ISLAMABAD: The Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has planned to suspend its long march until July 21, giving the Pakistani government what it described as "one final opportunity" to address its demands, as the unrest in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) has claimed over 30 lives so far.
Following the expiry of the July 14 deadline, JAAC had mobilised thousands of supporters for a long march towards Muzaffarabad, with large participation from women and children. Caravans from across the region converged on Rawalakot and other protest sites.
However, following negotiations with Pakistani authorities, reportedly involving Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir, and JAAC leaders, including Umar Nazir Kashmiri, the march was suspended.
The group warned that if no concrete action is taken, the long march toward Muzaffarabad will resume on July 22, while ongoing sit-ins across PoK will continue.
Meanwhile, the massive clashes between local protestors and Pakistani forces in the PoK have pushed the total casualties to over 30.
The deadly confrontation, which occurred around Rawalakot, resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries, with seven Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) activists killed in a single incident.
The protesters have accused the Pakistani authorities of imposing roadblocks, internet blackouts, and supply disruptions in an attempt to suppress the movement.
Furthermore, several members of the Kashmiri diaspora have also staged demonstrations outside Pakistani diplomatic missions abroad, protesting against the alleged human rights abuses in the PoK, calling for international intervention over what they described as the brutal crackdown by the Pakistani authorities.
In Islamabad, Munir and the country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also came under fire as Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari questioned their "role" while terming the situation in PoK since last month as "very concerning."
Leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported that at least two law enforcers have also lost their lives in separate clashes that took place on Tuesday. Pakistani media also reported that over 4,000 Rangers have been deployed and the media blacked out in the occupied territory.
As the escalating unrest enters its sixth week, thousands have gathered in Rawalakot on Tuesday, where Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) leader Sardar Amman Khan accused Pakistan of "forcibly occupying" the region and rejected Islamabad's longstanding narrative on the occupied territory.
Khan, while addressing thousands of people gathered for the rally, urged everyone to call PoK an "occupied territory" rather than a "disputed territory." "It is forcibly occupied," he stated.
The ongoing protests across PoK have emerged as a direct challenge to Islamabad's decades-long control of the region. Pakistani forces have been accused of unleashing a brutal crackdown on dozens of civilians while the region remains under a strict blockade, curfew, and a total communications blackout.
--IANS
