ISLAMABAD:The number of people killed during the massive clashes that took place between local protestors and Pakistani forces in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Tuesday has risen to 12, several reports stated on Wednesday.
The civilians were killed after Pakistani security forces reportedly opened fire during clashes in Rawalakot amid rising anti-government protests in the region.
In Islamabad, Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir and country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also came under fire as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari questioned their "role" while terming the situation in PoK since last month as “very concerning”.
Leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported that at least two law enforcers have also lost their lives in separate clashes that took place on Tuesday. Pakistani media also reported that over 4,000 Rangers have been deployed and media blacked out in the occupied territory.
As the escalating unrest enters its sixth week, thousands had gathered in Rawalakot on Tuesday, where Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) leader Sardar Amman Khan accused Pakistan of "forcibly occupying" the region and rejected Islamabad's longstanding narrative on the occupied territory.
Khan, whiled addressing thousands of people gathered for the rally, urged everyone to call PoK as an "occupied territory" rather than a "disputed territory". "It is forcibly occupied," he stated.
He vowed that the movement would continue until "victory" is achieved and made it clear that the struggle would not end even if protesters had to lay down their lives.
The massive gathering echoed with slogans against the Pakistani authorities, with demonstrators declaring that their struggle would continue until "victory" was achieved.
Meanwhile, the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) on Wednesday strongly condemned the killing of civilians in Pok by Pakistani forces amid the mounting protests in the occupied territory.
The UKPNP called for “an independent international investigation into the reported killings, excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrators, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, intimidation, and the continuing restrictions affecting civilians.”
The party called on the government of Pakistan to immediately end the use of excessive and lethal force against peaceful civilians; stop unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, intimidation, and enforced disappearances; and produce all detainees before competent courts and ensure due process.
It also urged the authorities to restore unrestricted access to food, medicine, healthcare, and humanitarian assistance, lift communication restrictions, and guarantee freedom of movement in the occupied territory.
The UKPNP further appealed to the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the wider international community to deploy an independent international fact-finding mission to PoK, conduct impartial investigations into all reported killings and alleged human rights violations and monitor the human rights situation on the ground.
The ongoing protests across PoK have emerged as a direct challenge to Islamabad's decades-long control on the region. Pakistani forces have been accused of unleashing a brutal crackdown on dozens of civilians while the region remains under a strict blockade, curfew, and a total communications blackout.
--IANS
