Key Points

This move comes in response to the ongoing unrest and protests in PoJK, where locals are demanding economic relief, fair taxation, and civil rights.

The event is scheduled for October 2 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Pakistan Consulate in New York.

https://x.com/PahariRang/status/1973058366101491945

"We stand united to send a clear message to the Government of Pakistan: Stop the human rights violations," said Muhammad Aurangzeb, host at Pahari Rang Media Group and a Kashmiri social and political activist based in New York.

Meanwhile, unrest continues in PoJK. Videos shared on social media from Dadyal, known as one of the region's richest and most economically active areas, show people shutting down businesses and taking to the streets for over 48 hours in protest.

In the Neelum Valley, residents have reached Muzaffarabad's Lal Chowk, declaring that they will avenge the blood of their dead.

Sharing posts on X, protesters have warned that those firing on peaceful demonstrators will be made an example of.

Videos on social media show that in Plak Pal, Dadyal, demonstrators lifted a container and threw it off a bridge, reopening the area that had been blocked.

Violent clashes erupted in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), as Pakistani security forces opened fire on peaceful protesters demanding the Self-Rule Charter of Demands.

The protests, led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC), have resulted in over half a dozen casualties and several serious injuries in the past three days, according to the sources.

The protests, which began as peaceful demonstrations, have spread across multiple districts of PoJK. Shops, businesses, and transport services have been shut down, reflecting widespread discontent with Islamabad's handling of the situation.

This comes after the administration ordered an indefinite lockdown amid last week's protests led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC).

The demonstrations, which drew massive public support, centred around a 38-point charter of demands put forward by the JKJAAC.

The unrest is a response to the government's failure to address the committee's 38 demands, including the elimination of reserved seats in PoJK; 12 legislative seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan were abolished.

The protesters are also demanding economic relief, including slashing electricity tariffs, providing subsidised wheat flour, and ending perks for government officials. Additionally, they are demanding free education and health facilities for the people of PoJK.The internet services have been shut down across the region. The protests have turned violent, with clashes between protesters and police reported in several districts.

The protests have paralysed daily life in PoJK, with markets, shops, and transport services shut down. Demonstrators have taken to the streets, defying government crackdowns, and reports indicate that several caravans of protesters have broken through blockades to enter Muzaffarabad.

In Dudyal, Mirpur, the Action Committee declared that the body of a protester would not be buried until the administration concedes to their demands, while security forces were seen clearing bridges to disrupt the march.

Across the region, including Mirpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad, the JKJAAC has mobilised residents in large rallies and demonstrations, reflecting an unprecedented unity in the struggle for rights.

The protests underscore growing resentment against the government's inaction on the Committee's demands.

Rights activists, political figures, and diaspora leaders condemned what they described as systematic oppression by Pakistani authorities in PoJK and pledged continued backing for the people's struggle.

- ANI