Canada chapter of UKPNP demands immediate revocation of troops from PoJK

The Canada chapter of the United Kashmir People’s National Party (UKPNP) held a protest in Calgary, Canada on Tuesday, demanding the fulfilment of the charter of demands of the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and immediate halt of the ongoing deployment of defence forces into Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK).

Sardar Nasir Aziz Khan, the spokesperson for the UKPNP, also demanded that the administration must stop using “brutal force” and filing charges against peaceful protestors of PoJK.

“The United Kashmir People’s National Party #UKPNP protested in #Calgary #Canada, demanding justice. Urged #Pakistan to fulfil #JAAC demands and stop deploying forces, using force & filing false charges against peaceful protesters in PoJK,” he said in a post on X.

Notably, the people of PoJK, have been continuously raising their demands for respite against rampant inflation, lack of infrastructure, and severe power cuts.

Earlier in June, the Chairman of the UKPNP, Sardar Shaukat Ali Kashmiri also raised similar demands urging Pakistan to refrain from deploying its troops in PoJK.

He delivered his statement on the sidelines of the 56th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.

“We have received reports from PoJK indicating that the Pakistani administration is redeploying Frontier Corps (FC) units there. It’s crucial to recognise that PoJK is a disputed region, and therefore, Pakistan should not deploy its forces there,” Kashmiri stated in a video message.

He added, “Such actions cause distress among the local population. Pakistan must withdraw its troops from PoJK to prevent further unrest among the people and the administration.”

The UKPNP Chairman also criticised Pakistan for what he described as “contradictory policies” and demanded the release of all detainees from Pakistan-Occupied Gilgit Baltistan and PoJK.

“While Pakistan has released activists detained in PoJK, it has also filed numerous cases against members of the Awami Action Committee (AAC) in PoJK and Pakistan-Occupied Gilgit Baltistan (PoGB). We demand the immediate release of all detainees from PoGB and PoJK, and urge Pakistan to address the grievances of the public,” he added.

In a separate statement, the UKPNP strongly criticized Pakistan’s decision to deploy the Frontier Constabulary (FC) in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

It said that the deployment, authorized by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, is aimed at quelling the ongoing movement for people’s rights in PoJK and is viewed as a “betrayal” of the Kashmiri people.

The statement emphasised that Pakistan’s invasion of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir on October 22, 1947, resulted in the deaths of thousands of innocent Kashmiris and the forced division of the state. This action sowed the seeds of communalism and ongoing bloodshed. The UKPNP asserted that Pakistan lacks legitimacy in Kashmir and has no right to deploy its forces there.

The UKPNP also urged the United Nations and the international community to intervene and demand that Pakistan refrain from using force against peaceful protesters in PoJK.