Islamabad, June 8 (IANS) The United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) on Monday strongly condemned the firing by Pakistani security forces on peaceful and unarmed protesters in the Rawalakot region of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) that left several people dead and injured.
Describing the incident that unfolded on Sunday night as a “massacre”, the UKPNP said, “Peaceful protest is a democratic right. Pakistan must immediately halt this cycle of tyranny and brutality against unarmed Kashmiris.”
The organisation appealed to the United Nations and the international community to intervene and take immediate steps to ensure the protection of the lives and fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people.
UKPNP further called on the international media to highlight the ground realities in PoK.
It also urged the international media and human rights watchdogs to immediately report from Rawalakot and other affected areas of PoK and bring the real facts before the global community.
Rawalakot has become the epicentre of a widening wave of protests across PoK after authorities launched a crackdown on activists linked to the Jammu & Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (J&KJAAC), a report stated.
Citing local activists and members of the movement, the ‘European Times’ reported that tensions intensified after authorities designated the J&KJAAC as a banned organisation and rolled out a series of security measures ahead of its planned Long March on June 9. The protesting leaders also alleged that internet services across PoK had been suspended since the night of June 5, severely disrupting communication throughout the region.
According to the report, public outrage intensified following reports that Shahzaib Habib and Amjid Kashmiri, both J&KJAAC members, lost their lives during confrontations tied to the ongoing demonstrations. It added that their deaths have become a focal point of the movement, with protesters accusing security forces of using excessive force against peaceful protesters.
Reports from various parts of PoK suggest that the protest movement has expanded beyond Rawalakot, with demonstrations and shutter-down strikes reported in Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Tata Pani, and Plandari. In Plandari, local activists reportedly blocked key access routes as part of the widening agitation.
The report highlighted that the worsening situation in PoK has drawn strong reactions from the Kashmiri diaspora, with solidarity demonstrations held in the United Kingdom and concerns over human rights conditions in the region raised at international forums in the United States and Australia.
“As Rawalakot remains at the centre of the unfolding crisis, the coming days are expected to be critical. With the Long March approaching and public anger continuing to grow, the situation in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir appears poised to remain a major flashpoint, drawing increasing regional and international attention,” the European Times noted.
–IANS
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