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The top leadership of the United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) expressed serious concern over the recent militarization of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK) in a joint statement released on Sunday.
In their statement, top UKPNP leaders including Chairman Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, spokesperson Nasir Aziz Khan, and Secretary of Foreign Affairs Jameel Maqsood voiced their apprehension regarding Pakistan's decision to deploy defence personnel, including rangers, Quick Response Force (QRF), Crime Branch, and Pakistani Police, in the PoK region. The UKPNP leaders asserted that these tactics constitute a suppression strategy employed by the Pakistani Defense Agencies, aimed at quelling protests scheduled by the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and the People's Right Movement in PoK. They highlighted that protests in PoK have been ongoing since May 2023, with demonstrators demanding redressal of various issues, including heavy taxes, inflated electricity bills, unemployment, food shortages, and exploitation of natural resources. The UKPNP called for all its members in PoK to participate in a protest march organized by the UKPNP and JAAC on May 11, commencing from Bhimber to Muzaffarabad. During this march, demands will include free electricity provision to PoK natives, subsidies on essential commodities, majority ownership of hydropower projects in PoK, elimination of privileges for the elite class, and resolution of issues such as load shedding, inflation, and unemployment, as outlined in the joint statement. The statement emphasized that peaceful protests, association, and assembly are democratic rights of every individual and underscored that the use of force against peaceful protests will not be tolerated and will be strongly opposed on all platforms. Furthermore, the UKPNP leadership urged the Pakistani administration to promptly address and fulfill all demands of the people of PoK, highlighting the dire situation faced by residents due to the deprivation of their basic human rights in PoK, including Gilgit Baltistan. Part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir which remained under Pakistan's illegal occupation since 1947, PoK is facing severe issues like freedom of expression, unemployment, high inflation, and human rights violations against political activists and journalists. For several decades, the people in PoK have been demanding freedom from Pakistan and seeking international intervention. UKPNP has been raising such issues at various international forums, including the United Nations. (ANI)
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