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United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) chairman Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri has accused Pakistan's establishment of promoting divisions, suppressing fundamental rights and using allegations of terrorism to discredit political movements in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).
Addressing protesters outside the Pakistan High Commission in London, Kashmiri criticised Islamabad's policies towards Kashmiris and alleged that militant infrastructure remained intact in the region despite Pakistani authorities claiming to have dismantled terrorist networks. Referring to the appearance of armed men carrying swords and raising slogans of Al-Jihad in PoJK, he alleged that religious slogans and sectarian divisions were being used to create hostility among communities that had traditionally coexisted peacefully. Kashmiri praised young people, intellectuals and activists advocating unity, saying that those fighting for fundamental, political and social rights would be remembered positively by history. He maintained that the movement was not directed against any country or institution but was aimed at securing people's rights. He accused Pakistani authorities of using force against protesters and attempting to portray rights activists as terrorists through media campaigns and propaganda. He also alleged that security agencies were working to divide people along ideological lines and silence dissenting voices. Highlighting the role of the Kashmiri diaspora, the UKPNP chairman urged overseas Kashmiris in Europe, Canada, and the United States to continue raising awareness about human rights violations in PoJK. He said international advocacy and social media had become important channels for exposing incidents that might otherwise receive limited attention. Kashmiri also raised concerns over alleged abuses against families of activists, including the detention of elderly people and the withholding of bodies of those killed. He described such practices as evidence of what he characterised as the establishment's disregard for human dignity and basic rights. Turning to Pakistan's economic situation, he accused the country's powerful elite of accumulating wealth and enjoying luxury while ordinary citizens struggled with poverty and inadequate access to essential services. (ANI)
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