Cop killed, 90 wounded as protesters clash with security forces in PoK

A police officer was killed and 90 others injured during the ongoing protests and shutter down strike across the region on Saturday (May 11).

Police resorted to tear gas shelling and firing in the air to dispel the crowds. A Dawn report said that sub-inspector Adnan Qureshi succumbed to a gunshot wound in the chest in the town of Islamgarh where he was deployed along with other police personnel to stop a rally for Muzaffarabad via Kotli and Poonch districts.

The rally was held by Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC).

The protests that started against inflation, high taxation, and electricity shortage have turned into a movement for rights and freedom across PoK, said reports.

The protestors, who were shouting slogans for "azadi (freedom)", clashed with police and security agencies in Muzaffarabad and other districts. A massive crackdown has been launched by the authorities to quell protests that have spread across the occupied region.

The protests are spearheaded by Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, with traders at the forefront. The authorities arrested many of these members and deployed deploying additional troops from the Pakistan Rangers and Frontier Corps to quell the protests. 

The committee had previously announced plans for a long march towards Muzaffarabad on May 11.

According to Saukat Nawaz Mir, chairman of Traders Association Muzaffarabad and member of the Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee, there is a complete "shutter-down" and "wheel-jam strike" observed across PoK and specifically in Muzaffarabad against the police brutality and against peaceful protesters in Dadyal, said news reports.

Meanwhile, videos of locals demanding freedom from the Pakistani establishment went viral.

On May 5, external affairs minister S Jaishankar in an interaction in Odisha's Cuttack said PoK has always been a part of India. The "very sorry state of affairs" has continued because the earlier governments did not ensure Pakistan vacated the region after Independence, he reiterated blaming the Congress for the situation.

According to Jaishankar, PoK has never been out of this country and it has always been a part of this country. T"here is a resolution of the Indian parliament that PoK is very much a part of India. Now, how did other people get control? Ab ho jaata hai (it happens) when you have someone who is not a responsible custodian of a house, an outsider will come and steal something," he said.