Islamabad, July 3 (IANS) As the unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which has left dozens dead so far, continues to intensify, Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), a civil society group – recently designated a terrorist organisation by Pakistani authorities, has announced massive protests on July 5 in the occupied territory.
Taking to his social media platform X on Friday, JAAC leader Sardar Amman Khan has called on people from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), wherever they are settled, to take to the streets on July 5, hold protests, and make their voices heard around the world. He said that they would neither bow down nor stop, and would continue their struggle against Pakistani authorities with full strength .
Meanwhile, the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) alleged that the situation in PoK has reached a “critical breaking point”, accusing the Pakistani authorities of continuing a brutal crackdown on peaceful rights activists, marked by strict blockade, curfew, and a total communication blackout.
In a post on X, the UKPNP’s spokesperson, Sardar Nasir Aziz Khan, said, “Shamefully, the supply of food, medicine, and essential life-saving items has been deliberately stopped. Worse still, an assassination attempt was made on Umar Nazir Kashmiri, and Shaukat Nawaz Mir (Member of the Core Committee, JAAC ) has been arrested.”
He further said that alongside this physical siege, Pakistani ministers and media outlets have launched a “venomous smear campaign and propaganda war” against Kashmiris in PoK, the JAAC and the UKPNP.
“Bullets and guns cannot resolve political and economic problems. The use of force against peaceful Kashmiris is entirely unacceptable. Millions of people demanding their basic rights cannot be silenced by violence, killings, and enforced disappearances,” the UKPNP stated.
The party called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately halt the use of force, lift the ban on JAAC, and enter honest negotiations to find a peaceful solution to this crisis.
“To our people back home: The Kashmiri Diaspora will NOT sit quietly while our brothers, sisters, mothers, and infants are placed under siege. We are your voice on the global stage,” it added, highlighting the escalating atrocities by Pakistani authorities against the people in PoK.
On Thursday, PoK witnessed the 24th day of anti-government protests, which drew over 80,000 passionate protesters to the Eidgah grounds in Rawalakot.
What began as demands for basic rights has transformed into a powerful challenge against Islamabad’s long-standing control, with local leaders delivering scathing accusations that strike at the heart of Pakistan’s narrative on regional terrorism.
Sardar Amman Khan, JAAC leader, on Thursday delivered one of the most explosive speeches of the movement.
In a bold revelation that sent ripples through the crowd, Khan asserted that it was the Pakistan Army itself which supplied weapons and ammunition to Kashmiris across the Line of Control.
“It was the Pakistan Army that handed guns to Kashmiris. And today, they dare to call us terrorists,” he declared, his words met with thunderous applause.
Khan further highlighted a Jaish-e-Mohammed rally held in Rawalakot in February last year, where armed participants openly paraded through the streets brandishing AK-47s and swords.
He pointedly reminded authorities that the Deputy Commissioner of Rawalakot had not only permitted the event but also provided security for it.
“Deputy Commissioner Rawalakot, you used to organise rallies here with guns and swords. Do you remember? And now you call us terrorists,” he said. “All these people are heirs of this land.”
The protest movement, which has united locals across PoK, revolves around 38 key demands.
Khan issued a stern warning that if these are not immediately accepted and implemented, the agitation will evolve beyond reform into a full-fledged call for Pakistan to completely withdraw from the region.
–IANS
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