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Local leaders of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) in a public conference organised in Muzzafarabad, slammed the Pakistani administration for stripping the general public of PoJK of their basic human and democratic rights for over 70 years.
A local leader from PoJK, Tauqeer Gilani, said in his statement at the public conference said that the Pakistani administration has taken away all the basic humanitarian rights of the people. Additionally, the leader also mentioned that Pakistan has taken away the democratic rights of the people that are guaranteed by the Constitution of Pakistan. Tauqeer Gilani in his statement during the public conference said "We live in a place where the most basic rights of democracy are not given to us. We are not given the right to express our opinion, which is the foremost right in democracy. Even today we don't have the freedom we deserve, our opinion is not free, our administration is not free, and our vote is not free. And you being the voter know it much better than me. We the general public of PoJK, know and witness, how elections and votes are manipulated. We know how the fake votes of kids, old people, and even dead people are cast during every election. And how the polling stations are distributed to turn the tides in favour of deciding who wins and who loses. And we have been fighting for this basic right for ages." The leader further added, "They are trying to create an environment of suppressing our voices, we are not supposed to talk about the ones who have captured our water bodies, we are supposed to talk against people who capture our forests, we are not supposed to criticise the people who distribute our land resources among their family members. If we are so bad in our homeland, then we should start criticising and protesting against ourselves rather than these oppressors. Why can't we criticise these oppressors? Then we should organise protests and criticise ourselves instead of them." While referring to the several acts of Pakistan's Constitution Gilani added "Even the Pakistani Constitution itself allows us to express our opinions. If it is not allowed in the Pakistani constitution then how do these top leaders who enjoy top positions in politics can organize such big rallies and protests? And If these people are allowed to protest then why are we despite being peaceful called anti-establishment agents? And are tortured when we come out on roads for raising our voices." (ANI)
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