IIOJK: Indian Troops Launch Massive Search Operation in Poonch, Baramulla Districts

Srinagar: In Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, occupation troops have launched a massive cordon and search operations in Poonch and Baramulla districts.

According to Radio Pakistan, the troops conducted house-to-house searches, harassed civilians, and subjected inmates to torture. Authorities attempted to justify the operations on the pretext of sighting half a dozen drones in the areas.

Meanwhile, in Srinagar, the Peoples Democratic Party, led by its President Mehbooba Mufti, held a protest demonstration calling for the return of Kashmiri prisoners lodged in jails outside the occupied territory. Protesters raised ‘Bail, not Jail’ slogans and condemned the shifting of detainees to far-off Indian prisons.

Mehbooba Mufti said such measures not only deny prisoners a fair trial but also inflict collective punishment on their families. Police tried to detain her during the march, but she continued to lead the demonstrators, warning that such repression cannot silence the people’s demand for justice.

In New Delhi, a sit-in protest was staged at Jantar Mantar to demand release of Awami Ittehad Party President, Engineer Abdul Rasheed, and other Kashmiri political prisoners. Addressing the gathering, Delhi-based peace activist O.P. Shah described Rasheed’s prolonged incarceration as a travesty of justice and demanded his immediate release.

In Washington, thousands staged a massive protest outside the Indian Embassy, demanding the immediate release of illegally jailed Kashmiri leader Muhammad Yasin Malik and other political prisoners. Speakers warned that New Delhi was plotting Malik’s execution for speaking the truth about Kashmiris’ right to self-determination.