Protests erupt in demand for freedom in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)
Srinagar/New Delhi:
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has been hit by civilian unrest, with authorities launching a major crackdown to quell protests that have spread across the occupied territory.
One police officer was killed and 90 others injured in fresh clashes on Saturday.
Protests that began against inflation, high taxes, and electricity shortages have turned into a movement for rights and freedoms across PoK.
Protesters are shouting the slogan “.Azadi They clashed with police and security agencies in Muzaffarabad and other districts.
The protests are being led by the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, with traders at the forefront.
Dozens of leaders and members of the action committee were arrested after calling for a strike on Friday.
“Complete shutdown and wheel jam strike will be observed across PoK, especially in Muzaffarabad, in response to police brutality against peaceful protesters in Dadiyar,” said Muzaffarabad Traders Association Chairman and Trade Association Chairman said member Saukat Nawaz Mir. Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, news agency IANS reported.
“Today I call on you all to come and speak out for your rights,” he added, as videos of locals demanding freedom from the Pakistani establishment go viral.
The committee held a similar protest in August 2023.
“We reject the imposition of taxes on electricity bills. Instead, we demand that electricity be provided to consumers according to the production cost of hydropower in the region,” Shaukat Nawaz. Mr. Mill said.
On May 5, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar stressed that PoK will always be part of India and said that it was an “extraordinary situation” as earlier governments did not ensure that Pakistan would withdraw from the region after independence. “The unfortunate situation continues,” he said.
“PoK has never left this country. It has always been a part of this country. There is a resolution of the Indian Parliament that says PoK is a part of India. So how do others take control? Ab ho jaata yes, if someone is not a responsible manager of the house, outsiders will come and steal something,” Jaishankar said in an interaction in Cuttack, Odisha. He spoke at the Kata session.
“Here, you allowed other countries… This very unfortunate situation continued because you did not pursue Pakistan’s leave from these territories in the early days of independence. What will happen in the future? But what I always tell people is that today PoK is again in the consciousness of the Indian people. I’ve been forced to forget, but now I’m definitely coming back,” he added. .
This was not the first time Mr. Jaishankar had blamed the previous Congress government for some of the problems that arose on the foreign policy front after independence. A week earlier, at a rally in Hyderabad, he said Sardar Patel had opposed India’s approach to the United Nations on the Kashmir issue, but India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had opposed it. He said he ignored it.
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