October 26
The Kashmir valley is now often gripped with deadly silence, with tangled coils of concertina wires blocking its alleys. Indian troops in battle gear rove the streets in this Himalayan valley of fabled beauty.
In a span of less than 5 Days, 18 Kashmiris have been killed in a fresh wave of violence, which includes eight civilians and nine Militants from north to South Kashmir.
The Kashmiriyat reported that seven civilians and three Militants were killed in the Laroo area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam District on 21st October, the civilians were killed in an explosion when Forces left an encounter site without sanitizing it.
On 24 October, two more Militants including an M.Phil Scholar, Sabzar Ahmed Sofi were killed in a gunfight with Government Forces in the Nowgam area of Summer capital- Srinagar.
Thousands of mourners defying restrictions and stiff patrols reached the native of the slain Militants to attend their last rites before he was laid to rest amid bereaving and pro Independence slogans.
On the Morning of 25th October on Thursday an encounter raged in the Kreeri area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla resulting in the death of two Militants.
In the evening, another Cordon and Search Operation was launched in the Arwani area of South Kashmir, four militants were killed.
The roots of the Kashmir issue date back to 1947, the partition of British India into the new states of India and Pakistan. Kashmir today stands divided between India and Pakistan, with a de facto border known as the Line of Control.
The two nations have fought three wars over Kashmir, in 1947, 1965 and 1999. The armed Movement against Indian rule in Kashmir started around late 1988. Unofficial estimates suggest that since then more than 90,000 people have been killed in Kashmir.