Jammu- BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Ravinder Raina on Tuesday urged the central government to raise at the United Nations the issue of “atrocities by the Pakistan army” on the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
He also urged the government to send rations to the suffering people of the Pakistani side of Kashmir.
At least three people were killed and scores injured when security forces opened fire on protesters who attacked paramilitary Rangers in the Pakistani controlled areas of Kashmir, which has been rocked by protests against high prices of wheat flour and inflated electricity bills.
Videos on social media showed vehicles of the paramilitary personnel set ablaze in Muzaffarabad. Another video showed ‘Azadi’ slogans being raised by a group of anti-government protesters.
“It is very unfortunate that the people of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir are subjected to exploitation and cruelty these days,” Raina told reporters in Rajouri.
“We urge Foreign Minister Jaishanker ji to take up the matter with the United Nations to register the issue. The atrocities perpetrated by the Pakistan army cannot be tolerated. We stand with the people of PoJK, as they are our brothers and sisters. They are our citizens,” Raina said.
Raina alleged that the Pakistan army has subjected “the people of various areas of PoK to atrocities and torture.”
He expressed concern over reports “that the entire area of PoJK has been closed for the past five days and people belonging to the Pahari community have lost their lives in the firing by the Pakistan army”.
“Our people in PoJK demanded ration but got bullets. This cannot be tolerated by us. We love our people there”, he said.
Raina emphasised that the oppression by the Pakistani authorities will not last for long.
The Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), which has been spearheading the protests, asked the demonstrators to resume their march, saying the Pakistani government did not fulfil all their demands.
The violent street protests in POK, which erupted around May 10, have left more than 90 people injured, Pakistani media reported.
On Sunday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the release of Rs 23 billion for POK for power and wheat subsidies to placate the protesters.
The rate for 40 kg of flour was reduced to Rs 2,000 from Rs 3,100. The electricity tariff was also reduced to Rs 3, Rs 5 and Rs 6 per unit for up to 100, 300, and more than 300 units, respectively, the Dawn report said.
Speaking on the latest round of violence, a POK activist, Amjad Ayub Mirza, said the situation in Muzaffarabad was getting very serious. He also requested the Indian government to summon the Pakistani ambassador and seek an explanation.
“This morning, about 500,000 people descended upon Muzaffarabad and the suburbs to protest against high taxes… Suddenly, the protesters hit back and the Rangers retreated. It seemed as if the Rangers had disappeared from the scene, but then they came with a heavy contingency of rangers,” ANI quoted Mirza as saying.
“The death toll might increase. The internet has totally shut down in the region. The Army commandos started to land in helicopters in the centre of Muzaffarabad and each helicopter was carrying about 20 to 25 commandos,” he said.
As tensions grew during protests over the last few days, the regional government called in paramilitary forces and deployed extra police.
The JAAC claims some of its leadership was arrested pre-emptively by law enforcement officials, prompting them to call for a general strike on May 10. That was followed by a call for protests and a long march on May 11, which was to move towards Muzaffarabad.
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