56 protestors killed or missing in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir since June 9 as tensions escalate
Islamabad, July 7
Amid escalating unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, the number of protesters killed or reported missing following unprovoked firing by Pakistani security forces on peaceful demonstrators since June 9 has risen to 56, sources have revealed.
The protesters, meanwhile, continue to cite shortages of food and medicines apart from arbitrary detentions, police excesses, and repeated raids on private homes. The Pakistani authorities have adopted a "hard-line approach", imposing food and medicine blockades apart from completely shutting down media and internet services in the occupied territory.
Nearly one month after the proscription of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), the crisis in PoK has worsened, with protestors continuing to press resolution of all outstanding demands, including the contentious issue of abolition of 12 refugee seats.
The protestors have now gathered around six permanent sit-in sites in the Rawalakot district, including Darek Eidgah, Singola, Motialmara, Paniola, Mujahidabad, and Rawalakot Bus Terminal, marked by increased participation by women, elderly citizens, and children, underscoring the movement's resilience despite sustained pressure from the authorities, details have emerged.
The JAAC has also called for a boycott of Legislative Assembly elections in PoK. JAAC core committee member Umar Nazir Kashmiri announced on June 29 that activists and people associated with the Public Rights movement would boycott the upcoming elections scheduled for July 27, arguing that meaningful elections could not take place under the prevailing circumstances.
Another JAAC leader, Sardar Aman, warned that if the government restrictions and blockades continued, the movement could explore opening alternative supply and communication routes through the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to sustain the protest camps.
During his recent public addresses, Aman has alleged that the Pakistani military has indoctrinated youth in PoK and encouraged them to start an armed rebellion against India in Jammu and Kashmir.
The situation in PoK has moved beyond a simple law and order problem, with JAAC successfully uniting the fragmented divisions under a single banner.
The Pakistani security establishment, by banning the JAAC, has inadvertently closed the door on negotiations, leaving the streets as the only venue for political discourse.
Experts noted that with Legislative Assembly elections in PoK slated to be held on July 27, the Pakistani authorities' refusal to address the fundamental issue of refugee seats is likely to make the security situation volatile in the region in the coming days.
The killing of innocent civilians by Pakistani security forces in PoK has also evoked a sharp reaction from the Kashmiri diaspora living in the UK and other countries, including Canada, Denmark, Australia, Germany, and the US.
People have been protesting outside the Pakistani missions in the cities of the UK, including London, Manchester, Bradford, and Birmingham, which has attracted significant international attention.
The British Kashmiris, including women, children and foreigners, on July 5 participated in the London Long March, which emanated from Parliament Square and culminated at Pakistan's High Commission in London.
Apart from members of the Kashmiri diaspora, leaders from other dissident groups, including Baloch nationalists, the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) UK chapter, and the World Sindhi Congress, also joined the solidarity long march and raised slogans against the Pakistani army. More than 10,000 people participated in the march.
The crackdown on innocent Kashmiris by Pakistani security forces, experts reckon, has exposed Pakistan's longstanding propaganda that the interests of Kashmiri Muslims are best served with Pakistan.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who follows international news closely, this is heartbreaking. The blockade of food and medicine is a clear violation of international humanitarian law. But what's really telling is the Kashmiri diaspora protesting outside Pakistani embassies in the UK. Even they know Pakistan has failed the people of PoK. The refugee seat issue isn't just politics—it's about basic dignity and representation.
I'm confused—when the same thing happens in Indian Kashmir, the world jumps on India. But now that Pakistan is doing it to their own controlled region? Crickets from the UN and the OIC. 😒 Shows you how selective the outrage is. That said, I genuinely feel for the families of those 56 people. No one deserves to be shot while protesting peacefully for their rights.
Reading this from Canada, and it's just devastating. The fact that women, elderly, and children are sitting in permanent protest sites for a month shows how desperate the people of PoK are. Pakistan's "hard-line approach" is literally starving its own citizens. And the JAAC saying they might open supply routes through Indian Jammu and Kashmir? That's a massive shift. People are looking to India for help now—that's something the world should sit up and notice.
This is what happens when you militarize your administration and treat people's voices as a threat to be crushed, not a grievance to be addressed. The JAAC uniting everyone—even rival factions—shows how bad it has gotten. And banning the JAAC? That's just closing the door on dialogue. PoK is a ticking time bomb now, and with elections on July 27, it's only going to get worse. Pakistan's army thinks it can rule through fear, but history shows that never works in the long run.
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