Rawalakot/Muzaffarabad (POJK), Sep 29 (NVI) At least one Kashmiri was killed and 25injured today as people of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan launched a virtual revolt against the Pakistani regime which has been denying them their rights and resources.
A complete shutdown was observed across the Pakistan-occupied territory and lakhs of people hit the streets, expressing their anger against Pakistan.
Pakistani forces resorted to brutality, including firing at the peaceful protesters, which resulted in the killing of one person, identified as Sadheer Awan of Neelum Valley.
At least 25 others were injured, each having bullet wounds, according to reliable sources from the ground.
“Our protest was peaceful. But in Neelum, government-sponsored people came to disrupt our protest…Then there was firing. They (Pakistani forces) fired directly at our protesters,” said Shaukat Nawaz, the leader of Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) which is spearheading the agitation.
“One of our youth has been killed and over 25 are injured. Till now, post-mortem has not been conducted, nor has a case been registered against those who fired at the protesters,” he said as he visited the hospital tonight and vowed that “Until, post-mortem is done and FIR lodged, we are not going to move from here.”
Venting anger at the Pakistani regime and its military, the Kashmiri leader said, “It has been proven this time that the (Pakistani) State is a terrorist, its rulers are terrorists, its institutions are terrorists. The entire world saw their real face today.’
Information blackout and Internet shutdown imposed by the occupying regime are making percolation of news difficult.
The people of the occupied territories erupted under the banner of Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) to press a 38-point charter of demand.
Described as the ‘Azad Jammu Kashmir Rights Movement’, the protest campaign today was marked by total shutdown and processions where anti-Pakistan slogans were raised.
Major centres of the protest were Rawalakot, Kotli, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit and Baltistan.
Addressing a protest demonstration earlier in the day, Shaukat Nawaz said the agitation will resume tomorrow and continue until their demands are met.
He said the agitation had been launched under compulsion because the Pakistani regime was in no mood to listen to the grievances of the people of occupied territories of J&K and Gilgit-Baltistan.
As the sea of protesters cheered, Shaukat Nawaz said the protest had been successful on the first day today but exact details were still being obtained from various places as Internet shutdown had made communication extremely difficult.
The massive protests have unnerved the regime in Islamabad, which moved thousands of military troops into the occupied territory from Punjab Province with an aim of crushing the agitation.
But locals, who were able to pass on some information, said, ‘Azad Kashmir’ (the misnomer for POJK) is under siege and people are protesting for their rights. Forces are killing the protesters. There is total blackout and Internet is off. There is a huge lockdown.”
A local also said that the mainstream media of Pakistan was spreading lies regarding the agitation.
The people of PoJK have several grievances, particularly regarding efforts by Pakistan to change demography and character of occupied Jammu Kashmir Gilgit and Baltistan besides looting of the region’s resources and denial of their rights.
They have 38 demands, which include abolition of 12 seats in POJK Assembly reserved ostensibly for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan.
The local Kashmiris say these seats go to the puppets of the Pakistani regime and that, in turn, affects decision-making by the Assembly against the interests of the locals.
Their demands also include implementation of reforms promised last year; renegotiation of hydropower rates so that locals benefit; strengthening of local governance/accountability; and assortment of political-administrative fixes.
They also want subsidised flour for PoK and reduction of power tariffs by linking these to the cost of generation done locally from Mangla Dam.
The locals say that electricity generated from Mangla Dam in POJK should be provided to the local population at the cost at which the generation takes place, instead of the high rates extracted by the Pakistani regime.
In Gilgit-Baltistan, the locals are decrying the taxes collected by the Pakistani regime from them. They say it is against even the Constitution of Pakistan. (NVI)
