New Delhi: Pakistan must be held “accountable for its horrific human rights violations” India said Friday, as protests continue to roil illegally occupied territories of Jammu and Kashmir, which have seen at least 10 people killed and a number of individuals critically injured.
“We have seen reports on protests in several areas of Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir, including brutalities by Pakistani forces on innocent civilians. We believe that it is a natural consequence of Pakistan’s oppressive approach and its systemic plundering of resources from these territories, which remain under its forcible and illegal occupation,” Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said at a regular press briefing Friday.
Jaiswal added: “Pakistan must be held accountable for its horrific human rights violations.” The comments come at a time occupied regions have witnessed several protests and demonstrations, along with a complete shutdown for four days till Thursday.
The Pakistani government dispatched an eight-member delegation to Muzaffarabad Thursday to negotiate with the protesters, in particular the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which has been leading the movement for greater rights in the occupied territories.
The JAAC represents traders and civil society groups and is led by Shaukat Nawaz Mir, and has emerged as the leader of grassroots discontent in the territories. Protests broke out on 29 September and have brought several districts in the occupied territories to a grinding halt, according to media reports.
The Pakistani administration, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, imposed a complete communications blackout in the region, with residents having no access to internet or mobile services since 28 September.
The JAAC has accused the Pakistani government of denying the fundamental rights of people in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The Prime Minister of the region Anwarul Haq had been staying at Kashmir House in Islamabad for the last few days and returned to the region Thursday along with the eight-member negotiating delegation.
The delegation appointed by Sharif included five federal ministers—Ahsan Iqbal, Amir Muqam, Muhammad Yousaf, Rana Sanaullah and Tariq Fazal Chaudhry. The other three members are two leaders from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and a former leader from the region. The Prime Minister of Pakistan has urged peace in the region, after at least three police officials were killed during the protests Wednesday.
Two rounds of negotiations have been held between the government appointed committee and the JAAC in the last 24 hours. The strikes began after talks fell through over elite privileges and reserved refugee seats, according to Pakistani newspaper Dawn. This is at least the third mass mobilisation of protesters in the region in the last couple of years.
In May 2023, residents of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir held protests, first over rising electricity prices, which later expanded to issues such as widespread flour smuggling, Al Jazeera, the Qatari news organisation reported.
The JAAC was established in September 2023 following the first set of protests. Almost a year later in May 2024, the JAAC led a march to Muzaffarabad, during which at least five people lost their lives. Eventually, Shehbaz Sharif was forced to slash flour and electricity prices with Islamabad forced to unveil a raft of subsidies to meet the demands of the protesters.
This time round, the JAAC has identified and announced a 38-point declaration, demanding free education, healthcare and legislature reform. One of JAAC’s major demands is the perks granted to government officials, such as official vehicles, personal staff and unlimited fuel when on official work.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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