PoK activists stage anti-Pakistan protest outside UN, demand dismantling of terror camps

The political activists from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) organised a protest against Pakistan to highlight the hardships faced by local residents due to various issues, including the increasing presence of terrorism and fundamentalism.

The protest against human rights violations in Pakistan and its occupied Jammu and Kashmir was held during the 55th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday.

Activists from the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) and Swiss Kashmir Human Rights were seen carrying banners with messages such as ‘Stop land grabbing occupying hilltops in PoK and Gilgit Baltistan’ and ‘Stop Human Rights abuses in PoJK and Gilgit Baltistan’.

Nasir Aziz Khan, the central spokesperson of the United Kashmir People’s National Party said, “Our main purpose was to highlight the miseries and the plight of the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, where people are protesting for their basic rights. They are deprived, their rights are compromised and people are protesting and demanding that Pakistan must give them the ownership of their natural resources and self-rule. People are protesting, they are demanding that illegal taxes on the electricity bills must be abolished by Pakistan”.

Subsequently, the UKPNP organised an event at the John Knox Centre, where activists raised concerns about the presence of terror camps in the region and the increasing rise of fundamentalism.

Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri, Chairman of UKPNP said, “The conference aimed to address the scourge of terrorism, which has far-reaching impacts globally, particularly on communities advocating for peace and dignity. Terrorism disrupts their efforts for peaceful coexistence, and democracies face significant threats as a result.”

Sardar Asif, a human rights activist and member of UKPNP said, “The entire Jammu and Kashmir region is affected due to terror activities. Similarly, Pakistan’s provinces like Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are affected due to terrorism and we condemn this. We will raise the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan at various international platforms”.

Political activists from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan have been voicing their concerns at various international platforms, but the silence of organizations like the United Nations worries them.

The people in the regions under Pakistan’s forceful occupation have been struggling due to basic human rights like education, health, employment, and infrastructure development.