Athens, November 14 (Yes Punjab News)
The violent crackdown by Pakistani security forces on peaceful sit-ins in the Rawalakot region of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), followed by the alleged refusal to hand over the bodies of those killed, has been described as one of the cruellest aspects of the treatment of people in the occupied territory, according to a report published by Greek City Times.
Three men, identified as Atif Jardees, Ehtisham Younis and Adil Rashid, were reported killed, while at least 18 others sustained serious injuries during the crackdown.
The report said the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) and an opposition alliance had demanded that the bodies be handed over to the families. It alleged that a similar tactic was used in June, when relatives of Fahad Barkat were reportedly told they could receive his body only after signing a statement describing him as a terrorist killed in a police encounter.
Protest organisers and Kashmiri diaspora groups have accused Pakistani security forces of deploying heavy machine guns, armoured vehicles and drones to suppress demonstrations in PoJK. The report also said restrictions on independent fact-finding in the region had made it increasingly difficult to document alleged abuses.
Describing the crackdown as part of a continuing pattern, the report alleged that sit-ins were being cleared before dawn, communications disrupted, bodies withheld until families accepted the authorities’ account, and civilian protests labelled as terrorism. It warned that the situation could lead to greater centralisation of control and increased paramilitary deployment.
The report said no investigation or inquiry had been initiated to ensure accountability for alleged human rights abuses in PoJK since June. It also highlighted the Pakistani authorities’ June 5 decision to invoke anti-terrorism legislation to ban the JAAC, cut internet and mobile connectivity for a week, order outsiders to leave the region, arrest more than 100 people within 48 hours and shut the committee’s Muzaffarabad office.
Pakistani journalist Sohrab Barkat was also arrested under cybercrime laws for covering the events, while activist Shahzaib Habib was reportedly shot that night.
Despite the crackdown, the report said, a civilian sit-in at Dareek Eidgah in Rawalakot had continued uninterrupted since June 10, drawing thousands of participants again this month.
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