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United Kashmir People's National Party has strongly condemned the arrest of Rashid Ahmed, the party's vice president in the Muzaffarabad division, by the Pakistan Police.
UKPNP central spokesperson, Sardar Nasir Aziz Khan in a video statement said that the activists have become the "main target" of Pakistan as they want to stifle the voices of civil society. "It has become a routine that the UKPNP and its student wing United Kashmir National Students Organisation are the main target of the Pakistani policies. They are trying to intimidate, harass and arrest our activists. They are trying to silence the voices of civil society and the UKPNP and UKNSO because we have a clear stance about Pakistan," Khan said in the statement. He said that the people are protesting against high inflation, unemployment and terrorism while also demanding basic amenities. "People are protesting in the streets and they are demanding that they should, be provided with free electricity as we are the owners of rivers, waters, and dams. Pakistan is exploiting our resources. People are protesting against high inflation, unemployment, extremism, terrorism, and shortages of wheat and flour. They also demand that they must be given subsidies on essential food items. The UKPNP have always said that it is the basic responsibility of Islamabad to provide us with basic amenities." Khan stated. The activist highlighted that the peaceful protestors are threatened and harassed by the Pakistani authorities and grave human rights violations are taking place in the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). "Our land is kept underdeveloped, our youth is a victim of extremists and terrorist groups who are recruiting them for their purpose and the state remains silent. But when peaceful protestors like UKPNP, UKNSO, and other activists protest, they are threatened, arrested, abducted, harassed, and in some cases eliminated. These sorts of policies in the 21st century cannot be tolerated. The POK had become a colony of the Pakistan administration, and the world community has no access to it, behind the cover of which grave human rights violations have been taking place." he added. The UKPNP further urged the United Nations and the international community to intervene in the matter. Further, the activist also urged Pakistan to listen to the demands of the people of PoK as they are merely demanding their 'basic rights'. Additionally, Khan also informed that the UKPNP will be raising these issues faced by the people of POK in the upcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting. (ANI)
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