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After visiting the region, Mushtaq Ahmed alleged that people in PoK were living under a ‘complete siege’, with strict checks on food and ration supplies.
Police officials patrol an area amid the ongoing violence in PoK. Image/PTI
Pakistan-occupied Kashmir’s Rawalakot resembles a “war zone”, former Pakistani Senator Mushtaq Ahmed has claimed after his recent visit to the region.
Speaking on the situation in PoK, Ahmed said Kashmiri people were facing what he described as a “complete siege”, with food and ration supplies being checked and restricted.
According to him, every vehicle entering Kashmir is being searched for food supplies. The former senator also pointed to heavy militarisation in Rawalakot, claiming that trenches, widespread searches and security checkpoints now dominate the landscape.
During his visit, Ahmed held detailed talks with leaders of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) Omar Nazir and Khawaja Mehran.
The Pakistan opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) leader condemned what he called an “absolute blockade” of the Kashmiri people and highlighted what he described as unprecedented security checks on foodgrains entering the region.
JAAC Calls For July 5 Paralysis After Shaukat Nawaz Mir’s Arrest
The arrest of protest leader Shaukat Nawaz Mir has triggered a fresh escalation in PoK, with the JAAC issuing a hardline call for region-wide mobilisation on July 5.
JAAC core leader Khalid Majeed Banday has ruled out any further talks with the Pakistani establishment, declaring that the time for dialogue and meetings has passed. He said the committee was waiting for July 4 to finalise its strategy.
Banday framed the crisis as a battle for the survival of future generations, accusing the Pakistani state of oppression and saying that peaceful life under its control had become impossible.
He called upon people across all three districts of the Muzaffarabad Division to paralyse the region on Sunday in protest against alleged state atrocities. Banday said the movement had gone beyond basic demands and had become a fight for honour, self-respect, identity and the national agenda of the JAAC.
Urging people to come out in large numbers with the Kashmiri flag, Banday said Kashmiris would not bow before force. He said that even while carrying the bodies of their martyrs, the people remained committed to a peaceful but unyielding struggle.
The JAAC leader also said the proposed Long March would head towards the Muzaffarabad Assembly.
Amid an internet blackout, Banday urged residents to spread the message through phone calls so that it reaches every household.
London ‘Million March’ Planned On July 5
Meanwhile, a ‘Million March’ in London has been announced for July 5 over the situation in PoK.
Overseas Kashmiris have been urged to protest outside UN offices and Pakistani embassies in the United Kingdom, the United States and Europe.
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