Salaam Aleykum PDF'ers
to all Pakistanis & friends of Kashmir -- I found this facebook group; be sure to join it for news/discussion/etc.
ALL JAMMU KASHMIR STUDENTS FRONT (AJKSF) | Facebook
incidentally, Kashmiri youth are using facebook/youtube to report on events, upload images of the violence waged by indian forces, and express anger. hindustany authorities are accusing them of using net to ''instigate'' civil unrest (freedom of speech??)
local human rights groups say several Kashmiri facebook users have received phone calls from police asking about their activities and ordering them to report to police station. Do the right thing and join the group in order to show support and solidarity to Kashmiri brothers/sisters in the interests of not bowing down or submitting to intimidation
Police threaten Kashmiri Facebook users
By Amy Kazmin in Srinagar
Published: July 19 2010 08:55 | Last updated: July 19 2010 08:55
Indian police battling to control anti-India protests in the troubled province of Kashmir are accusing Facebook users of using the social networking site to instigate civil unrest.
Over the past month of clashes that left 15 people dead in the restive province, young Kashmiris have used Facebook and YouTube to report on the events, upload images of the violence, and express their anger.
Indian authorities are now threatening to prosecute Kashmiris using Facebook and other sites to spread images and ideas that they say are inflammatory.
Local human rights groups say several Kashmiri Facebook users have received phone calls from police asking about their activities and ordering them to report to the police station. As a result, many Kashmiris are now deactivating their Facebook accounts and re-registering under false names.
So far its intimidation, said Khurram Parvez, co-ordinator of the Jammu and Kashmir Coalition of Civil Society. They are monitoring whosoever writes what.
Kashmir, the picturesque Himalayan valley at the centre of a decades-old dispute between India and Pakistan, remained tense at the weekend. Many towns were placed under curfew after residents of the northern town of Baramulla claimed a teenage boy had drowned in a river after being chased by police following a protest.
Meanwhile, hardline factions of the separatist Hurriyat Conference have called for strikes and other protests against Indian rule through the week.
One person who asked not to be identified said he received phone calls from police after he uploaded a clip of two teenagers bleeding to death after being shot by police in Anantnag.
Indian media never shows such pictures, said the 27-year-old social worker. There was no mischievous intent on my part. People here already know everything...I wanted the outside world to see.
Farrukh Faheem, a Delhi University professor visiting Anantnag, said he temporarily deactivated his account to avoid any trouble with police.
We have curfewed nights and days, and now we have a curfewed virtual world, he said.
Indian authorities have been waging an escalating battle against new communication technologies that they fear are being used to mobilise Kashmiri public opinion and organise protests against Indian rule.
Last year, New Delhi banned the use of pre-paid mobile phone cards in Kashmir , citing their potential for misuse by terrorists, a decision that left around 3.8m Kashmir phone users disconnected. Nationally, around 90 per cent of Indian phone users have prepaid cards, which require no monthly fee.
New Delhis ban on the popular services in Kashmir sparked protests and a Supreme Court challenge, forcing authorities to reverse the decision. Even still, subscribers are now subjected to verification procedures not used elsewhere. Text messaging is also banned in Kashmir.
However, Facebook poses a new challenge, as it gains popularity as a forum for dissent and spreading creative ideas for civil disobedience to challenge Indian rule.
Facebook is actually becoming one of the platforms connecting Kashmiris and disseminating uncensored information, said Mr Parvez. We can organise a public meeting. This is the only democratic space available.
FT.com / Asia-Pacific - Police threaten Kashmiri Facebook users