Massive demonstrations are being held across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir after Awami Action Committee (AAC) called for protests over the “denial of fundamental rights”. The committee had earlier announced a lockdown on Monday to send a “loud and clear message” to grant people their rights.
Videos shared on social media showed large gatherings of people raising slogans and waving flags amid the lockdown. BBC reported that mobile phones, landlines, internet services and social media has partially been shut in the region.
The committee, an umbrella group of civil society organisations, has now called for an “indefinite strike”, NDTV reported. It said that the protests have been organised this time because the government has failed to meet their demands.
Earlier, members of the PoK government as well as Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government had held talks with the AAC before it called for the strike.
The committee has been demanding the abolition of 12 legislative seats reserved for refugees from J&K. Other demands of the AAC include subsidised flour, fairer power tariffs tied to the Mangla hydropower project, and implementation of long-delayed reforms promised by Islamabad.
“Let it be clear once again: we are not running a campaign against any ideology or institution, but for the bona fide rights of our people that have been denied for over seven decades under one or the other pretext,” Shaukat Nawaz Mir, core member of the action committee, was quoted as saying by Dawn News.
The 12 legislative seats for Kashmiri refugees have become a point of contention and were brought under the13th Amendment (Act 2018) to Act 74. The locals believe that this “undermines representative governance.”
On Saturday, security forces in PoK carried out flag marches and heavy deployment has been reported. The shopkeepers had announced to keep their shops open on Sunday for customers to make essential purchases before the lockdown from Monday.
Authorities said that maintaining peace is their responsibility, no one would be allowed to disrupt public life. “Maintaining peace is a shared responsibility of the administration, police, and citizens. We have no quarrel with anyone, but our mission of public service will continue at all costs,” District Magistrate Mudasser Farooq was quoted as saying.
