India seeks global action as 20 killed in PoK
New Delhi: Condemning severe police brutality in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which had led to the death of at least 20 protesters, India on Tuesday said
New Delhi: Condemning severe police brutality in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), which had led to the death of at least 20 protesters, India on Tuesday said that the international community must hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds and abuses.Reacting to continued protests and a heavy-handed crackdown in PoK, external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said desperate attempts are being made to cover up failings by Pakistan, with a pattern of fake news and videos emanating to deflect attention away from human rights abuses.Also read: 190 vs 620: India has nuke edge over Pakistan but can it deter China?"There are reports of severe police brutality in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in which several protestors have been killed and many injured.
We hope the international community will hold Pakistan accountable for its misdeeds and abuses," Jaiswal said.People with knowledge of the matter said that the crackdown on civilians appeared to have intensified since the posting of Brigadier Faiq Ayub as the Inter-Services Intelligence sector commander for the region last year. Prior to being posted in PoK, the officer served as sector commander in Punjab and was reportedly responsible for a violent crackdown in Lahore that earned him the nickname "Butcher of Lahore".Tensions in PoK have been running high for several days, with the police and army opening fire on protesters amid large-scale demonstrations. Protesters have a list of demands, which include cheaper prices for electricity and food items.
A major grouse has been high energy costs despite PoK being the source of the majority of hydroelectric power produced in Pakistan.A major political demand of the protesters is the abolition of 12 refugee-designated seats in the legislative assembly of PoK which has a total of 45 seats. While these seats are reserved for people from Kashmir who migrated to other parts of Pakistan after the 1947 war with India, they have been traditionally been influenced by the Pakistani Army to ensure the election of members of terrorist organisations targeting India.The people said that the Pakistan military influences the election process to ensure that Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed members and their relatives emerge as winners, despite residing in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Karachi.This gives the military a strong influence on the PoK assembly and enables it to install leaders of its choice.
One clear example, according to the people, is Abdullah Saeed Shah, also known as Pir Mazhar Saeed Shah, who is closely affiliated with the Jaish-e-Mohammed and recently held the portfolio of information and broadcasting minister in the PoK government.
The BriefWire