Anti-Pakistan slogans echo at Srinagar’s Lal Chowk as Kashmiris protest killings, atrocities in PoK

At the historic clock tower in the Kashmir Valley, a site where the Pakistani flags were once hoisted by separatists, slogans of "Pakistan Murdabad" were raised on Thursday. Demands were made for India to use diplomatic channels to urge the international community to impose sanctions on Pakistan.

Today, local Kashmiri activists staged a protest at Srinagar's historic Lal Chowk clock tower against the killing of civilians in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These protests followed serious concerns regarding human rights violations and clashes that occurred during ongoing regional protests in PoK.

Also Read: PoK vs J&K: How Islamabad turned PoK residents into second-class citizens deprived of basic facilities

The protesters, including terror victims and human rights activists, condemned the police brutality, internet shutdowns, and the alleged killing of unarmed civilians by security forces in PoK.

The massive protest against Pakistan and the Pakistani army took place, with slogans such as "Hindustan Zindabad" (Long live India). 

Human rights activist Taslima Akhtar said, "We were compelled to take to the streets because innocent people among us are being killed in PoK; this is a gross violation of human rights. We want international pressure to be exerted on Pakistan to halt the atrocities in PoK."

Before gathering at Lal Chowk to show solidarity with the residents of PoK, the protesters attempted to march towards the United Nations (UN) headquarters in Sonwar. 

However, security forces deployed near Polo-View stopped the marchers and prevented them from proceeding to the UN office, a measure taken to maintain law and order, though few of them later reached the UN office and submitted a memorandum to the UN.

Advocate Chaudhary Aslam said, "We demand that India exert diplomatic pressure on Pakistan and impose sanctions, as our brothers and sisters are being massacred there. We are residents of the Uri border area in India; many of our relatives living in PoK are victims of oppression, and we want them to be safe."

Farooq Abdullah on PoK protests 

Farooq Abdullah too called for a UN investigation into the atrocities being committed in PoK.

He stated that many people have lost their lives in the PoK, yet accurate information is not available; therefore, the UN should send a team to investigate the facts.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Abdullah said, "The state is in a difficult situation today; there is immense oppression, and many people have lost their lives there. We do not have full information about the situation on the ground."

"I appeal to the United Nations Organisation to visit the area and assess the hardships the people are facing, so that we and the entire world become aware of the ordeals they are enduring. That is why I am urging the UNO to go there and conduct an investigation," he added.  

Abdullah emphasised that a UN inquiry is necessary to reveal the true situation. 

"The international community must take steps to ensure the safety of PoK's citizens, and an impartial investigation is needed to ascertain the actual conditions."

Also Read: Why did violence break out in PoK, and what appeal did India make to the international community?