Police brutality by Pakistani forces on Sunday intensified against people protesting against the severe crackdown by Islamabad. According to a report by Dawn, the brutality against the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) protestors led to intense clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement agencies across multiple regions, with the Mirpur district severely impacted.
As per reports, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) residents report that the lakeside town of Dadyal in Mirpur became a primary flashpoint, leaving roughly a dozen individuals, including several police officers, injured. There were also reports of casualties.
Meanwhile, the internet suspension in PoK entered its 30th day on Sunday.
Massive protests in UK against Pakistani govt
This triggered massive protests in the United Kingdom on Sunday. Thousands of Kashmiris living in the UK participated in the London Kashmir Million March on Sunday, marching from Parliament Square to the Pakistani High Commission to protest alleged human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and demand the release of detained political activists.
The march, which sources revealed had an estimated 50,000 people, was also joined by members of the Baloch and Pashtun communities, who highlighted human rights violations by the Pakistan Army in their respective regions and expressed solidarity with the people of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
During the march, protesters chanted pro-freedom slogans and condemned the arrest of Shaukat Nawaz Mir, head of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and other political leaders. They described the detention of Kashmiri activists as an attack on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and called for their immediate release.
Pakistan's oppression
Speaking to ANI outside the Pakistan High Commission, Mahmood Kashmiri, a political activist from PoK, alleged that Pakistani forces had carried out violence against civilians in areas including Tattapani, Sehnsa and Kotli, and said Kashmiris across the world were uniting to oppose what he described as oppression in the region.
ALSO READ: PoK Anti-Pakistan Protests Intensify After Over 600 Arrests; JAAC Leader Seeks Support From Indians
"Today, outside the Pakistan High Commission, British Kashmiris are gathering in large numbers to raise their voices across the world against the oppression of Pakistani forces. Today, in Azad Kashmir, the Pakistani army has martyred our Kashmiri brothers in places like Tattapani, Sehnsa, and Kotla. Kashmiris worldwide are protesting against this tyranny and oppression by Pakistani forces," he said.
Mahmood urged Pakistan to "honour its agreements" and grant the people of PoJK their rights.
"There is still an opportunity for Pakistan to honour its agreements and grant the people their rights. If the Pakistani forces and ruling class intend to massacre Kashmiris, let it be known that people across the globe and within PoK stand firm like a rock against this oppressive system. The people will reclaim the rights that the rulers of Pakistan and PoK have snatched away," he said.
ALSO READ: 'Will Not Bow Down Under Any Oppression': Pakistan Opposition Blocked From Entering PoK
(With inputs from agencies)
You may also like to watch