IOJK situation fast deteriorating under dual-lockdown imposed by India: Masood Khan

ISLAMABAD, Apr 29 (APP):President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan Wednesday said the situation in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) was fast deteriorating under a dual-lockdown imposed by the Indian government.
The AJK president made these remarks while individually speaking to leading national political leaders and influential members of the diaspora community, said a news release.
The president said due to the coronavirus pandemic, life around the world had come to a standstill and a strict lockdown too had been imposed in AJK to help contain, control and eliminate the coronavirus. Due to the effective implementation of lockdown in AJK, the number of infected individuals was only around 60 and no deaths had been reported so far. He added that foreign travelers were traced and tracked so as to ensure that no potential victims are left out.
President Masood Khan apprised that the situation in IOJK was fast deterring. He added that under the cover of the coronavirus lockdown, young Kashmiris were being mercilessly killed.
He said recently under the so-called cordon and search operations almost 80 Kashmiris had been martyred, adding that the exact number had yet to be known. Over 13,000 young Kashmiris, he said, some as young as 9 were incarcerated and are being tortured. The Indian leadership has claimed that these boys have been sent to “de-radicalisation camps”.
“International human rights organisations have called for the release of prisoners, as the cramped prison cells are high-risk areas for the transmission of the coronavirus”, said Masood Khan. Additionally, he said that the coronavirus patients in IOJK were not even given proper treatment and care.
Sardar Masood said on April 02, the Indian government had imposed the New Domicile Rules under which anyone from all over India who had resided in Kashmir or Jammu for 15 years, or spent seven years studying in regional educational institutions and appeared in class 10 or 12 examinations, may become permanent residents. This will also include workers, civil servants and West-Pakistan migrants.
Large tracks of lands, said Masood Khan, had been reserved for RSS operatives especially those that have been brought in after the imposition of the August 5 occupational lockdown. These lands will give a foothold to these RSS pracharaks who will terrorise the local population. Huge hospital complexes and business zones were being made on the pretext of “ushering in a new era of development.” These complexes were being established only to accommodate Hindus from all over India.
The AJK President said India had intensified attacks across the Line of Control and are targeting civilians and public infrastructure. Additionally, he said, they had shifted their mortar guns and cannons into local villages of IOJK and were using the innocent Kashmiris as human shields. “All this is done to divert the attention of the world from the human rights violations taking place in the IOJK”, he said.
The president appealed to not let the Kashmir issue die-down in the international arena. He said that only the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has till now condemned the New Domicile Rules.
He urged the political leaders and influential opinion-makers to reach out to their global counterparts in an enduring manner. He said that virtual-diplomacy is a tool that cannot be ignored and we must continue to highlight the Kashmir issue. “Continue to reach out to to the world and the international media in order to raise the profile of the Kashmir issue”, he said