At least 9 killed as JAAC begins Muzaffarabad march: PoK on edge
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "At least 9 killed as JAAC begins Muzaffarabad march: PoK on edge")
PoK protest Photograph: (X)
The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) is set to lead a major march from Rawalakot to Muzaffarabad after its deadline for the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir government expired. Thousands are expected to join the protest as security is tightened ahead of the July 27 Assembly elections.
A massive march has been organised in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) as the group's deadline to the Pakistani government is set to expire. Visuals on Wednesday (July 15) showed people gathering in large numbers as they prepared to march from Rawalakot to Muzaffarabad. The final deadline given by the group to the Shehbaz Sharif-led government was July 15. The Charter of Demands include 38 points that demand action on severe economic exploitation, governance issues, and civil liberties.
As the march began, nine people were killed and a dozen wounded as clashes between supporters and the protest group restarted, an official said on Wednesday. "Seven civilians, one paramilitary personnel and one police officer were killed during violence that erupted on Tuesday," Sardar Waheed, the top civilian official in Poonch district, where protests have been heavily concentrated, told AFP. The authorities will stop the march if the protesters attempt to proceed towards the capital," Waheed added.
In a public appeal issued ahead of the march, JAAC Core Committee member Abid Shaheen urged citizens to gather at the Rawalakot sit-in venue at 11 am on July 15 so that the procession could begin at noon. “All friends, relatives, men, and women are appealed to join the Rawalakot sit-in at 11 AM on Wednesday, July 15, so that at 12 PM, a march may proceed from the sit-in site through Rawalakot city towards Muzaffarabad, and together we raise our voices against this oppression and brutality," Shaheen said.
The JAAC had warned the Shehbaz Sharif-led government that if authorities failed to act on the group’s demands within the stipulated timeframe, they will organise a march. The protests gathered momentum in several parts of PoK in recent weeks. Elections are also scheduled in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Legislative Assembly on July 27.
What we know about the PoK protest?
As protests intensified with thousands joining it, leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, have pushed for dialogue with protesters while urging an end to the ongoing agitation. They have also proposed the formation of a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission", presenting it as a mechanism to address grievances before the polls. However, Pakistani security forces and Rangers have used brute force against the protesters. Visuals showed them with live ammunition, tear gas. Clashes were also reported in Sudhnoti, Tararkhal, and Arja and at least 6 civilians have been shot and killed by security forces.
Issuing a statement earlier, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal condemned the action, and said that the protests are a direct result of Pakistan's "decades-long systemic exploitation and denial of fundamental rights". India has urged the international community to hold Islamabad accountable for police brutality against unarmed civilians.
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