Srinagar, In the lead-up to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Srinagar scheduled for Thursday, posters have surfaced across Srinagar and other regions of occupied Jammu and Kashmir, calling for a complete shutdown. These posters, disseminated by the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) and various Hurriyet organizations, urge the Kashmiri populace to protest Modi’s visit through a strike.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the posters, attributed to groups including the Jammu and Kashmir Political Resistance Movement, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples League, and Jammu Kashmir Peoples Resistance Party among others, label Modi as a perpetrator of violence against Muslims and accuse his government of oppressive measures in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The displayed messages accuse the Modi administration of employing force to strip away the rights of Kashmiri people, notably mentioning the revocation of Articles 370 and 35-A, which previously granted special autonomy to the region.
The posters castigate Modi and his government for their alleged Hindutva-driven policies, asserting that these actions have not only obliterated Kashmiri identity but have also led to the systematic destruction of the region’s political, religious, and social fabric. Furthermore, they contend that the BJP’s demographic engineering efforts, particularly the issuance of domiciles to non-Kashmiri individuals including members of the Indian armed forces and business community, are aimed at altering the demographic makeup of Kashmir to facilitate the settlement of Indian Hindus in the territory.
These calls for a shutdown coincide with allegations of gross human rights violations by the Indian government and the denial of the Kashmiri people’s fundamental right to self-determination. The posters echo a steadfast commitment to the Kashmiri struggle for autonomy and demand the resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
The emergence of these posters and the call for a strike underscore the continued tension and unrest in the region, highlighting the deep-rooted dissatisfaction and resistance among the Kashmiri populace towards the Indian government’s policies in IIOJK.