ISLAMABAD: Life continued to remain uncertain in Indian occupied Kashmir and parts of Jammu region, with not even an iota of improvement in the ground situation in the valley on the 52nd consecutive day on Wednesday.According to the Kashmir Media Service, from north to south, business activities continued to remain suspended and public transport was off the road in the occupied territory. Mobile service, broadband and internet also remained shut for the 52nd consecutive day.Contradicting the Indian government’s claims that schools up to high school-level have been opened, the parents maintained that attendance of students continued to remain negligible in all 10 districts of the valley and five of the Jammu region.Most of the interiors in Srinagar’s old city area remained sealed with iron barricades and concertina wire along with the deployment of police and paramilitary forces.The clampdown has not only affected inter-district road connectivity drastically, but has also thrown great challenges for old city residents due to shutting down of factories, industries and other workplaces. There are around nine cement factories in the area and more than 70 per cent of workforce is from local population and the transportation of cement is also carried out by trucks owned by the locals. According to an estimate, there are more than 1,200 trucks in the area which are lying idle.There is also a severe shortage of medicines and lifesaving drugs in the valley. Irshad Ahmad, a chemist, told the media: “Several drugs are running short in the market, as most of the pharmaceutical companies have refused to take our new orders because of a delay in our pending payments, which we couldn’t manage to make due to the ongoing situation in the valley.”Meanwhile, there were reports of protests at Hawal and others areas of Srinagar amid appearance of posters asking people to carry their struggle against India’s illegal occupation of the valley.
09-26-2019, 09:54 PM
Kashmir under siege for 52nd straight day
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