Kashmir News Weekly Roundup: 12/18-12/25
News Updates:
Another civilian from north Kashmir was subjected to enforced disappearance by the Indian Army
A civilian from north Kashmir who was detained on December 15th under the fictitious designation of “militant associate” has disappeared while being held by the Army. The family of Abdul Rashid, a civilian from the Kunan Poshpora neighborhood of the Kupwara district of north Kashmir, held a protest march in Srinagar on Wednesday. They said that their kin disappeared while being detained by the Army.
Kunan Poshpora is the twin village where on February 23th, 1991, when 300 Rajputana Rifles personnel of the Indian armed forces gang raped 150 women. A proper investigation has not been conducted to this day.
Rashid’s sister confirmed that “the army whisked him away in their vehicle, and we were told to report in the camp the next day,” adding that the following day, on December 16, when they went to the Trehgam military camp, they were made to wait until 4:00 pm after initially, the Indian Army informed them that Rashid was being questioned. “Later, we were told that he escaped from custody,” she said.
The family member claimed that while they had already spoken to the Senior Superintendent of JK Police and the Deputy Commissioner of Kupwara, nothing had been done on the ground. She continued, “We were ordered to wait for two days, but even after two days had passed our brother has still not come home.”
India has subjected 8,000 to 10,000 Kashmiris to enforced disappearances in Indian-occupied Kashmir. Under India’s occupation and ongoing settler-colonialism of Kashmir, enforced disappearances have been used to suppress Kashmiris and their resistance.
New land law: Kashmir’s hoteliers’ fears of grinding their economy to a halt
The resources in Kashmir that help their economy are continuing to be destroyed by India. The business and economic sectors in Jammu and Kashmir will completely halt the implementation of new land laws, according to the Jammu Kashmir Hoteliers Club (JKHC) and Chamber of Commerce Industry Kashmir (CCIK).
“Many small, medium, and large-scale business owners, shopkeepers, and other commercial institutions throughout J&K will suffer severe consequences if this direction is put into action,” as quoted by a JKHC official.
India seizes the property of late resistance leader Geelani
The Indian government has seized three more properties owned by Jamat-e-Islami (JeI) members as part of its ongoing campaign of repression against the organization in Kashmir. One of the three properties seized by the authorities is a residence bearing the name of the late resistance leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
The three assets include:
- A land plot of 1 Kanal and 7 Marla at Khushipura, Shalateng.
- Another land plot of 1 Kanal & 3 Marla at Khushipora Shalateng.
- A two-story residential building in Barzulla Srinagar.
JeI is a political and religious organization that has played a pivotal role in the fight for Kashmir’s independence and has significantly impacted the region’s resistance movement. After banning the organization, India has been targeting JeI by pressing relentless draconian charges against its members under the PSA and UAPA without any just cause.
India continues to grab land and transfer state resources to the Army for firing ranges
Under policies encouraging the outsourcing of assets and the transfer of land in occupied Kashmir, India continues to rob and pillage Kashmir’s natural resources. The proposals of several ministries for the transfer of land for what it refers to as “developmental projects” have been accepted by the administration that has been placed under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha of the Indian-occupied administration. Sinha is a hand-picked ruthless close associate of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his Gujarat days.
Five civilians were arrested in north Kashmir
In Kashmir, civilians continue to be detained daily under bogus charges. Five civilians were taken into custody by the Indian Army and police on Friday in the Kupwara area of north Kashmir. The individuals are identified as Ab Rouf Malik, son of Ghulam Mohammad Malik, and Altaf Ahmad Payer, son of Ghulam Qadir Payer, both of whom live in Dardsun Kralpora.
The other two civilians have been identified as Riyaz Ahmad Lone, son of Mohammad Yousuf Lone of Kralpora, and Ab Majeed Beigh, son of Ghulam Mohammad Beigh, resident of Humhama.
