New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on July 31, Friday slammed Islamabad following reports that Pakistani forces killed over 40 people and injured scores more during recent anti-government demonstrations in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
Addressing a weekly media briefing, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Pakistan’s actions against peaceful protesters in PoJK had exposed its treatment of the people living under its control. “As you and all of us have witnessed, the Pakistani establishment continues to unleash ruthless force against peaceful civilians in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. This crackdown has resulted in the tragic death of over 40 innocent people and many more have been seriously injured. It’s the establishment’s absolute disdain for the innocent people of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir that was laid bare when their Defence Minister branded the protesting civilians as enemies”, Jaiswal exclaimed.
Referring to recent remarks by Pakistan Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah, Jaiswal said the statement amounted to an open admission of Pakistan’s state-sponsored terrorism, noting that Islamabad had trained, funded, armed and sent Mujahideen to India, who had now turned against the Pakistani state duirng the protest. “The Special Assistant of the Prime Minister [of Pakistan] on Political Affairs has openly admitted that the very Mujahideen that the Pakistani establishment trained, funded, armed, and sent to India have turned their guns inwards, weaponising themselves against the state”, the MEA spokesperson further added.
The MEA spokesperson further stated that the “so-called elections” in PoJK reflected a rejection of the Pakistani establishment by the people. “The so-called elections stand as a humiliating rejection of the Pakistan establishment. Facing a violent regime, the people have requested international organisations for an independent investigation into the unlawful killings. We urged that the international community should scrutinise Pakistan’s actions and hold it accountable for its atrocities”, he said.
MEA’S remark comes as PoJK is witnessing widespread protests, with the people complaining about widespread electoral rigging, political interference and systematic suppression of democratic rights.
The United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) has also called for urgent intervention by the United Nations and the international community over the worsening human rights situation in PoJK.
India has consistently maintained that Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and has repeatedly raised concerns over Pakistan’s support for cross-border terrorism and the treatment of civilians in the region.
PoJK boils in unrest as Pakistan’s brutal crackdown intensifies; 40 killed in 3 days
Meanwhile, tensions continue to escalate across Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), where protests that began over public grievances have intensified into a prolonged movement marked by excessive use of force by Pakistan, civilian casualties and restrictions on media access.
Against this backdrop, two residents of PoJK, Sardar Aman Khan Kashmiri from Rawalakot and social media influencer Aqeel, have issued public statements accusing Pakistani authorities of using force against peaceful demonstrators and urging national and international media to independently assess the situation on the ground.
Speaking from Rawalakot, Sardar Aman Khan Kashmiri criticised what he described as an “irresponsible” statement by the Inspector General of PoJK Police, where peaceful demonstrators had been labelled as terrorists. Rejecting the allegation, he claimed the protesters assembled in Rawalakot were unarmed civilians exercising their democratic rights.
He reiterated that security personnel had been deployed on rooftops overlooking the city and accused them of targeting civilians from elevated positions. Questioning the official narrative, Aman Khan appealed to the Pakistani government to allow unrestricted access to domestic and international media. He said that the demonstrators were ordinary citizens demanding better governance, employment opportunities, education, justice and an end to what he described as state repression.
He also appealed to people across Pakistan and the international community to support what he characterised as a constitutional and democratic movement. According to Aman Khan, the protests have continued for nearly two months and he urged citizens to raise their voices against what he termed oppression and the use of state force.
In a separate statement from D-Chowk in Rawalakot, local resident and influencer Aqeel said that the security forces continued shelling and firing at demonstrators despite the protests remaining peaceful.
He claimed that Pakistan’s national media had misrepresented the movement by portraying protesters as terrorists and he rejected the allegation and maintaining that the demonstrations were peaceful.
Aqeel further ascertained that hundreds of young people had been killed during the course of the movement. He claimed that approximately 40 people had died in the previous three days alone and many victims had sustained gunshot wounds to the chest. He thus described the incidents as targeted killings. He also said that a five-month-old infant had been killed in Mirpur during the unrest.
(With Inputs from ANI)
