Dadyal [PoJK], May 9:
A violent clash broke out between the police and people from the Dadyal area of Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) on Thursday which left several injured.
The protesters were gathered to follow up on the May 11 protest against skyrocketing inflation and load shedding. Pakistan police subsequently implemented Section 144 in the region.
In response to the clash, enraged protesters said they would hold their demonstration on Friday instead of May 11 and also assaulted a Pakistan police constable.
Prior to this escalation, the protesters had warned the Pakistani authorities against resorting to violence. Shaukat Navaz Mir, a local leader and chairman of the PoJK traders’ association, declared a general strike across PoJK starting at midnight, denouncing the defense forces’ violent actions. Meanwhile, speaking agencies, political activist Amjad Ayub Mirza condemned the incident, emphasizing that violence against peaceful protesters in PoJK is intolerable.
He also reported the tragic death of a schoolgirl in Dadyal. Mirza further stated, “Riots have erupted in Dadyal, with hundreds of protesters taking to the streets in Tatapani. The state’s violence against my people is a ploy to impose Section 144 and a curfew in PoJK ahead of the May 11 long march and sit-in outside the legislative assembly in Muzaffarabad.”
The people of the region have previously sworn on their Holy Book Quran to resist oppression to their last breath.
The protest on May 10 will not be the first instance of PoJK residents taking to the streets to demand their fundamental rights.
They have long accused the Pakistani government of exploiting their region’s natural resources and neglecting the issues they face in daily life. As the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) announced major protests on May 11, the Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) administration has ordered to shut all government schools for one week.
Hordes of Pakistani defence personnel have been arriving in PoJK to suppress the upcoming protest. On the other hand, the local leadership of the JAAC has vowed to protest to resolve the issues of the people of POJK. PoJK activist Amjad Ayub Mirza also raised the same matter, in his statement he mentioned that “POJK is entering into a very volatile situation. The administration of PoJK is preparing to meet the May 11 long march and sit-in at Muzafarabad legislative assembly with violence. The people participating in these protests have always remained peaceful for the past nine months. There has been no incident of violence initiated by these protestors”.”Now the situation is getting out of hand, it is obvious that steps are being taken to crush the civil rights movement. The government schools have been ordered to shut down for one week, and the Defense Frontier Corps and the Punjab Province constabulary have taken their positions in these schools,” he added.
He also asserted that the situation in the region is worsening and JAAC has also announced a shutdown strike if the administration uses violence.
“Although the people of PoJK are resilient, they have taken oaths on the graves of their elders, that they will fight against oppression till their last breath. They will not give in until their demands are met. The situation is getting very serious in PoJK and a warning has been issued by the JAAC, stating a shutter-down strike for an indefinite period all across Pakistan if the administration resorts to violence, “he said.
According to the activist, several military trucks carrying personnel have penetrated deep into PoJK for the purpose of crushing the upcoming movement.
