The growing unrest among people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) is on full show once again as political leaders traveling from Islamabad to campaign for elections in the region are being targeted by the locals fed up with their everyday fight for survival.
On Tuesday, a shoe was hurled at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur while he was addressing an election campaign rally in PoK's Bagh district for the Legislative Assembly elections slated to be held on July 25.
According to Ary News, a man was caught by the PTI workers immediately after he hurled his shoe at the minister of Imran Khan government.
However, more drama was in store Wednesday as hundreds of locals, chanting anti-government slogans, attacked the police station where the arrested man was kept and got him released.
Sajjad Raja, a human rights activist and Chairman of National Equality Party JKGBL, said that the incident was yet another proof of the enormous anger and frustration stored in the people of occupied Kashmir who are fed up with false promises made by Islamabad.
"People in POJK hate Pakistan. Pakistani Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur who was campaigning in POJK to buy votes for Pakistan was hit with a shoe in Bagh by a young man. Police arrested the youth but people attacked Police Stn & got him released & greet him," tweeted Raja along with a video showing a mob getting the accused released from the district police station.
People in POJK hate Pakistan. Pakistani Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs Ali Amin Gandapur who was campaigning in POJK to buy votes for Pakistan was hit with a shoe in Bagh by a young man. Police arrested the youth but people attacked Police Stn & got him released & greet him pic.twitter.com/1a5cU3P31g
— Prof. Sajjad Raja (@NEP_JKGBL) July 15, 2021
In another tweet today, Raja highlighted through a video "the hate against Pakistani policies and occupation" amongst the locals of the region when they didn't let a leader address a rally in Dhirkot.
"Watch for yourself the hate of POJK people against Pakistani Establishment. This is the value of Pakistani Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs in POJK. When he was called to address in Dhirkot, people didn't let him to speak. This hate is against Pakistani policies & occupation
Watch for yourself the hate of POJK people against Pakistani Establishment. This is the value of Pakistani Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs in POJK. When he was called to address in Dhirkot, people didn’t let him to speak. This hate is against Pakistani policies & occupation pic.twitter.com/YEnVFoof99
— Prof. Sajjad Raja (@NEP_JKGBL) July 15, 2021
This is not for the first time a Pakistani politician has been targeted in PoK and it is also not the first time that Pakistan is trying to bring material changes in areas under its illegal and forcible occupation.
India had last year conveyed its strong protest to the Pakistan government after it had announced elections to the so-called 'Gilgit-Baltistan' Legislative Assembly.
New Delhi had reiterated that the entire Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the areas of so-called Gilgit and Baltistan are an integral part of India by virtue of its accession in 1947 and that the government of Pakistan has no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it.
"Action such as these can neither hide the illegal occupation of parts of Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh by Pakistan nor the grave human rights violations, exploitation and denial of freedom to the people residing in Pakistan occupied territories for the past seven decades. These are cosmetic exercises intended to camouflage its illegal occupation. We call upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation," India had said last September.
