account and posting ‘anti-India’ content in the comment section.

Occupation Army has killed 31 Kashmiri freedom fighters this year

A new report states that this year, combined military operations in the Kashmir Valley have claimed the lives of 31 Kashmiri resistance fighters. The Indian Army, JK Police, SSB, BSF, and CRFP allegedly participated in combined operations at several locations around the Kashmir Valley.

Earlier this month, three Indian army officials, including a DySP, an Army Colonel, and a Major, were killed during an operation in Kokernag that lasted seven days and resulted in the deaths of two resistance fighters, including their senior leader Uzair Khan.

International institutions continue to ignore India’s war crimes in the region as human rights violations in Kashmir go unchecked. The Indian occupation force has been torturing people in its prison camps and executing civilians while labeling them as resistance fighters, setting fire to homes belonging to civilians, and killing civilians. Judges appointed by the occupation to grant them favorable rulings have taken control of Kashmir’s judiciary, which has disintegrated.

Modi and Amit Shah to hold rallies in occupied Jammu & Kashmir ahead of election in India

Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and other Indian leaders will organize rallies in the disputed area of JK to campaign for the 2024 general elections before India’s Lok Sabha elections, which are scheduled for April or May of next year. Depending on his itinerary when it is confirmed, Modi and Shah are reportedly scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir for three days.

Notably, the imposed administration puts on a beautifying drive ahead of such propaganda trips to create a more pleasant picture. Yet, the people of Kashmir are routinely frisked, subjected to street harassment, and subject to disrupted traffic flows. In addition to the raid campaign, thousands of young people are routinely imprisoned before such political events.

No assembly elections in JK, only parliamentary elections in 2024: GoI

The occupying forces and agencies have claimed they are worried about a massive conspiracy to attack political activists in Kashmir during the ULB and Panchayat elections as unionist political parties prepare for those elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

The higher authorities in New Delhi have, in response, said they would be unable to proceed with ULB and Panchayat Elections as a result of these concerns, and it is likely that ULB and Panchayat Elections will not be held. Even the prospects for Assembly Elections in Jammu and Kashmir are dim, and only Parliamentary Elections will be held in JK in 2024.

Sources claim that Chief Election Commissioner B R Sharma and Chief Electoral Officer JK Pandurang K Pole will decide whether to hold the elections in the UT after careful consultation with security services. Still, they will probably reach the same conclusion since this is what New Delhi has instructed.

Spree of civilians arrests under fake labels continue in Kashmir

In the Beerwah neighborhood of the Budgam district in central Kashmir, the occupying troops detained four civilians on Tuesday on suspicion of possessing weapons and ammunition. The military action that took place in the Beerwah neighborhood of Budgam on the intervening night of September 25–26 was verified by the JK police and the Indian army. In a separate military operation on Wednesday in the Baramulla area of north Kashmir, police detained six civilians, including a young person allegedly connected to an armed resistance group.

Every day in Kashmir, civilians are detained on false charges in a rampage. Innocent Kashmiris are being arrested by Indian authorities and the army as part of harsh legislation like the UAPA and PSA. Every Kashmiri’s fate is in the hands of the occupying troops, who have the power to seal it at will under the fictitious labels of “militant associate,” “hybrid militant,” or “OGW.”

Occupation Authorities blame the weather for denying Kashmiris electricity

The protracted dry periods that resulted in lower water levels in most of the water bodies around the Valley were blamed by the puppet administration in JK for the power cuts. These dry spells caused Kashmir’s power plants to produce less energy than usual. The people have experienced severe suffering as a result. According to the occupation authorities, dry weather has caused the water levels in well-known bodies like the Jhelum, Doodh Ganga, and others to drop. As a result, locals have complained about a lack of water in their localities.

Notably, Kashmir experiences the worst enforced electricity crises throughout the year while being a center for creating renewable energy in the form of hydroelectricity. The electricity supply to Kashmir has been shut off, depriving the people of Kashmir of their energy. At the same time, the transmission lines that deliver power to some areas of north India continue to run unabatedly.