The Pakistani government is carrying out severe repression against the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). For the past three weeks, local residents have been staging peaceful protests demanding their rights, and Pakistani troops and police have responded with brutal tactics to intimidate them. In a bid to crush the movement by any means, Pakistani security forces illegally arrested Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a key leader of the Awami Action Committee spearheading the agitation. He has been slapped with sedition and terrorism charges. After learning he was hiding in a safe house in Dhirkot, Pakistani Rangers arrived at midnight via a forest route, fired shots into the air, and dragged him away.
Undeterred by Shaukat Nawaz Mir’s arrest, Pakistani forces have intensified their manhunt for other public leaders linked to the movement. Police and Rangers also carried out midnight raids and searches at the residence of Sardar Umar Nazir in Rawalakot, another key figure driving the protests. In an effort to terrorize the protesters, the Pakistani government has already declared nearly 150 local demonstrators as terrorists. Beyond filing sedition cases against four prominent leaders of the movement, it has also announced a hefty bounty of Rs 1 crore each for information leading to their capture.
Despite this heavy-handed crackdown, public protests in PoK show no signs of slowing down, having now entered their 22nd day. More than 60,000 ordinary people continue to gather at the Eidgah Ground in Rawalakot, raising loud slogans against the Pakistani government. To keep the world from learning of these protests, the Pakistani government has completely shut down internet services in the region. Even so, people continue to take to the streets and hold rallies. The Awami Action Committee has strongly condemned the illegal arrest of its top leader, Shaukat Nawaz Mir. In the coming days, committee members are preparing to undertake a large-scale march to Muzaffarabad in protest against the injustices of the Pakistani government.