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India on Tuesday said that the protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are a consequence of Pakistan's systemic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights and administrative operation in the area.
Replying to queries during a media briefing, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the Pakistani state has responded with excessive police brutality to the legitimate grievances of the local population. "The ongoing protests in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are a direct consequence of Pakistan's decades-long systemic exploitation, denial of fundamental rights and administrative operation in areas under its illegal and forcible occupation. Rather than addressing the legitimate grievances of the local population, the Pakistani state has responded with excessive police brutality," he said. He said the international community should hold Pakistan responsible for its actions. "We expect and hope that the international community will hold Pakistan fully accountable for these egregious abuses and misdeeds," Jaiswal said. There have been massive anti-Pakistan protests across Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) following a severe government crackdown and the sweeping arrests of more than 600 civil rights activists. Watchdog group Amnesty International strongly condemned Pakistan's heavy-handed tactics ahead of upcoming regional elections in PoJK. Amnesty accused Pakistani authorities of deploying violent measures to suppress peaceful political dissent and violate fundamental human rights, unlawfully designating the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) as a "proscribed organisation." Amnesty fiercely criticised the ban on JAAC, labelling it a disproportionate attack on freedom of association and peaceful political activism. As local tensions simmer ahead of the regional polls, activists and watchdog groups alike continue to pressurise the international community to hold Islamabad accountable. (ANI)
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