Thursday 18th Jun, 2026
Srinagar, Aug 4:The Joint Resistance Leadership comprising Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Muhammad Yasin Malik strongly condemned the killing of a civilian Bilal Ahmed Khan in Gannopora Shopian and causing critical injuries to over two dozen protesters in forces’ firing during an encounter in the area.
In a statement issued to GNS, JRL said while a complete strike will be observed on August 5 against the assault on Article 35 A, the strike will also be observed as a protest against the unabated killing of civilians and armed youth and maiming and injuries inflicted on youth in pellet and bullet firing upon them.
JRL paid rich tributes to five armed youth killed in Shopian gunfight and said that after zuhr prayers onAugust 5, funeral prayers in absentia will be held across Kashmir for the civilians and armed youth killed in the recent encounters across Kashmir.
The leadership asked the people to make the strike call for August 5 and 6 a success so that a strong message goes to the international community of how New Delhi was crushing the “legitimate struggle” of people through its military means.
Paying tributes to nine armed youth killed in various encounters in past two days in Shopian, Kupwara and Sopore and also the civilian Bilal Ahmed, JRL said, “Our youth are making the greatest sacrifice of their life for the sacred people’s movement of self determination and an end to occupation. They are being forced to take to this path as GoI refuses to give up its policy of repression and acknowledge that people of Kashmir will not yield to submission.”
Strongly denouncing the “inhuman” practice of allegedly firing live ammunition on civilian protestors around encounter sites, JRL said that showing bullets and pellets on Kashmiris has become the standard state response.
“Hundreds of troopers surround the area and blow up the houses in the area where the armed youth with little training but great commitment to the cause are holed up and then great claims of victory are made,” the leaders said.
Questioning the “criminal” silence of the world community, the leadership said that despite the UNHRC report, the conscience of the international community refuses to wake up and see “how a small nation is bravely fighting to achieve the universally accepted principle of self-determination granted to them by the UN, against a huge nation that prides itself of being the world’s biggest democracy yet committing the worst kind of human rights abuses and military might to crush them”. (GNS)