Death Toll in Protest Demonstrations in PoK Rises to 12
NEW DELHI, Oct 1: The number of civilians killed rose to 12 after the third consecutive day of violent protests in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) against the Pakistani government.
At least four people were killed in Dhirkot in Bagh district, while at least two others died in Muzaffarabad and two in Mirpur, official sources said. More than 200 civilians have been injured in police firing and clashes with the security forces. Three policemen have also died in the clashes, and at least nine have been injured.
PoK has been wrecked by massive protests – led by the Joint Awami Action Committee over the ‘denial of fundamental rights’ – in the past 72 hours, including a complete shutdown of markets, shops, and local businesses, as well as a halt on transport services. Protestors threw stones and large shipping containers – strategically placed on bridges to block their march on Muzaffarabad – were tossed into the river below. Visuals showed dozens of protesters uniting to push them off the bridge.
Sources said the JAAC has blamed the Muzaffarabad deaths on Pak Rangers opening fire, and the others on heavy shelling by Pak security forces, including the Army, on civilians. The protesters – whose ‘long march’ on Muzaffarabad continues despite the crackdown – have 38 demands, which include abolition of 12 seats in the PoK Assembly reserved for Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan. Locals argue this undermines representative governance.
“Our campaign is for fundamental rights denied to our people for over 70 years… either deliver on rights or face the wrath of the people,” JAAC leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir said. Sources also said a few caravans of protesters had broken through blockades to reach Muzaffarabad; visuals of large crowds gathered emerged on social media on Wednesday morning.
Mir also delivered an ominous warning to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s administration. He said the strike was ‘plan A’ – a message that the people’s patience has run out and the authorities were now on notice. The JAAC has back-up plans and a severe ‘plan D’.
Regarding the Muzaffarabad firing, the JAAC has said the Muslim Conference – reportedly backed by Pak’s intel agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence – be labelled a terrorist group. The AAC also wants financial compensation and a government job for the families of those killed. This amount, they have insisted, must equal the amount paid to the families of the police officers who were killed during these protests.
The committee’s seven-point list of demands over the PoK unrest includes the release from prison of protesters arrested in Kashmir and Pakistan. A protest demonstration has also been planned for Thursday outside the Pakistan High Commission London by a group called ‘Friends of Joint Awami Action Committee.’
Islamabad has responded to these protests with a show of strength. Heavily-armed patrols have held flag marches through PoK towns and thousands of troops have been re-routed from adjacent Punjab province. An additional 1,000 troops have been sent from capital Islamabad, sources said. The Pak government has also restricted internet access in the region.
(Manas Dasgupta)
