Polls In 7/11 Areas Of PoK Cancelled Due To Unrest
The PoK election commission said the polls have been deferred in view of concerns regarding the law and order situation in areas of Poonch and Pilandri districts
New Delhi: In a first political retreat, the election commission of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) indefinitely deferred polls in seven out of eleven constituencies in Poonch division, where voting was scheduled for August 10, in view of massive protest and rallies in the region where one of the protesting leaders, Sardar Aman Khan gave an ultimatum to Pakistan government and its forces and recited the Fatiha for the dead threatening to kill them. He appealed to all Kashmiris from both PoK and Indian side to stand with them and get rid of the current regime.
Taking note of the crackdown on protesters in PoK, the United Nations Secretary General Mr Antonio Guterres called for accountability for the action taken against people of PoK engaging in peaceful protest.
While addressing a protest gathering in PoK capital Muzaffarabad, Khan recited “Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un”, the Fatiha for the dead threatening Pakistan forces if they dared to enter Rawalakot again and launch a crackdown on the local protestors.
“If you (politicians) are our representative then you must come to us here. Your three generations have thrived on us, on our tax money. If you don’t come here then in Rawalkot I will say Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un for you…People have died but it did not bother you at all,” said Sardar Aman Khan, of the Joint Awami Action Committee, the labeled and banned by Pakistan as a terror organization.
“People are dying here, your job is to stand with the people. You have been seeking votes in our names…This a message for all politicians that there is no forgiveness for anyone,” Khan added. He urged the politicians to come out of election mode and stand by the people of PoK. “If you don’t come and stand with the people, then even your graves won't be in this country and this land, forget the future of your children. People died here and nothing bothered you...We appeal to all Kashmiris from this side and the other side in India that let's stand together and get rid of this regime. People from Srinagar, Poonch, Ladakh..come and stand with us,” Khan said.
Another JAAC leader Imtiaz Aslam accused the Pakistan government of destroying hospitals in PoK so that the victims of police brutality do not find treatment.
“Just like you (Pakistan government) occupied our mountains and dams, today you occupied CMH (Combined Military Hospital) Hospital, which was built for us by Saudi Arabia. You stole the money donated for PoK by the world during the 2005 earthquake…You are thieves who have pocketed the money sent to us by our diaspora during distress,” alleged Imtiaz Aslam.
The PoK election commission said the polls have been deferred in view of concerns regarding the law and order situation in areas of Poonch and Pilandri districts.
The UN Secretary General Mr Antonio Guterres said that there needs to be accountability for action taken against people engaging in peaceful protest. Last month, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk had expressed concern about the recent developments in PoK, calling for impartial and thorough investigation into the death of protesters and Pakistan's ban of the Joint Awami Action Committee and arrest of its leaders. Concerns were also raised about restrictions on internet access and public gathering in violation of the right of freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
"The Secretary-General supports the work of his High Commissioner, and we certainly hope that the pleas made by Mr. Turk will be listened to," Deputy Spokesman for the Secretary-General Farhan Haq said on Friday.
The High Commissioner had called for prompt, thorough and impartial investigations into all deaths that have occurred due to the unrest, both amongst protesters and members of security forces.
