Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir erupts in violent protests, 12 civilians killed in army crackdown
Muzaffarabad: At least 12 civilians were killed and over 200 injured as Pakistani security forces opened fire on protesters in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK), marking one of the region’s most intense uprisings in recent years.
The unrest, now in its third day, has spread across Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, Neelum Valley, Kotli, and Dadyal, where demonstrators clashed with the army. Reports said five protesters were killed in Muzaffarabad, five in Dheerkot, and two in Dadyal. Three policemen also lost their lives.
The agitation, led by the Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (AAC), began on September 29 over the government’s failure to meet 38 demands. Key demands include scrapping 12 assembly seats reserved for Kashmiri refugees living in Pakistan, tax relief, flour and electricity subsidies, and completion of pending development projects.
Markets and businesses remain shut, while internet, mobile, and landline services have been suspended. Visuals circulating on social media show thousands of protesters toppling barricades and raising slogans such as “Kashmir is ours, we will decide its fate”, in a rare direct challenge to Pakistan’s military establishment.
In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, currently in London, announced the formation of a negotiation panel and appealed for peace, urging security forces to show restraint.
Meanwhile, United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) spokesperson Nasir Aziz Khan appealed to the United Nations for urgent intervention, warning of a potential humanitarian crisis.
This escalation comes days after 30 civilians were killed in airstrikes by the Pakistan Air Force in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, further heightening tensions in the region.
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India trashes Pakistan's allegations of Indian hand in disturbing peace in Balochistan
New Delhi (PTI): India on Sunday categorically rejected as baseless Pakistan's allegations of an Indian hand in attempts to disturb peace in Balochistan, and said it is Islamabad's usual tactics to deflect attention from its "internal failings".
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, trashing the charges, also highlighted Pakistan's record of suppression, brutality and violation of human rights.
"We categorically reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan, which are nothing but its usual tactics to deflect attention from its own internal failings," he said.
Jaiswal was responding to Pakistan military's unsubstantiated claim that India was supporting terrorist elements in their attempts to disturb peace in Balochistan.
"Instead of parroting frivolous claims each time there is a violent incident, it would do better to focus on addressing long-standing demands of its people in the region. Its record of suppression, brutality and violation of human rights is well known," he added.
At least 15 Pakistani soldiers and 92 militants were killed in multiple counter-terrorism operations carried out by Pakistani security forces in Balochistan province, the Pakistan army said.
The operations were launched after militants belonging to ethnic Baloch groups carried out attacks at several locations on Saturday, it said in a statement.
The Pakistan army said the militants attempted to disturb peace by carrying out terrorist activities in and around Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan and Panjgur, it said.
