ISLAMABAD: Six more civilians have been killed after Pakistani security forces opened fire during clashes in Rawalakot amid rising anti-government protests in Pakistan-occupied Kashimir, several reports indicated on Tuesday.
Clashes erupted near Rawalakot's New Bus Terminal after Pakistan security personnel launched a crackdown on civilians. The deceased include Zahid Mughal, Zafar Mughal, Arsalan Akbar and Wajid Hayat, NDTV reported.
Thousands of locals have been holding large-scale anti-government protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) for the past several weeks, raising slogans against the authorities in Islamabad. What began as demands for basic rights has now transformed into a powerful challenge against Pakistan's longstanding and illegal control over the region, with local leaders delivering scathing accusations that continue to strike at the heart of Pakistani authorities' narrative on the occupied territory.
Addressing a gathering in Rawalakot recently, protest leader Javed Iqbal said, "For 78 years, they sold us the 'Srinagar liberation' churan (propaganda). That fake churan is now expired; Kashmiris are no longer buying it. When we ask for flour, we get bullets; when we ask for electricity, we get bullets; when we ask for water, we get bullets."
Stressing that PoJK is done with Pakistan, the gathering echoed with the slogan, "Every single child will fight to the death, but Kashmir (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir) will not become a province."
Videos circulating on social media also showed hundreds of locals in the occupied territory, especially women, marching against repression, high taxes, power tariffs, and arbitrary arrests.
The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has announced a long march towards Muzaffarabad on July 15, urging people across the region to join the protest in large numbers.
Meanwhile, India on Tuesday slammed Pakistan over the ongoing protests in PoJK, saying the unrest was the result of Islamabad's decades-long systemic exploitation and denial of fundamental rights.
Addressing a weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Pakistani authorities have responded to the protests with excessive police brutality, blocking essential supplies and imposing internet blackouts. He also expressed hope that the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for the "egregious abuses and misdeeds".
When asked about the ongoing protests in PoJK, Jaiswal responded, "The ongoing protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are a direct consequence of Pakistan's decades long systemic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights and administrative operation in areas under its illegal and forcible occupation."
"Rather than addressing the legitimate grievances of the local population, the Pakistani state has responded with excessive police brutality, including against helpless women and children, blocking essential supplies, including of food and medicines, enforcing internal blackouts and deploying lethal force against unarmed civilians that has led to tragic fatalities. We expect and hope that the international community will hold Pakistan fully accountable to these egregious abuses and misdeeds," he added.
--IANS
