In Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Joint Action Awami Committee, announced a Long March scheduled for October 24 to protest against the government’s failure to honour its commitments regarding a cheap electricity agreement.
According to the committee, the demonstration aims to shed light on the economic hardships faced by the trading community due to rising energy costs.
Announcing the Long March, Shaukat Nawaz Mir, a Member of the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Action Awami Committee, said, “These people are not protesting without reason. The government is saying that their demands have been met. It is in front of the media that three notifications were issued, but nothing has been done on them. Similarly, when we discuss electricity, our commercial tariff is being charged at the old rate for consumption above 5 KPS. Similarly, when it comes to flour allocation, the standards have been lowered, and the allocation of flour has been reduced. Moreover, the charter of demands that they agreed to on February 5 has not been implemented at all.”
Representing the Jammu and Kashmir Joint Action Awami Committee, Shaukat underscored the legitimacy of the protests, emphasising that the demonstrators are driven by authentic grievances.
He said, “I feel that the Prime Minister and his entire team have a phobia of politics, rather they have a phobia of the Action Committee. Remove this action committee from your mind, remove this politics. As you are in politics, you feel that the action committee is doing politics with you. The action committee is not doing politics. Action committee is discussing the basic things which are our rights, you have right and authority, you should solve the problems of the people.”
Emphasising the need for leaders to responsibly use their mandate, Shaukat said, “We appeal to the leaders to please utilise the mandate you have in the right way, ensuring that the basic rights reach the poor. Also, stop the plunder and occupation of your resources.”
The joint action Awami Committee called for an end to the exploitation of the region’s resources, implying that the current situation involves mismanagement or appropriation that harms the local population.
