ISLAMABAD : Amritsar-based Sikh political organization, Dal Khalsa, has said that India is fighting a lost battle in occupied Kashmir and to keep Kashmiris under its occupation New Delhi is using brute force and full state machinery in occupied Kashmir.

According to Kashmir Media Service, Dal Khalsa leaders, H S Cheema, Kanwar Pal Singh and H S Dhami, in a joint statement said, "Indian troops have been killing Kashmiri youth ruthlessly and the world powers are least bothered about the sufferings of people of this disputed territory."

They expressed solidarity with Kashmiri people and shared pain of the victim families. The Sikh leaders said that the
elections could not be a substitute to the right to self-determination and New Delhi was constantly denying this
fundamental right to the people of Kashmir, Punjab and North eastern states.

Terming the Indian democracy as farce, they said that the poll drama in occupied Kashmir turned out to be totally flopped with below 6 percent people coming out to cast their votes as per official figures.

"Unfortunately, Indian forces killed at least eight youth including teenage boys and injured around 200 when they opened fire on demonstrators in Badgam, Srinagar and Ganderbal districts on Sunday," the Dal Khalsa leaders said.

They said, the population especially young generation of Kashmir is being blinded, tortured and killed by Indian forces
since last year when Indian troops killed Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. "The state repression is going on unabated with total impunity," they added.

Meanwhile, the All Parties Sikh Coordination Committee (APSCC) has appealed to the all members of Sikh community to celebrate Besakhi in a simple manner to express solidarity with the Muslims following the recent killing of eight civilians inoccupied Kashmir.-APP