Fresh bout of protests in PoJK and Pakistan continues to unleash violence on them
The street protests in Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir are a poor reflection on Pakistan‘s policy toward the people of the territories under its illegal occupation: the people across the Line of Control have no right to protest to voice their grievances. The people have taken to streets against an Ordinance that was promulgated on October 29 to regulate public assemblies. The ordinance restricts the movement of the people and puts extraordinary barriers on their right to protest against injustice which has been heaped on them time and again.
Pakistan that raises alarm over the situation in Jammu and Kashmir and cries hoarse over the alleged rights’ abuses on this side of the LoC to fulfil its ill-intentions to instigate and incite the people, refuses to look at what it is doing in the Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir where the police and paramilitary forces unleash force on the peaceful protestors all the time.
At this moment, the protests are against the restriction on the public protests in PoJK. These started in the town of Rawalakot and now these have spread to Kotli. The protestors were interrupted by police and paramilitary forces and subjected to violence, resulting in injury to 30 people.
It all started early this year when the protestors took to streets against the rise in wheat flour prices and diversion of the electricity generated by Mangla Dam to Pakistan. The people were outraged by the fact that their resources were being controlled by outsiders – Pakistanis and they were subjected to hunger at the same time.
Several people were killed in firing by Pakistani Rangers and POJK police. The whole of POJK was up in arms against the Pakistani rule and they did not hesitate to protest even after facing bullets. It was an exhibition of their frustration and anger.
The intent behind this Ordinance is clear; Pakistan wants to control POJK with its jackboot policy. Pakistan, it can be deciphered is interested in the territory, not the people on its side of the Line of Control. It is interested in its water and electricity as also the beautiful locale that PoJK has.
For Pakistan, POJK holds much more strategic value than it was known earlier. Although it was known since Pakistan invaded the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in October 1947 that it wanted to grab the territory and water resources for the mainland Pakistan, yet it was not anticipated that it would mete out inhuman treatment to the people of POJK. Since Indian army pushed Pakistan army and its proxies – tribesmen- back from a large swathe of the territory of J&K, but unfortunately due to the premature ceasefire in 1948, it could occupy a lot of territory. It projected to the world that the areas under its occupation were “Azad,” or free, as it named those territories as “Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” but in reality, this was just a falsehood. That falsehood is coming apart now with the passage of time, and the residents have started realizing to their dismay that they have been made captive of the misguided narratives. Their sufferings are multiplying time and again, and with each passing day reaching crescendo.
In late 1980s, Pakistan made the POJK as a terror hub, which it camouflaged as training of the “Mujahids” or holy warriors to free Jammu and Kashmir from what it propagated as “Indian rule.” The people were taken in by this crap and they nurtured a hope of getting united with their people on this side of the Line of Control. Soon, however, it dawned on them that this was nothing but just yet another game of deceiving them. The terrorists started living in their neighbourhoods and soon entered their homes, outraging modesty of their womenfolk and inflicting their demands of food and money on them. These so-called warriors became looters and exploiters. And they enjoyed the patronage of Pakistan army.
The people lodged several protests and held demonstrations against Pakistan and its army. These protests gathered momentum. Now these protests have become a PoJK-wide phenomenon. The Pakistani government has responded with atrocities and curbing their civil liberties.
