Kashmiri diaspora stages protest march in Belgium; condemns atrocities by Pak forces in PoK

Brussels, Aug 13 (IANS) Several members of the Kashmiri diaspora in Belgium staged a protest march from the European Parliament to the United Nations office in Brussels, condemning the killings of innocent civilians by Pakistani forces in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK), amid the escalating unrest in the region.

The protesters on Wednesday raised slogans against Pakistani forces and called for international attention to ongoing human rights abuses in PoK, including restrictions on essential services and the brutal use of force against demonstrators as the unrest continues to intensify in the occupied territory.

This protest march came amid growing demonstrations by Kashmiri diaspora groups across the world, with protesters demanding international intervention over what they described as a brutal crackdown by Pakistani authorities in PoK.

Earlier this week, PoK-based human rights documentation and monitoring body, the Jammu Kashmir Human Rights Observatory (JKHRO), recorded 93 civilian deaths during the escalating unrest in the occupied territory between June 5 and August 5.

Last week, thousands of Kashmiri diaspora members staged a protest march in Italy’s Bologna city, condemning brutalities by Pakistani forces against peaceful protestors in PoK.

The protesters expressed solidarity with the civil society group Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and called for an end to Pakistani security forces’ operations in the region.

Taking to its social media platform X, the JAAC said that in Italy, Kashmiris staged a strong protest and appealed to the international community to raise their voice against the “genocide” of unarmed civilians by the Pakistani forces.

“Peaceful demonstrators are only demanding their basic rights,” it added.

Recently, several British parliamentarians expressed grave concern over brutalities by Pakistani forces against civilians in PoK during the anti-government protests.

British Labour Party MP Liam Byrne said that reports of live fire being used against peaceful protesters in PoK are “deeply alarming”.

Calling the killing of civilians in PoK a “tragedy”, another British MP, Adnan Hussain, said that any use of excessive or unlawful force by Pakistani authorities must be subject to a full, independent, and transparent investigation.

–IANS

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