Pakistan has answered public discontent in PoK with bullets, blackouts, intimidation and repression: MEA
New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS) India on Tuesday slammed Pakistan for conducting the “so-called local elections” in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), terming the electoral exercise as a “complete farce”, which cannot hide reality.
Addressing a bi-weekly media briefing in New Delhi on Tuesday, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Pakistani forces have responded to public discontent in the occupied territory with bullets, intimidation, blackouts and repression, and the crackdown has claimed the lives of at least 90 civilians. Jaiswal called for holding Pakistan accountable for its actions in PoK.
“This so-called local elections in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is a complete farce. The real happening is that of public protests and wanton killings by the Pakistani forces. Such hollow exercises cannot hide reality. Since June this year, at least 90 civilians have lost their lives in the continuing crackdown, many more have been injured as you have seen,” said Jaiswal.
“The Pakistani establishment has answered public discontent with bullets, blackouts, intimidation and repression and now seeks to manufacture legitimacy through a hollow electoral exercise. It must be held accountable and the world should see through the veneer of Pakistan’s hypocritical lecturing on human rights,” he added.
Violent clashes, allegations of electoral rigging, and the killing of political workers have overshadowed the first phase of elections in PoK with the coalition partners accusing each other of undermining the electoral process, as per local media reports.
Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) is currently witnessing the most extensive confrontation between the local population and the Pakistani state in decades. The protests led by Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JKJAAC) began on June 5 and have continued to intensify. Protesters have alleged that Pakistani security forces launched a severe crackdown in which more than 50 people have been killed and hundreds injured over the past several weeks.
Earlier in the day, the JKJAAC alleged that Pakistani forces opened live fire and used tear gas against unarmed civilians in Bagh district. The allegations also include Pakistani forces setting civilians’ motorcycles ablaze in the Makri region of Muzaffarabad district in the occupied territory.
The JKJAAC urged the United Nations, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), international media, and human rights bodies to closely monitor the deteriorating situation in PoK, press for an immediate and independent investigation and ensure accountability for any unlawful use of force.
Sharing the footage on its social media platform X, JKJAAC posted: “Security forces are using live fire and tear gas against unarmed civilians in Bagh. We call on the United Nations, OHCHR, international media, and human rights organisations to urgently monitor the situation and press for the protection of civilians and accountability for any unlawful use of force.”
In another post on X, JKJAAC said, “This video shows security personnel setting fire to civilians’ motorcycles in Makri, Muzaffarabad. We call on the United Nations, OHCHR, international media, and human rights organisations to document these reported incidents and press for an independent investigation and accountability.”
–IANS
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