BJP and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq condemn PoK conflict
New Delhi: Political rivals united to express concern over the loss of life in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (Pok), where nine people were killed and a dozen wounded in fresh clashes between supporters of banned protest group and security forces.
Supporters of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) have been seeking greater representation and resolution for economic grievances, including food shortages. They had vowed to march
towards the regional capital Muzaffarabad this week in defiance of official warnings, Reported AFP.
but pre-march protests turned violent as human rights groups have condemned the use of tear gas and lethal force to tackle the protestors. "Seven civilians, one paramilitary personnel and one police officer were killed during violence that erupted on Tuesday", Sardar Waheed, the top civilian official in Poonch district, where protests have been heavily concentrated, told AFP.
The unrest has only intensified after the local government banned the JAAC under anti-terrorism laws in June, triggering
clashes between protesters and police in which 22 people were killed, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
The JAAC has rejected the anti-terrorism ban and maintained that their demand for greater economic and political rights is legitimate. Protests have continued even as hundreds of the banned group supporters have been arrested.
The developments have been watched with concern in Kashmir, where Mirwaiz (chief preacher) Umar Farooq tweeted on X that he was "deeply saddened and pained by reports of loss of life of civilians and police personnel".
