Curfew,shutdown continue for 10th day in Kashmir

The blanket ban on newspapers comes amid a popular uprising to which the Indian authorities have responded by killing at least 42 Kashmiri civilians and wounding over 2,000 people.

Over a week long cycle of violence has left 40 protesters and two policemen dead in Kashmir.

Education Minister and government spokesman Naeem Akhtar said the telecom blockade would be lifted in the next two or three days. People complained they had run of their stock of groceries and other food items.

For a third day, newspapers in Indian-held Kashmir have not hit the stands following a ban by the pro-India government in the region.

Most people in India’s portion resent the presence of Indian troops and want independence or a merger with Pakistan.

More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict so far, majority in Indian Armed force’s counter-insurgency operations.

He further stated that Pakistan will continue its diplomatic and moral support for Kashmiris.

Sitaram called for the government to send medical aid and doctors to Kashmir.

The decision was made at a special Cabinet meeting preceded over by Prime Minister Sharif, who termed the movement of Kashmiris as a “movement of freedom” in Lahore.

The divisional commissioner, Asgar Samoon, said that 80 percent of the injuries were minor, although the Hindustan Times reported on Tuesday that they had counted 110 people with bullet wounds in Srinagar, the summer capital of the Indian state, alone.

In New Delhi, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Parliament refuted the charges of use of excessive force on protesting civilians and stressed that on the contrary, the security forces had been asked to use maximum restraint and the least force.

After restricting mobile telephone services, authorities have now snapped the landline connections to curb the violent protests.

All vernacular and English dailies suspended publication for the second day on Sunday. They also detained scores of printing press workers.

Sources said while the home ministry may not replace the pellet guns in the Valley immediately, but its use will be strictly regulated to minimise the damage.

“Three people have been injured in the incident”, Deputy Commissioner Bandipore Sajad Hussain Ganai told The Indian Express. One of the wounded is said to be critical.

The state government today also extended the summer vacations for schools and colleges in the Valley by another week. While rubber pellets are not fatal, when they are fired by hydraulic pump action guns, as is the case now in Kashmir, they can cause blindness, disfigurement and damage to organs.

Khanday said that the hospital had been overwhelmed by injured protesters at the weekend, adding that it was very likely that most victims would suffer permanent damage to their vision. Many need multiple operations.