India's troop buildup triggers panic among residents in occupied Kashmir

Published August 2, 2019
Indian paramilitary troopers stand next to shuttered stores in Srinagar on August 2. — AFP
Indian paramilitary troopers stand next to shuttered stores in Srinagar on August 2. — AFP

An Indian soldier was killed on Friday during a gunbattle with Kashmiri fighters amid panic among residents over reports of India's deployment of thousands of more soldiers to the disputed region.

Police say fighting erupted on Friday after police and soldiers cordoned off a village in the southern Shopian area in occupied Kashmir on a tip that Kashmiri fighters were hiding there.

As the news of the fighting spread, anti-India protests and clashes broke out in solidarity with the Kashmiri fighters.

Panic has gripped occupied Kashmir since last week after India announced deploying at least 10,000 more soldiers to one of the world's highest militarised areas.

The troop build-up has sparked fears in occupied Kashmir that New Delhi is planning to scrap an Indian constitutional provision that disallows Indians to buy land in the Muslim-majority region.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...